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Development And Testing Of A Biochar Combustor For A Stirling Engine, Kyle Bryant Vickery

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Nonrenewable resources persist as a necessity for perpetuating the current technology and standards of living maintained throughout the world. Biochar is an alternative and renewable fuel source that constitutes the potential to provide energy comparable to coal. Designing and fabricating components that can efficiently harness biochar’s energy to power machinery would demonstrate a successful renewable energy source. The scope of this research is to explain the feasible design, fabrication, and results of technology involving the burning of biochar and transference of hot combustion products for the purpose of powering a Stirling Engine. This design consists of a solid fuel burner, …

2022 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

The purpose of beef cattle and beef product research at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is to provide reference information that represents the various populations (cows, calves, heifers, feeders, carcasses, retail products, etc.) of beef production.

Dedicated in memory of Dr. Terry Klopfenstein (March 10, 1939-April 30, 2021), Professor Emeritus, Animal Science Department, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Cow-Calf Nutrition and Management

Impact of Cow Size on Economic Profitability in the Cow-Calf and Feedlot Production Systems

Comparison of Partially Confined and Traditional Cow-Calf Systems

Concepts in Stress Physiology

Inflammatory Modulators Improve Daily Gain of Heat-Stressed Wethers

Zilpaterol Supplementation Improved Indicators of Well-Being, but …

Co-Composted Biochar Improves Dry-Farmed Tomato Productivity In The Santa Clara Valley, Ca, With No Change In Soil Microbiology, Duncan A. Keller

Master's Theses

California is a globally important site for agricultural production, but the state is currently suffering from an unprecedented drought. One strategy to conserve water is dry farming, where growers cache moisture in the soil from off-season rain or early-season irrigation for crops to use throughout the growing season. Some California growers have dry-farmed tomatoes for decades. Recently, some have begun adding co-composted biochar (COMBI) to boost productivity and stimulate soil microbiology, particularly arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. To the best of my knowledge, no field research on dry-farmed tomato systems currently exists, let alone on the effects of COMBI amendments on yield, …

Ferrihydrite/Ultrasound Activated Peroxymonosulfate For Humic Acid Removal, Hang Yang, Yi Zhang, Shibin Xia

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

In this study, ferrihydrite/ultrasound (US) system was used to activate peroxymonosulfate (PMS) to treat humic acid (HA) in artificial aqueous. The physical and chemical properties of ferrihydrite were characterized using SEM, zeta potential, BET, XRD, FTIR, and XPS analysis. A series of experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of various factor on HA removal, including dosage of ferrihydrite, PMS concentration and pH value. The combination uses of US and ferrihydrite had obvious synergistic effect for HA removal. Under ferrihydrite/US/PMS system, nonthermal effect of US played the main role for HA removal. According to the result of radical quenching experiment, …

Catalytic Pyrolysis Of Olive Oil Residue To Produce Synthesis Gas: The Effect Of Bulk And Nano Metal Oxides, Ebru Karadağ, Selva Bi̇lge, Yusuf Osman Donar, Ali̇ Sinağ

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

In this study, olive oil residue (OR) biomass was pyrolyzed in the presence of bulk MgO (B-MgO), nano-MgO (N-MgO), bulk ZnO (B-ZnO)), and nano-ZnO (N- ZnO) metal oxides at different temperatures (400, 600, and 800 ºC). Significant results were obtained in terms of synthesis gas formation and CO2 reduction. The efficiency distribution of the products obtained as a result of the metal oxide-based pyrolysis process and the effects of metal oxides were examined in detail. Nanometal oxides were synthesized by the hydrothermal method. Characterization of metal oxides was carried out by Brunauer?Emmett?Teller (BET), x-ray powder diffraction (XRD) analysis and scanning-electron …

Homonuclear Nickel(Ii) Metal-Organic Framework-Type Supramolecule: Adsorption And Emission Properties, Idongesit Mbonu, Olusegun Abiola, Hamzah Bawa

