Engineering Commons^™

Metabolic Engineering Of Cyanobacteria For Production Of Chemicals, Po-Cheng Lin

McKelvey School of Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Concerns over the impact of climate change caused by CO2 emission have driven the research and development of renewable energies. Microbial production of chemicals is being viewed as a feasible approach to reduce the use of fossil fuels and minimize the impact of climate change. With recent advances in synthetic biology, microorganisms can be engineered to synthesize petroleum-based chemicals and plant-derived compounds. Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic prokaryotes that use only sunlight, CO2, and trace minerals for growth. Compared to other microbial hosts, cyanobacteria are attractive platforms for sustainable bioproduction, because they can directly convert CO2 into products. However, the major challenge …

Self-Assembly Of Conducting Polymer Nano- And Microstructures For Energy Storage, Luciano Matteo Santino

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Plastics are materials composed of many long chains of molecules with repeating subunits; strong interactions between neighboring molecules lead to the material used throughout the world. Plastics are commonly thought to be insulating, in stark contrast to the conductivity of metals. However, certain polymer structures were discovered to exhibit semiconducting properties, the subject of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2000. Conducting polymers have a unique molecular structure with an electronically conjugated backbone, allowing electrons to freely travel both across the chain and in between chains. This work focuses on controlling the kinetics of the reaction between the vapors of …

Metabolic Engineering Of Cyanobacteria For Production Of Chemicals, Po-Cheng Lin

McKelvey School of Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Concerns over the impact of climate change caused by CO2 emission have driven the research and development of renewable energies. Microbial production of chemicals is being viewed as a feasible approach to reduce the use of fossil fuels and minimize the impact of climate change. With recent advances in synthetic biology, microorganisms can be engineered to synthesize petroleum-based chemicals and plant-derived compounds. Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic prokaryotes that use only sunlight, CO2, and trace minerals for growth. Compared to other microbial hosts, cyanobacteria are attractive platforms for sustainable bioproduction, because they can directly convert CO2 into products. However, the major challenge …

Evaluation Of Biodegradability Characteristics Of Cellulose-Based Film As Per Is/Iso 14855-1, Narayan C. Saha Dr, Gaurav Madhu Dr, Diksha B. Kadu Ms

Journal of Applied Packaging Research

Biodegradable polymers (especially those derived from plant sources) begin their lifecycle as renewable resources, usually in the form of starch or cellulose. In this paper, the evaluation of biodegradability of cellulose-based polymer film under controlled composting conditions as per the guidelines of IS/ISO 14855 (Part-1) standard has been described. Microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) powder was taken as positive-control polymer. The apparatus used to analyse the degree and rate of biodegradation was developed indigenously. The validation of the biodegradability testing apparatus was also performed as per the prescribed test method given in IS/ISO 14855-1.

Subsurface Mimo: A Beamforming Design In Internet Of Underground Things For Digital Agriculture Applications, Abdul Salam

Faculty Publications

In underground (UG) multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO), the transmit beamforming is used to focus energy in the desired direction. There are three different paths in the underground soil medium through which the waves propagates to reach at the receiver. When the UG receiver receives a desired data stream only from the desired path, then the UG MIMO channel becomes three path (lateral, direct, and reflected) interference channel. Accordingly, the capacity region of the UG MIMO three path interference channel and degrees of freedom (multiplexing gain of this MIMO channel requires careful modeling). Therefore, expressions are required for the degree of …

Modeling Irrigation Behavior In Groundwater Systems, Timothy Foster, Nicholas Brozovic, Adrian P. Butler

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

Integrated hydro-economic models have been widely applied to water management problems in regions of intensive groundwater-fed irrigation. However, policy interpretations may be limited as most existing models do not explicitly consider two important aspects of observed irrigation decision making, namely the limits on instantaneous irrigation rates imposed by well yield and the intraseasonal structure of irrigation planning. We develop a new modeling approach for determining irrigation demand that is based on observed farmer behavior and captures the impacts on production and water use of both well yield and climate. Through a case study of irrigated corn production in the Texas …

