Engineering Commons^™

Electrochemical Oxidation Of Antibiotic, Antihistamine, Analgesic And Cns Stimulant Pharmaceuticals, Md Mosaddek Hossen

Chemical and Biological Engineering ETDs

Electrochemical oxidation is a common method for the degradation of chemicals by applying potential at a definite value. In this research, ‘cyclic voltammetry’ experiments were conducted to find out the oxidation potential for 8 different pharmaceuticals. Mainly, 3 different pH solutions (pH 6.0, 7.5, 9.0) and 9 different concentrations (1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 µM) were studied for each of the pharmaceuticals in this experiments. Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen, Naproxen Sodium, Caffeine showed oxidation peak at 0.34-0.79V, 1.37- 1.39V, 0.94-1.01V, 1.44-1.55V respectively at different pH and concentrations. Antibiotic and antihistamine pharmaceuticals i.e. Erythromycin Hydrate, Triclosan, Sulfanilamide, Diphenhydramine Hydrochloride …

Impedance-Resolved Performance And Durability In Redox Flow Batteries, Alan Michael Pezeshki

Doctoral Dissertations

The realization of redox flow batteries (RFBs) as a grid-scale energy solution depends on improving the performance and lifetime of the technology to decrease the high capital costs. The electrodes are a key component in the RFB; performance enhancement is often achieved through chemical or thermal treatments of commercially available porous carbon materials.

This dissertation uses impedance spectroscopy-based methods to gain insight into performance and durability in RFBs, enabling intelligent cell design. Initial work focused on understanding the impact of improved electrode and membrane properties on system performance. An accelerated stress test was then developed that can be used to …

Haul Truck Tires Recycling, Omkar Bhave

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The disposal of large Off-the-Road (OTR) tires is an increasingly important concern. These tires can weigh up to 8,450 pounds with an overall diameter and width of approximately 140.7 inches and 45.1 inches respectively. OTR tires are used for mining vehicles such as haul trucks, wheel loaders, backhoes, graders, and trenchers.[1] These new tires cost between $38,000 and $50,000 each, depending on multiple factors including oil prices and the cyclical nature of the industry. Haul trucks contain six tires per vehicle, and mines replace these tires around every 9-12 months.[2] Statistics regarding discarded OTR tires are not provided by the …

Design, Construction, And Preliminary Testing Of A Square Cross-Sectional Mixing Chamber, Holly Holmes-Smith

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Throughout the US, large quantities of chlorine are produced and transported by rail. In the past, train accidents led to deadly accidental releases and the need for mass evacuation. However, moving people unnecessarily may cause pandemonium or danger to health for sensitive members of the public. In these past cases, the models used for evacuation distances did not accurately predict the impact of the chlorine release, but these models did not take into account the reactivity of chlorine. Because chlorine is a highly reactive gas, it is absorbed into the surrounding environment which reduced the amount of chlorine in the …

Chlorpyrifos Removal For Wastewater Reuse, Indran Kamalanathan

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Approximately 1.2 billion people around the world live in areas of physical water scarcity. This could increase to half of the world’s population by 2030 and could displace 24 to 700 million people unless steps are taken to ensure adequate water supply.¹ Water scarcity is an escalating issue within the United States, specifically in Western inland states with arid climates. This scarcity is encouraging communities to investigate tertiary level municipal wastewater treatment, allowing for reuse of wastewater. Unfortunately, wastewater contains numerous contaminants that are not regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). …

Preliminary Investigation For The Development Of Surrogate Debris From Nuclear Detonations In Marine-Urban Environments, Adam G. Seybert

Masters Theses

No nuclear weapon has ever been detonated in a United States city. However, this also means the nuclear forensic community has no actual debris from which to develop analytical methods for source attribution, making the development of surrogate nuclear debris a vital undertaking. Moreover, the development of marine-urban debris presents an unusual challenge because unlike soil and urban structures, which remain compositionally consistent, the elemental composition of harbor and port waters fluctuates considerably due to natural phenomenon and human activity. Additionally, marine vessel composition and cargo can vary dramatically. While early US nuclear tests were carried out in shallow-water coastal …

Study Of The Self-Assembly Process Of Microporous Materials Using Molecular Modeling, Mohammad Navaid Khan