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

Coordination-driven self-assembly of nickel (II) ions with equimolar amounts of 1, 10 phenanthroline, and benzoic acid was used to create homonuclear nickel (II) MOF-type supramolecule. Single crystal X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, photoluminescence measurement, FT-IR, UV-visible spectroscopy, and nitrogen physisorption measurement were used to characterize the compound. The single crystal X-ray diffraction study reveals that the synthesized compound is two-dimensional with pores in the structure. The homonuclear nickel (II) MOF-type supramolecule crystallized in a triclinic crystal system, with space group P-1 (No.2) and unit cell parameters a = 9.2053(4) Ǻ, b = 13.2964(5) Ǻ, c = 15.8998(6) …

Synthesis Of Modified Nanocomposite Material And Its Use On Removal Of Cesium Fromaqueous Media, Bi̇lal Çeti̇n, Mustafa Özcan, Bektaş Karakelle

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

A nanocomposite containing Fe3O4, chitosan (Ch), and hexacyanoferrate (HCF) was synthesized in the form of powder. The physicochemical properties of this nanocomposite are determined using different techniques including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The existence of Cs (Cs) ions onto the surface of the nanocomposite was verified by dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). FTIR spectra confirmed that the nanocomposite was well coordinated. The batch technique was applied to evaluate the influences of initial pH value, temperature, contact time, shaking rate, initial Cs concentration, and competing cations on the efficiency of Cs …

Properties And Environmental Impacts Of Sustainable Electrically Conductive Composites Of Carbonized Pulp Fibers And Recycled Polyamide 12, Chinmoyee Das

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Electrically conductive composites are polymer composites filled with electrically conductive filler. Electrically conductive composites can be implemented in the development of lightweight electrically conductive components for the automotive industry. Traditional electrically conductive composites incorporate synthetic carbon-based fillers that have good properties but are very expensive and highly energy intensive, creating the need for a sustainable and cost-effective replacement. This study explores the effectiveness of biocarbon fibers developed from Douglas fir pulp fibers as a potential electrically conductive filler in recycled polyamide (PA) 12 composites.

Biocarbon fibers were developed from pulp by carbonization of the feedstock at 1000° C in an …

Highway Stormwater Runoff On-Site Treatment Using Bioslope With New Media Of Mixture Of Biochar And Topsoil, Ahmed Yunus

Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and Computing Student Research Symposium

• The impervious surface created by highway in the state of Georgia and the United States collects and transports a large volume of stormwater into water bodies.

• United States highways and bridge system is one of the contributors for non-point source pollution stated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

• Highway stormwater runoff constitutes significant pollutants such as total suspended solids (TSS), “heavy metal”, nutrients, organic contaminants, oil and grease which harm and impact water quality and endangered aquatic species.

Ozonized Biochar Filtrate Effects On The Growth Of Pseudomonas Putida And Cyanobacteria Synechococcus Elongatus Pcc 7942, Oumar Sacko, Nancy L. Engle, Timothy J. Tschaplinski, Sandeep Kumar, James Weifu Lee

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Background

Biochar ozonization was previously shown to dramatically increase its cation exchange capacity, thus improving its nutrient retention capacity. The potential soil application of ozonized biochar warrants the need for a toxicity study that investigates its effects on microorganisms.

Results

In the study presented here, we found that the filtrates collected from ozonized pine 400 biochar and ozonized rogue biochar did not have any inhibitory effects on the soil environmental bacteria Pseudomonas putida, even at high dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations of 300 ppm. However, the growth of Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 was inhibited by the ozonized biochar filtrates at …

Soil Mesofauna And Microbial Community Response To Mixed Biochar And Compost Application In A Skagit Silt Loam, Jameson Goff

WWU Graduate School Collection

I sampled Skagit silt loam soils from a field trial at the WSU NWREC where biochar and compost were added to potato crops in late spring pre-planting. Soil mesofauna were sampled at mid and late-summer, while soil microbes were sampled at late summer exclusively. Soil treatments included mixed biochar and compost, compost-only, and an unamended control. Mesofauna were extracted with Berlese funnels and sorted to functional groups. F:B ratios and total microbial C were determined using microbiometer test kits. To test whether biochar and compost induced changes to soil mesofauna communities, I used permutational ANOVA. Differences in F:B ratios and …

Highway Stormwater Runoff On-Site Treatment Using Bioslope With New Media Of Biochar Amended Topsoils, Ahmed I. Yunus

