Engineering Commons^™

The Effects Of Furfural On Biological Hydrogen Production In Batch And Microbial Electrolysis Cell, Hyeongu Yeo

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Furfural inhibits biohydrogen production and numerous studies has been carried out on detoxification of furfural to enhance biofuel production. Electrochemical detoxification of furfural is a new approach to remove furfural without the degradation of sugars. However, there is limited information on the effects of the degradation products of furfural on biohydrogen production in batch tests and the impact of furfural on anode-respiring bacteria (ARB) in microbial electrolysis cells (MECs). This study investigated the effect of furfural and its derivatives, furfuryl alcohol (FFA) and 2-furoic acid (FA), on biohydrogen production. The impact of furfural on hydrogen production in MECs was also …

Effect Of Local Bed Hydrodynamics On The Distribution Of Liquid In A Fluidized Bed, Lingchao Li

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In an industrial Fluid CokerTM, liquid bitumen is injected into a bed of hot coke particles through spray nozzles, grouped in several banks at different vertical positions. The main objective of this thesis is to determine whether significant improvements in liquid-solid contact could be achieved by optimizing the location of the spray nozzles. In the coker regions where bitumen is injected, the gas is a mixture of product vapors and steam. Steam introduced at different levels rises through the coker: the stripping steam is injected near the bottom, then the attrition steam above the stripper and finally the bitumen atomization …

Biohydrogen And Biomethane Production From Lignocellulosic Biomass, Chinaza Okeoghene Akobi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of furfural on mixed cultures during fermentative hydrogen production from lignocellulosic biomass. Small batch studies using synthetic lignocellulosic hydrolysate grown on mesophilic mixed cultures, revealed a threshold furfural concentration of greater than 1 g/L with enhancement to the yields (from the control) observed at 0.5 g/L furfural (at initial substrate-to–biomass (S°/X°) ratios of 0.5 and 1 gCOD/gVSS) and at both 0.5 g/L and 1 g/L furfural (at S°/X° of 2 and 4 gCOD/gVSS). This study was scaled-up from 200 mL to 11 L working volume batches, using half the …

Study On Developments Of Processes For Powder Coatings, Shan Gao

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Powder coating, which utilizes polymer resin based powder, is a relatively young technology for decorative and protective purposes. It was first developed in the early 1950s and gradually grew into automotive finishes. Compared to conventional liquid coating, powder coating is an environmentally friendly technology, given that there is no emission of harmful solvent throughout the entire operating process. It is also much more efficient, economical and energy saving as a result of the capability to reuse all the powder. However, there are still some problems in the powder coating process limiting its application. This thesis focused on studying some key …

Catalytic Conversion Of Fructose, Glucose And Industrial Grade Sugar Syrups To 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural, A Platform For Fuels And Chemicals, Sadra Souzanchi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) as a versatile and polyfunctional compound derived from dehydration of biomass has attracted increasing attentions in research over the past decades. HMF is an important intermediate and platform chemical, which can be converted into different useful chemicals as well as the promising biofuels. It can be obtained from acid-catalyzed dehydration of different C₆-based carbohydrates such as glucose, fructose, sucrose and cellulose.

In this thesis, a cost-effective process for catalytic conversion of simple sugars (particularly glucose and fructose) and industrial grade sugar syrups to HMF was studied in a novel biphasic continuous-flow tubular reactor using inexpensive heterogeneous …

Microwave And Ultrasound Assisted Zeolitization Of Coal Fly Ash, Syed Salman Raza Bukhari

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Coal fly ash (CFA) is a major bi-product of coal fired power plants and is a liability for coal power industry. Coal fly ash has been accumulating rapidly around the globe and has been known to be accident prone, resulting in $1.65 billion in clean-up costs and fines. Given the environmental damage CFA is capable of causing, it is a great interest for scientists to recycle this material. Utilization of novel energy such as microwave and ultrasound has been of research interest for the zeolitization of coal fly ash.

