Other Chemical Engineering Commons^™

Prevention Of Harmful Algal Blooms By The Mitigation Of Phosphorus Nutrient Loading Via Filtration By Steel Wool And Activated Carbon, Ronald Simpson, Sara Kidd, Samantha Zidd

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) are a devastating ecological and economic consequence of the abundance of nutrient-rich agricultural runoff entering aquatic ecosystems (Baker et al. 2014). Bio-available phosphorus from synthetic fertilizers is one of the major nutrients contributing to this global issue. Previous studies indicated that dissolved phosphorus can be removed from an aqueous environment when passed through a composite mixture of granular steel wool particles and activated carbon (Erickson, Gulliver, and Weiss, 2007). In this project, we conducted experiments using higher quality concentration measurements to determine what grades of steel wool (SW-0000, SW-000, SW-00) and types of activated carbon (granulated …

Towards Sustainable Production Of Chemicals And Fuels From The Fast Pyrolysis Of Waste Polyolefin Plastics, Ulises Gracida Alvarez

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The increasing amount of plastic waste (PW) generation has become an important concern due to the leveled-off recycling rates. Therefore, governmental agencies around the world, including state governments in the United States, have proposed initiatives to minimize the amount of PW that is landfilled and encourage recycling or energy recovery. Circular economy is a strategy that attempts on reusing PW to produce new polymers while avoiding its disposal and the use of virgin material. Chemical recycling raises an interesting technology prospect due to the potential reduction of pollutant emissions and the establishment of a circular economy through the production of …

Investigation Of The Synthesis And Optoelectronic Properties Of Ultrasmall Cdse Quantum Dots, Megan Webster

Dissertations and Theses

Traditional, or 1^st generation, solar cells have a theoretical upper limit of 33% power conversion efficiency based on the thermodynamic limitation of the single p-n junction cell design. This limitation is known as the Shockley-Queisser limit and methods to design solar cells to circumvent it have been creative, with a significant part of the field focused on quantum dot (QD) based systems. With theoretical efficiencies ranging between 44 and 67% for one sun concentration, QD solar cell designs are clearly superior to the limits of 1^st generation solar cells. However, maximum achieved efficiencies for QD-based designs are far …

Electrochemical Properties Of Crystalline Polymorphs Of Mno2 In Aluminum And Zinc Metal Batteries, Subhadip Pal

Dissertations and Theses

The widespread use of non-renewable fossil fuels has led to societal problems like global warming and climate change. Electrochemical energy storage can enable the integration of renewable energy sources that are inherently intermittent (solar, wind, etc.) into the electric grid, though major advances in cost, cycle life, and safety are necessary to have a global impact on the energy landscape. Both aluminium (Al) and zinc (Zn) metals are earth abundant, low-cost, safe, and exhibit high coulombic capacities, which make them promising electrode materials for “beyond lithium-ion” battery chemistries. However, the electrochemical feasibility and charge storage mechanisms of alternative Al and …

Designing Particle Tracking Software For A Theoretical Understanding Of Magnetic Janus Particle Aggregation, Thomas W. Long

Dissertations and Theses

Magnetic Janus particles are spherical colloids covered with a thin magnetic cap on one half of their surface. The asymmetric magnetic material gives the particles a magnetic dipole shifted away from the center of mass of the particle. The magnetic dipole either points perpendicular (axially-shifted FexOy caps) or parallel (radially-shifted (Co/Pd)x multilayered particles) to the shift vector. When a magnetic field is applied to a system of magnetic Janus particles, the particles aggregate into chains aligned with the magnetic field. The rate of aggregation is of theoretical and practical interest and the focus of the thesis.

Optically studying samples of …

Design Of Geothermal District Heating And Cooling System For The West Virginia University, Oluwasogo Bolaji Alonge

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Recent Appalachian Basin Geothermal Play Fairway Analysis estimated elevated heat flows in north-central West Virginia. This region provides an optimal and unique combination of elevated temperatures and flow necessary for geothermal development along with year-round surface demand for heating and cooling on the campus. Therefore, West Virginia University’s (WVU’s) Morgantown campus has been identified as a prime location in the eastern United States for the development of a geothermal direct-use heating and cooling application. The objective of this study was to perform a feasibility analysis for the development of a geothermal district heating and cooling (GDHC) system for WVU campus …

New Method Of Manufacturing Carbon Foam, Matthew D. Artimez

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Carbon foam is a product that has some unique features. Carbon foam is a light weight material that has a high crush strength. It is electrically conductive, but because it is composed of air space between the tendrils, it is not a thermal conductor. Since it contains no volatile content, it is noncombustible. All these features allow carbon foam to have many modern applications. Currently, there are only three methods of producing carbon foam, and all three are not cost- efficient enough to meet the demand of potential new markets.