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) has constructed various treatment facilities on its right-of-way (ROW) to collect and treat highway stormwater runoff, emphasizing total suspended solids (TSS) removal. The permit performance goal set by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) is 80% TSS removal. Current stormwater best management practice (BMP) treatment facilities include complex and permanent infrastructures such as bioslope, bioretention basins, sand filters, infiltration trenches, and grass channels. Among these BMPs, bioslope has been becoming more popular due to its applicability for roadway embankments and areas with limited ROW constraints. It removes pollutants effectively by physical filtration and chemical adsorption …

Occurrence, Toxicity And Adsorptive Removal Of The Chloramphenicol Antibiotic In Water: A Review, Luan Minh Nguyen, Ngoan Thi Thao Nguyen, Thuy Thi Thanh Nguyen, Thuong Thi Nguyen, Duyen Thi Cam Nguyen, Thuan Van Tran

Journal Articles

Chloramphenicol is a broad-spectrum bacterial antibiotic used against conjunctivitis, meningitis, plague, cholera, and typhoid fever. As a consequence, chloramphenicol ends up polluting the aquatic environment, wastewater treatment plants, and hospital wastewaters, thus disrupting ecosystems and inducing microbial resistance. Here, we review the occurrence, toxicity, and removal of chloramphenicol with emphasis on adsorption techniques. We present the adsorption performance of adsorbents such as biochar, activated carbon, porous carbon, metal-organic framework, composites, zeolites, minerals, molecularly imprinted polymers, and multi-walled carbon nanotubes. The effect of dose, pH, temperature, initial concentration, and contact time is discussed. Adsorption is controlled by π-π interactions, donor-acceptor interactions, …

Clean Process To Utilize The Potassium-Containing Phosphorous Rock With Simultaneous Hcl And Kcl Production Via The Steam-Mediated Reactions, Yunshan Wang, Lufang Shi, Houli Li, Yixiao Wang, Zhiying Wang, Xuebin An, Mingzhu Tang, Gang Yang, Jun He, Jing Hu, Yong Sun

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

In this paper, a clean process based on the steam-mediated reactions for simultaneous HCl and KCl production using the potassium (K)-containing phosphorous rock as a precursor is proposed. Through hydrochloric acid (HCl) leaching, not only the generation of H₃PO₄and CaCl₂ (via further precipitation) were realized but also the acid-insoluble residue [phosphorous-rock slag (PS)] rich in elements, that is, K, Al, Si, and so on, in the form of microcline (KAlSi₃O₈) and quartz (SiO₂) was obtained and became readily available for further HCl and KCl generation. Over 95 % of …

Thermal Stability And Decomposition Of Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (Pfas) Using Granular Activated Carbon And Other Porous Materials, Pavankumar Challa Sasi

Theses and Dissertations

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are anthropogenic chemicals that have been produced for decades as either processing aids or individual ingredients in many industrial and commercial products, including aqueous film-forming foams (AFFFs), non-stick cookware, and fast-food packaging. PFOA and PFOS have been reported in >95% of blood samples collected during multiple U.S. national surveys at concentrations that are a risk to human health. Thermal treatment is routinely used to reactivate the spent granular activated carbon (GAC) from water purification facilities. The aims of this study were: (1) to improve our understanding of the thermal stability of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances; …

Recycled Human Hair-Derived Activated Carbon For Energy-Related Applications, Oğuzhan Kotan, Hati̇ce Bayrakçeken

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

Activated carbon, having high surface area and porosity, is a carbonaceous material that comes from organic main sources. In this work, activated carbon materials were produced from human hair that belongs to people who can be classified into two age groups (0-18 or 18-40 years). Activated carbons were characterized by nitrogen adsorption/desorption isotherms (BET), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and elemental analysis techniques. Capacitances of the synthesized materials were determined by using cyclic voltammetry (CV). Characterization results showed that the structural properties of activated carbon materials and capacitance values are changed …

Thermodynamic And Kinetic Study Of Adsorptive Removal Of Lead By The Nanocompositeloaded Nanofibers, Urwa Mahmood, Sharjeel Abid, Bilal Qadir, Ahsan Nazir, Tanveer Hussain