Water Productivity In Meat And Milk Production In The Us From 1960 To 2016, Mesfin Mekonnen, C.M.U. Neale, Chittaranjan Ray, Galen E. Erickson, Arjen Y. Hoekstra

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

Global demand for livestock products is rising, resulting in a growing demand for feed and potentially burdening freshwater resources to produce this feed. To offset this increased pressure on water resources, the environmental performance of livestock sector should continue to improve. Over the last few decades, product output per animal and feedstuff yields in the US have improved, but before now it was unclear to what extent these improvements influenced the water productivity (WP) of the livestock products. In this research, we estimate changes in WP of animal products from 1960 to 2016. We consider feed conversion ratios (dry matter …

Nitrate Removal And Placement Of Floating Treatment Wetlands In The Midwest, Mary G. Keilhauer

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The Midwestern United States is vulnerable to eutrophic conditions from high nutrient concentrations. Recommendations for nonpoint source pollution management include runoff treatment (i.e., filter strips, riparian buffers) and in-situ lake treatment practices (i.e., aluminum sulfate (alum) treatments, aeration, up/downdraft pumping, floating treatment wetlands). Floating treatment wetlands (FTWs) are an innovative wetland design for nutrient removal from nonpoint sources and provide a unique in-situ treatment. Best management practice studies have commonly focused on adjacent to water practices, which have resulted in a gap for guidance for in-situ treatment placement and design. Therefore, the objectives of this project were to (1) Quantify …

Optimizing Self-Healing Wind Turbine Blades Utilizing Dicyclopentadiene Infused Vascular Networks, Giovanni Lewinski

Theses and Dissertations

Self-healing wind turbine blades can reduce costs associated with maintenance, repair, and energy compensation. Self-healing is the ability to sustain and recover from damage autonomously. The self-healing presented in this paper uses the reaction of two agents Dicyclopentadiene, DCPD, and Grubbs’ first-generation catalyst, henceforward known as a catalyst to fuel this recovery. DCPD is housed as a liquid isolated from the catalyst until a damaging event occurs, causing the two agents to mix and solidify to form the thermoset Polydicyclopentadiene, PDCPD. We discuss the efforts made to optimize the self-healing properties of wind turbine blades and provide new systems to …

Engineered Carbon-Nanocatalyst Composites And Carbon Mixed ‎Matrix Membranes ‎For Water And Wastewater Treatment ‎, Mojtaba Abolhassani

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Carbonaceous materials such as graphene oxide, and activated ‎carbon have a wide range of ‎applications in water and wastewater treatment due to the high surface ‎area, unique structure, ‎and chemical and thermal stability. Carbon-based materials can be used as a ‎membrane, an ‎adsorbent, a support for nanomaterials, or ‎as a filler within membranes to remove contaminants ‎from water. In this research, the specific carbon materials and how their properties influence their ‎use and performance in ‎specific engineering applications is explored. ‎

Here, membrane filtration and adsorption/degradation of the water and wastewater using carbon-‎based material are investigated. The research firstly focuses …

Perchlorate Behavior In The Context Of Black Carbon And Metal Cogeneration Following Fireworks Emission At Oak Lake, Lincoln, Nebraska, Usa, Manish Kumar, Daniel D. Snow, Yusong Li, Patrick Shea

Nebraska Water Center: Faculty Publications

The imprints of fireworks displays on the adjacent water body were investigated from the perspective of cogeneration of black carbon, metals and perchlorate (ClO₄^–). In particular, the mixing and dissipation of ClO₄^– were studied at Oak Lake, Lincoln, Nebraska, following fireworks displays in 2015 and 2016. Following the display, ClO₄^– concentration in the water increased up to 4.3 μg/L and 4.0 μg/L in 2015 and 2016, respectively. A first-order model generally provided a good fit to the measured perchlorate concentrations from which the rate of dissipation was estimated as 0.07 d^–1 in …

Design Of Variable Wall Thickness Geometry And Performance Mapping Of Scroll Expanders For Distributed Power Generation, Arun Kumar Narasimhan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Low-temperature heat sources such as industrial waste heat, solar, and geothermal are more suitable for small-scale power generation rather than utility scale. In order to maximize the electricity generated from low-temperature heat sources, an efficient expansion device for small-scale power output is necessary. This research work has focused on evaluating the use of a scroll expander and improving its geometrical design for the power output range of 1-25 kW_e.