Doctoral Dissertations

Zeolites are an important class of materials in modern technology with applications in catalysis, separations, biosensing and microelectronics. There are over 200 different zeolite frameworks reported in literature, but only a handful have been used commercially. Understanding their self-assembly process would assist in the fabrication of new zeolites through the control of their pore size/shape, and surface area for advanced applications. With our research we aim to elucidate aspects of zeolite formation using molecular simulations. We have extended the lattice model of silica tetrahedra developed by Jin et al. [L. Jin, S. M. Auerbach and P. A. Monson J. Chem. …

Extracellular Matrix Control Of Breast Cancer Metastasis And Dormancy, Lauren Barney

Doctoral Dissertations

To metastasize, a cell must travel through circulation to a secondary tissue, and this process causes 90% of all cancer deaths. Although inefficient, metastasis is not random, and only capable seeds in hospitable soils are capable of outgrowing into detectable metastases. The overall hypothesis in this work is that the secondary tissue microenvironment, particularly the extracellular matrix (ECM), mediates metastasis. We posit that the ability of metastatic cells to survive dormancy, exit quiescence, and colonize a tissue depends upon the ability of the soil to sustain survival, and subsequently trigger outgrowth. We created a simple biomaterial platform with systematic control …

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 …

Electrodeionization Versus Electrodialysis: A Clean-Up Of Produced Water In Hydraulic Fracturing, Brigitte Marie Rodgers

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Electrodeionization (EDI) is a widely studied process ranging from applications in wastewater clean-up in the food and beverage industry to purifying organic compounds. To date, there are no apparent studies on applying this technology to produced wastewater recovered from hydraulic fracking sites. Water consumption within hydraulic fracturing sites can reach in the upwards of millions of gallons per site, so a need for a water recycling process becomes necessary within areas where water requirements are scarce. Implementation of an EDI module that is capable of handling high salt solutions from produced wastewater in subsequent fracturing practices will decrease overall water …

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 …

Micro Debris Generator, Gordan Bradaric, Ross Byers, Stephen Quanci

Mechanical Engineering

This senior project team at Cal Poly consisting of Stephen Quanci, Gordan Bradaric, and Ross Byers has been commissioned by Erik Brown of Lawrence Livermore National Labs to create a way to reliably and consistently entrain microscopic particles into the hot HTTU flow. These particles will be used to compare the loading rates of new HEPA filters by measuring the pressure drop across the filter. The generated particles would simulate typical conditions in which these HEPA filters are expected to operate, namely fine ash. The particles used for loading the filter are intended to simulate the particulate reaching the LLNL …

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 …

A Characterization Study On Catalyst Layers In Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells, Luyue Li

Doctoral Dissertations

This thesis describes the work for the catalyst layer (CL) characterization study of proton exchange membranes (PEM) for fuel cells. In particular, both the structure and performance of catalyst layers with alternative ionomers were studied. Structure wise, the morphology, surface area and pore size distribution studies were accomplished with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and nitrogen adsorption processed through Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) and Barrett-Joyner-Halenda (BJH) theory. Water uptake isotherms of the CLs have been developed under well controlled relative humidity (RH) levels. The performance characterization focuses on polarization study, catalyst layer proton conductivity measurement and estimation of the …

Nanofiltration Rejection Of Contaminants Of Emerging Concern From Municipal Water Resource Recovery Facility Secondary Effluents For Potable Reuse Applications, Steven Michael Jones

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As reuse of municipal water resource recovery facility (WRRF) effluent becomes vital to augment diminishing fresh drinking water resources, concern exists that conventional barriers may prove deficient and the upcycling of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) could prove harmful to human health and aquatic species if more effective and robust treatment barriers are not in place.

There are no federal Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) regulations in place specifically for direct potable reuse (DPR) of WRRF effluent. Out of necessity, some states are developing their own DPR reuse regulations. Currently, reverse osmosis (RO) is the default full advanced treatment (FAT) …

Asset Management Model For An Industrial Process Automations System In The Chemical Engineering Unit Operations Laboratory At Rose-Hulman Institute Of Technology, Megan Elaine Liebman

Graduate Theses - Chemical Engineering

In the Chemical Engineering curriculum, the Unit Operations (UO) Laboratory is recognized as the place where hands-on exposure to industrial practices occurs. Students not only examine fundamental engineering principles, but also gain knowledge of the intricacies of modern control technology. The UO Laboratory at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology houses an industrial state-of-the-art distributed control system, which operates eleven large-scale experiments and interfaces with approximately two hundred process instruments. The size and complexity of the distributed control system and its associated equipment have grown over the past ten years and have reached a point where a systematic asset management approach is …

Werc Task #1 - Open: Efficiency And Particulate Matter Emissions Testing Of Wood Burning Heating Units, Teni R. Butler

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Wood burning has significant environmental and health impacts. This research focused on creating low-cost, reliable test methods for identifying particulate matter emissions to the atmosphere, while obtaining essential data for efficiency calculations of wood combustion.