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

Herein, the fabrication of electrospun nanocomposites, using polyacrylonitrile nanofibers (PNF) modified with nanobentonite and fly ash, is explained. Further, the use of electrospun adsorbent for the remediation of Pb (II) ions from water has been explored. Pristine PNF and nanocomposites were characterized using SEM, EDX, and FTIR to analyze surface topology, elemental composition, and functional groups, respectively. The adsorptive behavior of developed adsorbents was investigated using the effects of dosage, initial concentration, time, and temperature. Pseudo-second order kinetics fit well with experimental data and the adsorption followed intra-particle diffusion. The thermodynamics study confirmed spontaneous endothermic adsorption of the heavy metal. …

The Relation Between Surface Acidity And Moo3:Al2o3 Ratio On The Ternary Mixed Oxide Catalysts For The Conversion Of Propan-2-Ol, Hani Zeidan, Ebru Erünal, Mustafa Esen Marti

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

In this study, ternary mixed oxide catalysts containing Al₂O₃-MoO₃-MgO and Al₂O₃-MoO₃-WO₃ were prepared with a changing ratio of MoO₃:Al₂O₃ between 0.05 and 20.00. All catalysts showed 100% selectivity towards propene during the conversion of propan-2-ol at temperatures between 220 and 400 °C. The catalysts prepared from WO₃ possessed very strong acid sites, which cause higher catalytic activity than catalysts prepared from MgO. Besides, the ratio of MoO₃:Al₂O₃ was found to be directly proportional to the conversion …

Composted Sewage Sludge Application In A Sugarcane Seedling Nursery: Crop Nutritional Status, Productivity, And Technological Quality Implications, Rafael Dos Santos Silva, Arshad Jalal, Raimunda Eliane Nascimento Do Nascimento, Nathércia Castro Elias, Karen Cossi Kawakami, Cassio Hamilton Abreu-Junior, Fernando Carvalho Oliveira, Arun Dilipkumar Jani, Zhenli He, Fengliang Zhao, Marcelo Carvalho Minhoto Teixeira Filho, Raffaella Rossetto, Gian Franco Capra, Thiago Assis Rodrigues Nogueira

Biology and Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Composted sewage sludge (CSS) contains large amounts of organic matter and nutrients and can be used as an organic fertilizer to improve growth, yield, and quality of sugarcane. However, there is a lack of information regarding the impact of CSS application on sugarcane seedling performance in nursery environments. A field study was conducted using a randomized complete block design to evaluate the development, nutritional status, productivity, and technological quality of sugarcane seedlings after CSS application with or without mineral fertilizer. Morphological variables (stem height, diameter, and number, as well as leaf area), technological attributes (total recoverable sugar: ATR; quantity of …

Northern Great Plains Saline Sodic Soil Development, Classification, Remediation, And Management., Shaina Westhoff

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Soil salinity and sodicity are issues of growing concern in the United States (U.S.) and globally. Knowledge gaps for glaciated, dryland salt-affected soils exist because much original salinity and sodicity research focused on irrigated systems. Land managers are being asked to produce food, feed, fiber, and fuel for an expanding global population. The number of land managers and crop advisors who are affected by these soils is increasing. Addressing salinity and sodicity knowledge gaps will be critical for their success. Salinity and sodicity have been impeding crop productivity since the advent of cultivation. Saline and sodic soils form via multiple …

Soil Hydro-Physical Properties, Computed Tomography Measured Pore Parameters, And Soil Health Indicators As Influenced By Tillage And Crop Rotation Systems, Goutham Thotakuri

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Long-term tillage and crop rotation systems are important agricultural management practices as these can have direct impact on the soil’s key properties. The objectives of this study were to (ⅰ) quantify the soil pore characteristics under long-term tillage and crop rotation using X-ray computed tomography (XCT) and to assess the relationships between XCT-measured pore parameters and soil hydro-physical properties; and (ⅱ) evaluate the impacts of long-term tillage and crop rotation on select soil health indicators. The objective (ⅰ) was carried out at Haskell Agricultural Laboratory (HAL), Concord, NE; and objective (ⅰi) was carried out at South Central Agricultural Laboratory (SCAL), …

Microbial Communities And Nitrogen Dynamics In Prairie And Cropland Soils, Bikram Kumar Das