The first part of the work focusses on modeling the performance of a scroll expander using two non-dimensionless parameters, namely, specific speed and specific diameter. Performance of a scroll …

Energy Transformation And Conservation Investigation, Mike Jackson, Holly Haney

High School Lesson Plans

Students will use a thermoelectric generator module to analyze the relationship between thermal and electrical energies. Using data collection sensors and analysis software, students will investigate the relationship between the temperature gradient across a thermoelectric generator module and the resulting electrical potential. Students will then use their data and analysis to solve problems relating to waste thermal energy in electrical systems and communicate their work to their peers and teacher.

Development Of A Meteorological Sensor Suite For Atmospheric Boundary Layer Measurement Using A Small Multirotor Unmanned Aerial System, Kevin A. Adkins

Kevin A. Adkins, PhD

Developing A Workflow To Integrate Tree Inventory Data Into Urban Energy Models, Farzad Hashemi, Breanna L. Marmur, Ulrike Passe, Janette R. Thompson

Farzad Hashemi

Building energy simulation is of considerable interest and benefit for architects, engineers, and urban planners. Only recently has it become possible to develop integrated energy models for clusters of buildings in urban areas. Simulating energy consumption of the built environment on a relatively large scale (e.g., such as a neighborhood) will be necessary to obtain more reliable results, since building energy parameters are influenced by characteristics of the nearby environment. Therefore, the construction of a 3-D model of urban built areas with detail of the near-building environment should enhance simulation approaches and provide more accurate results. This paper describes the …

A Decision-Making Framework For Hybrid Resource Recovery Oriented Wastewater Systems, Nader Rezaei

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Water shortage, water contamination, and the emerging challenges in sustainable water resources management (e.g., the likely impacts of climate change and population growth) necessitate adopting a reverse logistics approach, which is the process of moving wastewater from its typical final destination back to the water supply chain for reuse purposes. This practice not only reduces the negative impacts of wastewater on the environment, but also provides an alternative to withdrawal from natural water resources, forming a closed-loop water supply chain. However, the design of such a supply chain requires an appropriate sustainability assessment, which simultaneously accounts for economic, environmental, and …

Development And Application Of Software In Seismic While Mining Data Processing, Wang Baoli

Coal Geology & Exploration

The seismic while mining detection technology with coal cutter as seismic source in coal face is the key to accurately know the geological conditions of mining, improve the detection accuracy of geological anomaly structure in coal face, and realize unmanned intelligent mining or with few people. It has broad application prospects.The conventional seismic data processing software can not meet the requirements of real-time, continuous and large data volume for seismic while mining data. By analyzing the requirement of seismic while mining detection technology for data processing software(SWM), a framework of hierarchical and multi-task data processing software is proposed. The components …

Diffusion Ability Of Contaminants Of Coal Gangue Leachate In Geosynthetic Clay Liners, Dong Xingling, Dong Shuning, Zhou Zhenfang, Wang Qiangmin, Liu Ji

Coal Geology & Exploration

To verify the feasibility of geosynthetic clay liners(GCL) as liners material for coal gangue impoundment, diffusion tests were conducted with vertical double reservoir method to determine the diffusion ability of heavy metals(Zn²⁺、Mn²⁺) and sulfate from coal gangue leachate in GCL-S(Sodium-activated bentonite), and POLLUTE V7 based on finite layer method was used to draw the fitting curve of pollutant changing with time in the diffusion device, which calculated the diffusion coefficient of contaminants in GCL. The data show that the diffusion coefficient in GCL was lower than that in compacted clay liners, so GCL could control the …

Study On The Biodegradation Of Guanidine Gum By Methanogens In Coal Seam, Li Yunsong, Guo Hongyu, Fu Chaoyong, Zhao Guojun, Xia Daping

