Digital Commons Network^™

Experimental Studies Of Electron Transfer Between Wild Type And Mutagenic Cyanobacterial Cytochrome C553 And Photosystem I, Mehrsa Raeiszadeh

Masters Theses

A mutant form of the protein complex cytochrome c₅₅₃ (cyt c₅₅₃) has been constructed by site-directed mutagenesis in Thermosynechococcus elongatus (T. elongates) to elucidate the binding and electron transfer properties between cyt c₅₅₃ and photosystem I (PSI). The electron-transfer between wild type T. elongatus cyt c₅₅₃ and a mutant form of cyt c₅₅₃ and T. elongatus and Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (C. reinhardtii) PSI, has been studied as a function of cyt c₅₅₃ concentration, ionic strength, pH and the detergents used to stabilize the protein. The effects of each of these …

An Investigation Into The Effects Of Salt Concentration On Surfactant Adsorption Using A Quartz Crystal Microbalance, Shannon Joanne Ray

Masters Theses

Surfactant adsorption from aqueous electrolyte solutions onto metal surfaces was characterized through the use of a Quartz Crystal Microbalance (QCM). The need for a better understanding of the surfactant adsorption process became apparent in previous studies by Morton et al., who used estimated and extrapolated properties in a thermodynamically-based model of oil removal from metal surfaces. These modeling efforts overlap existing data on surfactant adsorption data and require an estimation of surfactant adsorption phenomena, especially the transition between monolayer adsorption and multi-layer adsorption, which corresponds to the critical micelle concentration (CMC). Thus, the purpose of this study was to gain …

Energy Production From Poultry Waste: Development And Application Of An Economic Model To Compare Various Concepts, Ricky Everette Dickens

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine whether there is a profitable way to recover energy from the poultry waste produced by Seaboard Farms in Chattanooga Tennessee. This study dovetails with an earlier study conducted by the SMARTPARK^TMproject, where SMARTPARK^TMengineers determined there could be large energy savings through the placement of heat exchangers, and the sharing of hot and cold utilities between companies in that same industrial park. They suggested construction of a Centrally Managed Energy Recovery Facility (CMERF^TM) which would incorporate the heat exchangers to match heat streams between the two plants, …

Value Prior To Processing Of Oriented Strand Board Flakes Through Hot Water Extraction, Clinton T. Sattler

Masters Theses

Research has already shown that the extraction of a valuable hemicellulose-rich stream is a viable option for revenue generation in the pulp and paper industries. Applying the value prior to pulping concept to the composite panel industry is a natural extension. If a hemicellulose extraction is accomplished under the right conditions, a non-trivial amount of fine chemicals can be generated, while leaving the woody substrate structurally intact for production to traditional products, such as oriented strand board (OSB). According to literature, the removal of hemicellulose can increase the dimensional stability while decreasing the degradability of OSB panels. This research studied …

Determination Of Virgin Wood Remaining In A Cask After Maturation And Predictive Modeling For Spirit Specific Compounds, John Powers Wolff

Masters Theses

The stipulations from the government of the United States require whisky distillers to use a new, charred oak barrel for maturation of the spirit. The amount of money spent on new oak accounts for almost 60% of the price for the finished spirit. Determining the amount of virgin wood, wood not affected by the maturation process, which remains in the stave, could reduce the costs for the production of certain spirits.

Thermal treatment to the wood before maturation creates some of the compounds attributing to the flavor and color of the spirit. Utilizing pressure, temperature, and humidity differences from season …

Autothermal Non-Catalytic Reformation Of Jet Fuel In A Supercritical Water Medium, Jason W. Picou

Masters Theses

"The non-catalytic reformation of jet fuel using supercritical water was studied in a specially designed 0.4-L Haynes Alloy 230 tubular reactor. Experiments were performed at a constant pressure of 24.1 MPa, a temperature of 770°C, and at a constant water-to fuel ratio of fifteen-to-one by mass with various space times and oxygen flow rates. The experiments were conducted with and without air flow so as to examine the effects of the concurrent partial oxidation on the overall reformation process. The reactor effluent gas consisted of hydrogen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane and ethane. Increasing space time increases the extent …

Synthesis Of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles In A Counterflow Diffusion Flame Reactor, Hector Enrique Ruiz

Masters Theses

"A Counterflow Diffusion Flame (CDF) reactor was used to produce iron oxide nanoparticles. The experimental work was performed to study synthesis conditions and characterize the iron oxide nanoparticles. The parameters studied are those that control the flame structure, namely, gas flow rates and vacuum; other parameters include the precursor volume flow rate, and the relative location and temperature of the collecting probe inside the flame. Hexagonal nanoparticles were the most commonly observed shape. Hexagonal-shaped nanoparticles are mainly formed under stoichiometric conditions and with a high temperature profile in the flame. Cubic nanoparticles were also observed. The main parameter for the …

Removal Of Heavy Metals From Electroplating Wastewater Using Rice Husk And Coconut Coir, Frency Mathew

Masters Theses

"Heavy metal toxicity due to industrial wastewater has been a threat to the environment for the past many decades, especially in the developing countries such as India, China and Thailand where cost effectiveness of the removal process is a major factor. In this research, the effectiveness of two natural adsorbents, rice husk (RH) and coconut coir (CC), which are cheaply available in these countries for the removal of heavy metals from electroplating wastewaters were studied"--Abstract, page iii.

Release And Removal Of Microcystins From Microcystis During Disinfection Treatments, Jie Ding

Masters Theses

"The presence of algal toxins, or cyanotoxins, in surface water has been increasingly reported. These highly hazardous toxins are potential threat to both human health and animals by contaminating drinking water sources over the world. In this research project, inactivation of Microcystis aeruginosa cells and release and removal of intracellular microcystins during several oxidative and physical treatments was studied. The results of this study show that chlorine dioxide, sonication, low salinity and quick blending with tissuemiser caused immediate release of microcystin-LR to water after treatment. No significant increase of toxin level was observed after treatment with free chlorine, ozone, permanganate, …

A Coarse-Grain Molecular Dynamics Study Of The Nanotribological Properties Of Nanoparticle Solutions, Ramesh Chembeti

Masters Theses

"In this study, solutions of alkanethiol-capped nanoparticles in alkane are examined using molecular dynamics simulations for their nanotribological potential based on the hypothesis that fluid molecules of very different sizes may interrupt each other's layering tendency to result in less layered or non-layered configurations and provide better lubrication for nanodevices. An effective nanoparticle-nanoparticle pair potential based on previous atomistic approach is used and the temperature and parallel pressure are controlled in place of chemical potential for defining thermodynamic state. When compressed, the confined nanoparticle-containing alkane films generate reduced oscillations in perpendicular forces and smoother expansion in lateral dimensions, indicating lesser …