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Full-Text Articles in Engineering

Design Of A Pretreatment And Enzymatic Saccharification Scheme Of Understory From Managed Pine Forest For A Biochemical-Refinery Platform: The Example Of The Sweetgum Tree, Angele Djioleu Dec 2012

Design Of A Pretreatment And Enzymatic Saccharification Scheme Of Understory From Managed Pine Forest For A Biochemical-Refinery Platform: The Example Of The Sweetgum Tree, Angele Djioleu

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The possibility of using sweetgum from southern pine dominated forests as a biobased refinery feedstock was investigated. First, a baseline hydrolysis scheme for sweetgum wood and bark was designed. Sweetgum wood and bark were pretreated with 0.98% (v/v) sulfuric acid at 140°C for 30, 40, 50, 60 or 70 min and at 160°C for 30, 40, 50 or 60 min. The water insoluble solid (WIS) fraction was hydrolyzed with a cellulase enzyme cocktail. Results showed that maximum xylose and glucose yields from the wood were 82 and 86%, respectively. Similarly, the respective maximum yields of xylose and glucose from the …


The Development Of A High Performance Concrete To Store Thermal Energy For Concentrating Solar Power Plants, Emerson Esmond John Aug 2012

The Development Of A High Performance Concrete To Store Thermal Energy For Concentrating Solar Power Plants, Emerson Esmond John

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, due to rising energy costs as well as an increased awareness of the environmental effects of greenhouse gas emissions produced through traditional forms of energy production, there is great interest in developing alternative sources of energy. One of the most viable alternative energy sources is solar energy. In particular, concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies have been identified as an option for meeting utility needs in the U.S. Southwest. These systems are required to produce electricity not only during periods of high solar radiation but also during times of reduced radiation due to cloud cover, and even extend …


Energy Consumption And Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Commercial And Manufacturing Sectors Specific Studies On Hvac Equipment And Dairy Processing, Aik Jong Tan May 2012

Energy Consumption And Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Commercial And Manufacturing Sectors Specific Studies On Hvac Equipment And Dairy Processing, Aik Jong Tan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Commercial and manufacturing sectors in United States consumed approximately 50% of the total End use energy in 2010. In 2009, 81.5% of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emitted in the United States was energy related. From the broad aspects of commercial and manufacturing sectors; two relatively narrow and specific topics, commercial building's HVAC equipment and dairy processing were chosen to increase the understanding of the energy use and GHG emission in these two sectors. Few published studies related to these two specific areas are available. The first study in this thesis discussed the energy use and GHG emissions by HVAC equipment …


Mathematical Modeling Of Fluid Spills In Hydraulically Fractured Well Sites, Oluwafemi Michael Taiwo May 2012

Mathematical Modeling Of Fluid Spills In Hydraulically Fractured Well Sites, Oluwafemi Michael Taiwo

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Improved drilling technology and favorable energy prices have contributed to the rapid pace at which the exploitation of unconventional natural gas is taking place across the United States. As a natural gas well is being drilled, reserve pits are constructed to hold the drilling fluids and other materials returned from the drilling process. These reserve pits can fail, and when they do, plant and animal life of the surrounding area may be adversely affected. This project develops a screening tool for a suitable location for a reserve pit. This work will be a critical piece of the Infrastructure Placement Analysis …