Coal Geology & Exploration

The problem of low temperature breaking of guanidine gum fracturing fluid is related to the effect of coal seam penetration. In order to explore the effect of methanogenson the biodegradation of guanidine gum, Inner Mongolia some coal mine lignite were collected to prepare samples of coal samples, and the enriched fresh mine water was used as the bacteria source. The biological methane metabolism experiments of guanidine gum + coal were used to characterize the biodegradability of methanogens to guanidine gum, with the total gas production, CH₄ concentration, guanidine gum molecular functional groups and C and H elements content changes. …

Study On Sediment Environment And Rock Mechanics Characteristics Of The Delta Plain Of Jurassic Coalfield In Northern Shaanxi, Wang Haijun, Ma Liang

Coal Geology & Exploration

Delta plain sedimentary environment is one of the coal-forming environments of the coal resources of Jurassic coalfield in northern Shaanxi. In order to get the rock mechanics parameters and characteristics of coal seam roof in different environments and to further investigate the relationship between the sedimentary environments and the rock mechanics characteristics, firstly from the analysis of the regional sedimentary environments, then by using techniques such as accurate core description, sedimentary structural analysis, facies analysis of geophysical logging, the microfacies were recognized, the sedimentary microfacies types of roof and their combination characteristics were classified. Later, rock samples of different lithology …

Development Of High Temperature Borehole Inclinometer, Qu Zhaogui, Gong Mingmao, Zhou Ce, Wang Guangzhai

Coal Geology & Exploration

In the detection of high-temperature and high-pressure dry heat rock drilling location trajectory, the instrument has some problems, such as poor performance, poor stability, low measurement accuracy and large energy consumption. A set of high temperature borehole inclining device is designed to solve the problem of high temperature and high pressure measurement deviation and temperature measurement. Adopt high temperature resistant components, design control and measurement circuit. Automatic intermittent power supply is adopted to reduce heat dissipation and power consumption. The design of heat preservation pipe and pressure detection pipe is carried out by using ANSYS finite element software to conduct …

Geological Evaluation Model For Site Selection Of Underground Coal Gasification Without Well In Jinghai Coal-Bearing Area, Tianjin, China, Wang Zhigang, Fu Xiaojin, Liang Jie, Cao Jian, Jiang Shengguo

Coal Geology & Exploration

Based on the 4 factors such as exploration status, coal seam, coal quality and hydrological conditions, using the secondary fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method, the geological evaluation model without well was built. In order to verify the applicability of the model, the material balance by law of conservation of mass was carried out and the results compared with the test results of indoor model was got. This research suggests that the weight of geological conditions affecting underground coal gasification without well is exploration status > conditions of coal seam > hydrological conditions > coal quality, the area with comprehensive score higher than 70 is …

Auxiliary Outburst Prevention Techniques By Surface Pre-Drainage For Coalbed Exposed In Tunnel And Mine Shaft, Zhang Dongliang

Coal Geology & Exploration

How to expose an outburst-prone coal seam safely and efficiently in tunnel and mine shaft is always a subject to study continuously in outburst prevention, surface coalbed gas pre-drainage is an effective approaches for outburst prevention. Based on the analysis of outburst mechanism in tunnel and mine shaft and the core task of outburst prevention, the characteristics and adaptability of the outburst prevention techniques by surface pre-drainage are studied. Practical engineering application shows that the gas content and pressure in coal exposure area can be effectively reduced using surface pre-drainage well by cavern completion or hydraulic fracturing, the stress or …

Effects Of Pressure Drop Funnels Model Of Different Shapes On Cbm Well Productivity, Hu Haiyang, Jin Jun, Zhao Lingyun, Chen Jie, Gu Jiaoyang

Coal Geology & Exploration

In order to study the effect of pressure drop funnel shapes on CBM well productivity, the change law of pressure and the shape of pressure drop funnel in different drainage stages of CBM wells were discussed, the mathematical models of pressure drop funnel were established, the concept of "desorption coefficient" and "effective desorption coefficient" for coal reservoir were proposed to quantitative study desorption effect of the coal reservoir. Taking a CBM well in the west of Guizhou as an example, the research results show that the logarithmic function model of pressure distribution of radial flow is difficult to accurately reflect …