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Soil microbial communities are affected by many factors, such as soil nitrogen (N) and the quantity of grass-root exudates, changing seasons, fertilization method, plant diversity, and their origin. This holds for both natural and fertilized soils. This research was intended to expand the current understanding of soil microbial interactions associated with ecological functions. The objectives of the research were (I) to characterize prokaryotic soil communities, estimate functional potential, and quantify nitrogen cycle-associated prokaryotic gene expressions across three phases of the growing season, (II) to explore the diazotrophic community composition in a natural system using nifH sequencing as well as 16S …

Use Of Hydrothermal Carbonization And Cold Atmospheric Plasma For Surface Modification Of Brewer’S Spent Grain And Activated Carbon, Krystian Krochmalny, Halina Pawlak-Kruczek, Norbert Skoczylas, Mateusz Kudasik, Aleksandra Gajda, Renata Gnatowska, Monika Serafin-Tkaczuk, Tomasz Czapka, Amit Jaiswal, A. Vishwajeet, Amit Arora, Tomasz Hardy, Mateusz Jackowski, Michał Ostrycharczyk, Łukasz Nied´Zwiecki

Articles

This paper presents results that show the effect of hydrothermal carbonization and subsequent cold plasma jet treatment with helium and argon on the structure and sorption properties of a material—spent brewery grain. Treatment of activated carbon, with a cold atmospheric plasma jet, was used comparatively. The effect of activation on the pore structure of the materials was carried out by the volumetric method at low pressure (N2, 77 K). The specific surface area as well as the total pore volume, average pore size, and pore size distribution were determined using different theoretical models. A high improvement in the sorption capacity …

Progress, Georgia Southern University

Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering & Computing Progress

Welcome to the new online version of Progress, the magazine of the Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and Computing. We are approaching 10,000 subscribers, and as we are the College of Engineering and Computing, we think online is the way to go! This issue features three of our first female engineering graduates, a recent student success story, two of our pre-eminent female faculty, as well as one of our most influential female industry/business collaborations. Welcome to the Women of Engineering and Computing issue of Progress!

Estimated Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Pfas Treatment Of Maine Drinking Water, Benjamin L. Mcalexander, Onur G. Apul, Mitchell R. Olson, Jean Macrae

Maine Policy Review

State law requires the adoption of a maximum contaminant level (MCL) for PFAS contamination in drinking water by June 1, 2024. While discussion of mitigation options has included the degree of risk reduction and the cost of treatment, indirect environmental effects are missing from the conversation. Until other technologies are developed, water treatment in Maine will likely rely on the established, energy-intensive method of PFAS adsorption (binding) to granular activated carbon. We conducted an inventory of greenhouse gas emissions associated with water treatment using this treatment media to fill gaps in the discussion. We found that greenhouse gas emissions for …

Sustainable Food Waste Management Through The Integration Of Anaerobic Digestion And Thermochemical Processes, Diana Carolina Rodriguez Alberto

Theses

The processing of food waste along with animal manure through anaerobic digestion (AD) is a popular waste management strategy. However, there is the concern that with the proliferation of AD the management of its nutrient-rich effluent, known as digestate, becomes a challenge. Current digestate management practices not only present environmental risks, but also issues related to the seasonality of field spreading and the storage and transportation of large volumes of material. The integration of the AD process with thermochemical conversion (TC) could help reduce some of these issues. The production of biochar from materials already available in the digester setting, …

Effect Of Methyl Orange On Wettability Of Sandstone Formations: Implications For Enhanced Oil Recovery, Fatemah Alhamad, Mujahid Ali, Muhammad Ali, Hussein Abid, Hussein Hoteit, Stefan Iglauer, Alireza Keshavarz

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

With the increasing global population, fossil fuel resources still represent a main contributor to the energy supply, despite the progress made in the field of renewable energies. Large quantities of residual oil from mature reservoirs cannot be produced through primary and secondary recovery methods. Among alternative recovery techniques, chemically enhanced oil recovery methods are attracting considerable interest to increase the hydrocarbon recovery from oil-bearing geological formations. The wettability of any particular formation can be used to predict the oil recovery factor of a reservoir based on its wetting state. However, due to the complex nature of geological porous media, special …