Haul Truck Tires Recycling, Marina E. Lee

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The Ball Hogs competed in Task 2 - Haul Truck Tires in the 2016 Waste-Management Education and Research Consortium (WERC) International Environmental Design Contest. This task required designing a solution to recycle discarded haul truck tires from mining sites. Our solution was to use the treads of these haul truck tires to construct liners for ball mills. Recycling haul truck tires in this manner would save the mining companies a substantial amount of money and would result in a decrease of carbon emissions.

Direct Band Gap Gallium Antimonide Phosphide (Gasbxp1-X) For Solar Fuels., Harry Benjamin Russell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Photoelectrochemical water splitting has been identified as a promising route for achieving sustainable energy future. However, semiconductor materials with the appropriate optical, electrical and electrochemical properties have yet to be discovered. In search of an appropriate semiconductor to fill this gap, GaSbP, a semiconductor never tested for PEC performance is proposed here and investigated. Density functional theory (DFT+U) techniques were utilized to predict band gap and band edge energetics for GaSbP alloys with low amount of antimony. The overall objective of this dissertation is to understand the suitability of GaSb_xP_1-x alloys for photoelectrochemical water splitting application. Specifically, …

Wastewater Reuse, Zachary J. Bare

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Approximately 1.2 billion people around the world live in areas of physical water scarcity. This could increase to half of the world’s population by 2030 and could displace 24 to 700 million people unless steps are taken to ensure adequate water supply. Water scarcity is an escalating issue within the United States, specifically in Western inland states with arid climates. This scarcity is encouraging communities to investigate tertiary level municipal wastewater treatment, allowing for reuse of wastewater. Unfortunately, wastewater contains numerous contaminants that are not regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). Many …

Removal Of Endocrine Disrupting Compounds From Secondary Municipal Wastewater, Dustin R. Resz

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Approximately 1.2 billion people around the world live in areas of physical water scarcity. This could increase to half of the world’s population by 2030 and could displace 24 to 700 million people unless steps are taken to ensure adequate water supply.1 Water scarcity is an escalating issue within the United States, specifically in Western inland states with arid climates. This scarcity is encouraging communities to investigate tertiary level municipal wastewater treatment, allowing for reuse of wastewater. Unfortunately, wastewater contains numerous contaminants that are not regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). Many …

Development Of A Simple Handheld Biosensor For Waterborne Pathogens, Bryce C. Jones

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Current methods of detecting waterborne pathogens involve testing strips which take 24-48 hours to yield results, or require expensive equipment in order to function. In minimalist environments, these two technologies are not always applicable to test water quality. With the emergence of a new method of PCR, named LAMP PCR, it is possible to quickly and accurately detect pathogen DNA in a water sample. In order to scale this technique into a simple device, the aspects of the reaction must be accommodated, and a visual detection method chosen. A handheld device which keeps the isothermal LAMP PCR stable for the …

Werc Task #1 - Efficiency And Particulate Matter Emissions Testing Of Wood Burning Heating Units, Jonathan A. Shumaker

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

A design of a method for calculating the efficiency and particulate matter emission rates was developed for use on wood stoves. The project was completed for the WERC competition which is an international design contest. The prevalence of wood burning as a form of heating, current EPA regulations, and current market conditions were major factors in forming the necessity of this testing method. Design was not limited to outlining the design specifications, the apparatus was built and run. Optimization of the method continued until completion of the project. If the method would continue to be improved then it would be …

Efficiency And Particulate Matter Emissions Testing Of Wood Burning Heating Units, Lindsey Mayo

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The performance and use of wood-burning stoves as a heating source is carefully regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA requires a rigorous and exhaustive testing protocol be conducted on each unit before it can be sold commercially in order to ensure that the stove in question will not have a detrimental effect on the surrounding environment. However, this testing routine is incredibly time intensive and costly, resulting in a 90% decrease in the number of stove manufacturers since 1988. This decreased competition has ultimately fostered an industry free from competition and motivation to produce clean and efficient …