This research produced zeolites from CFA utilizing microwave and ultrasound power. …

Fractionation Of Cornstalk Into Cellulose And Lignin For The Production Of Sodium Carboxymethyl Cellulose, Tao Shui

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis project aimed to fractionate cornstalk into cellulose and lignin, and utilize the crude cornstalk-derived cellulose for the production of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose and the lignin for the sybthesis of bio-based phenol-formaldehyde resole resins as wood adhesives. In this thesis work, cornstalk was efficiently fractionated into crude cellulose and crude lignin in mixed solvents of acetic acid, formic acid and water at a solid/agent ratio of 1:5 (g/mL) at 80-100 °C for 120-240 min. The best conditions for organosolv fractionation of cornstalk among the test conditions were determined as follows: mixed solvent of acetic acid/formic acid/water (3:6:1, v/v/v), HCl …

Passive Acoustic Emissions In A V-Blender, Allison Crouter

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The pharmaceutical manufacturing process consists of a number of batch steps; each step must be monitored and controlled to ensure quality standards are met. The development of process analytical technologies (PAT) can improve product monitoring with the aim of increasing efficiency, product quality and consistency and creating a better understanding of the manufacturing process.

This work investigates the feasibility of using passive acoustic emissions (PAE) to monitor particulates in a V-blender. An accelerometer was attached to the lid of a V-blender to measure vibrations from the tumbling solids. A wavelet filter removed the oscillations in the signals from the motion …

Bed Agglomeration Behavior In A Bubbling Fluidized-Bed Combustor, Ehsan Ghiasi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Agglomeration is a major operational problem during the combustion of biomass containing a high amount of alkali compounds. The agglomerate formation is mainly due to the presence of alkali elements in biomass ashes that form low-melting compounds in the combustion.

In the first part of this project, the critical amount of liquid that would lead to a severe agglomeration/de-fluidization was studied and determined in a lab scale bubbling fluidized bed (BFB) heated at elevated temperatures. To simulate the biomass ashes, various percentages of KCl and KCl-K₂SO₄ compounds at eutectic composition were mixed with silica sand as the …

Visible Light Driven Photocatalysis For Degradation Of Diclofenac, Noshin Hashim

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Diclofenac (DCF), a widely used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), is a commonly detected substance that readily accumulates in tissues of aquatic fish and poses a threat to wildlife and freshwater quality. Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) have been explored as an alternative method for complete mineralization of DCF as conventional treatment methods are inadequate for treatment of trace contaminants.

This study employs a semi-batch, swirl-flow, monolithic type photocatalytic reactor to determine intrinsic kinetic parameters of DCF mineralization, in an immobilized system under both UV and visible radiation. The goal of this work to determine true kinetics of DCF, after correcting for …

Treatment Of Landfill Waste, Leachate And Landfill Gas: Modelling/Simulation And Experimental Studies, Hecham M. Omar

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Landfilling has been relegated to containing waste and hoping for minimal environmental impact. However, landfills produce harmful leachate and landfill gas that require treatment. To speed up the landfill biodegradation process, aerating the landfill to promote aerobic biodegradation has been implemented successfully. However, the conversion from a traditional anaerobic landfill to an aerobic landfill is to this point, not well researched. A 3-dimensional dynamic mathematical model was developed that depicts the conversion of a landfill from an anaerobic to an aerobic operation. The results of the model (CO₂ volume fraction and temperature), agreed with data from published work. The …

Granulation Of Biochar For Soil Amendment, Breanna H. M. Bowden-Green

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Biochar has shown potential as a soil amendment, but is a fine powder that is difficult to handle and would be blown away if applied to soils without modifications. Wet drum granulation of cornstalk biochar using binder solutions of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose was initially investigated, establishing that biochar could be granulated into a form that would be easier to handle and apply effectively to the soil. Biochars from three different feedstocks were then tested along with three binder solutions. The biochar granules were free flowing and relatively strong with a significant yield between a size range of 1 to 4 mm. …