Occurrence Regularity Of Uppermost Minable Coal Seams And Their Harmful Level Of Mining In Yushen Mining Area, Li Zhixue, Shen Xiaolong, Li Mingpei, Wang Hongsheng

Coal Geology & Exploration

In order to study the occurrence regularity of uppermost mining coal seams and the damage degree of Salawusu Formation aquifer caused by mining in Yushen mining area, occurrence characteristics of the uppermost mining coal seams was analyzed, and spatial distribution law and combination of the uppermost mining coal seams overlying strata, the development law of the water flowing fractured zone based on the ratio of rock and loading thickness and mining height, and the damage degree of the Salawusu Formation aquifer caused by coal seam mining. The damage degree of the Salawusu Formation aquifer was divided into four kinds of …

Application Of Wire Line Coring Technique In Overburden Drilling, Li Baijun, Zou Run, Guo Chao

Coal Geology & Exploration

In order to improve the drilling efficiency of two oil and gas geological survey wells "Jitaodi 1" and "Ji Bai Di 1" in Baicheng area of Jilin Province, wireline coring technique was applied in overburden drilling. Based on the lithological characteristics of the drilled strata, combined with the technological characteristics of core extraction by lifting the drill pipe and wireline core extraction, by designing the bit, drilling flushing fluid and by improving drilling procedure parameters, drilling tool nozzle flow channel, the wireline coring drilling method has been successfully applied in drilling overburden strata(about 1 100 m thick). Compare with the …

Productivity Prediction Of Hypotonic Cbm Test Well In Jiaozuo Mining Area Under Hydraulic Fracturing, Wang Zhirong, Yang Jie, Chen Lingxia, Guo Zhiwei

Coal Geology & Exploration

In order to explore the permeable mechanism and the output law after fracturing of CBM in the "three soft" coal seam(soft coal, soft roof and soft bottom) of Jiaozuo under hydraulic fracturing, Based on the permeable model of reservoir fracture, considering the influence of fracture porosity on permeability after fracturing, a reservoir fracture penetration model was established, the application and analysis of the test well was carried out to obtain the characteristics of pressure cracks such as length, width, permeability and reservoir parameters after fracturing. Through the comprehensive analysis of isothermal adsorption curves and historical fitting, the recovery rate of …

Ga_Svm_Adaboost Model For Prediction Of Earthquake-Induced Sandy Soil Liquefaction, Mao Zhiyong, Huang Chunjuan, Lu Shichang

Coal Geology & Exploration

In order to predict the liquefaction of sand, the seismic intensity, groundwater level, covering thickness, standard number, average particle size, landform, soil quality and inhomogeneity coefficient are selected as influencing factors. Genetic algorithm(GA) is used to optimize the parameters of support vector machine(SVM) by using correlation analysis and factor analysis model, and combining with Adaboost iterative algorithm, the GA_SVM_Adaboost model for predicting the liquefaction of sand is established. 329 sets of survey data of sandy liquefaction site in Tangshan earthquake were used to train the model, and 68 samples of sandy liquefaction data were predicted by using the good model. …

Table Of Contents, The Editors

Coal Geology & Exploration

No abstract provided.

The Development Of Seismic-While-Mining Detection Technology In Underground Coal Mines, Cheng Jianyuan, Qin Si, Lu Bin, Wang Baoli, Wang Ji

Coal Geology & Exploration

The explosive source of underground seismic exploration in coal mines is greatly affected by the control of pyrotechnics and cannot realize the monitoring and early warning of dynamic geological disasters in coal mining. Seismic-while-mining(SWM) is a new technique based on shearer as a seismic source underground. The paper reviewed the research status of SWM technique at home and abroad, introduced the SWM's principle and its unique advantages. According to some pilot experiments of SWM, the results show that the shearer can be used as a seismic source because it has the character of strong excitation energy, wide frequency band, safety, …