In this thesis, a new procedure of producing carbon foam …

Effect Of Aerogel On The Thermal Performance Of Corrugated Composite Sandwich Structures, Jacob Dillon Chess

Master's Theses

Current insulation solutions across multiple industries, especially the commercial sector, can be bulky and ineffective when considering their volume. Aerogels are excellent insulators, exhibiting low thermal conductivities and low densities with a porosity of around 95%. Such characteristics make aerogels effective in decreasing conductive heat transfer within a solid. These requirements are crucial for aerospace and spaceflight applications, where sensitive components exist among extreme temperature environments. When implemented into insulation applications, aerogel can perform better than existing technology while using less material, which limits the amount of volume allocated for insulation. The application of these materials into composites can result …

Low Temperature Desiccants In Atmospheric Water Generation., Sunil Gupta

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Surging global water demand as well as changes to weather patterns and over exploitation of natural water sources, such as ground water, has made potable water a critical resource in many parts of the World already – one rapidly heading towards a crisis situation. Desalination has been adopted as a solution – this is however energy intensive and impractical for most of the developing countries - those most in need of water. A renewable source of energy is solar thermal and solar photovoltaic. A plentiful source of water is the humidity in the atmosphere. This research is to push the …

Nanoparticle Catalytic Enhancement Of Carbon Dioxide Reforming Of Methane For Hydrogen Production, Nicholas Groden

Doctoral Dissertations

The U.S. produces 5559.6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually, of which 21% is produced by industrial processes. Steam reforming, an industrial process that accounts for 95% of all hydrogen production in industry, produces 134.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide or around 11% of the total carbon dioxide produced by industry. This carbon dioxide is then either emitted or goes through a sequestration process that accounts for 75% of the plant's operational costs. An alternative reaction to steam reforming is dry reforming, which utilizes carbon dioxide rather than emitting it and can be used in conjunction with current …

Development Of A Simple Lab-Scale Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Molding (Vartm) Process, Donald A. Klosterman

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

The goal of the current study was to develop and demonstrate a simple and quick lab-scale VARTM process for the purpose of making flat panels for subsequent characterization, for example in new materials development efforts. This process was not intended to be optimized for final production, rather it served as the quickest way to make lab-scale composite panels using VARTM while maintaining all the salient features of typical VARTM processes used in larger scale manufacturing. There is a wide variety of ways to implement VARTM, as well as a diverse list of potential materials and supplies from which to choose. …

Suitability Of Active And Intelligent Packaging For Local And Organic Food – A Case Study In Southern Finland, Sara Paunonen, Marja Pitkänen, Mika Vähä-Nissi, Ville Leminen, Mika Kainusalmi

Journal of Applied Packaging Research

This study explores the suitability of innovative packaging for local and organic food. Attitudes and opinions in local and organic food chains in Southern Finland were collected via eighteen semi-structural interviews. The respondents were small-scale producers and processors of fish, meat, berries, and mushrooms, wholesalers, retailers, and institutional kitchens. The aim of this study was to understand factors promoting and preventing the penetration of innovative packaging solutions into the organic and local food market. A clear majority (89%) of respondents considered active and intelligent solutions to be equally suitable for local and organic food as for conventional food. However, less …

Direct Potable Reuse Of Wastewater, Molly Churchwell

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Water is essential to our societies and mankind. Currently, 844 million people across the globe lack access to potable water. By 2025, it is projected that half of the world population will be in a region of water stress.5 The water crisis is often thought of as a problem limited to places that have always struggled to have clean water, but it is now affecting new areas such as the southwest United States. With increasing population demands and drought, the feasibility of direct potable reuse (DPR) of wastewater is being considered. According to an EPA report in 2017, there are …

Removal Of Carbamazepine From Drinking Water, Zachary Wiese

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Due to the increasing prevalence of prescription medication over the past few

decades, pharmaceuticals have accumulated in various water sources. This has become a

public health concern because many pharmaceuticals have limited research on the effects

of chronic low-level exposure. According to the World’s Health Organization (WHO),

traces of pharmaceuticals products have been reported in different water sources such as

surface waters, wastewater, groundwater, and drinking water.[1] One pharmaceutical of

interest that has been detected in water sources is carbamazepine. Carbamazepine is a

common pharmaceutical prescribed for the treatment of seizure disorders, neuropathic

pain, and various psychological disorders. It’s mechanism …

Removal Of Carbamazepine From Drinking Water, Jordan Alex Gadberry, Adam Johnson, Juan Rodriguez, Paola Marrero-Rivera, Tom Krumpolc, Zach Wiese

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Due to the increasing prevalence of prescription medication over the past few decades, pharmaceuticals have accumulated in various water sources. This has become a public health concern because many pharmaceuticals have limited research on the effects of chronic low-level exposure. According to the World’s Health Organization (WHO), traces of pharmaceuticals products have been reported in different water sources such as surface waters, wastewater, groundwater, and drinking water.^[1] One pharmaceutical of interest that has been detected in water sources is carbamazepine. Carbamazepine (CBZ) is a common pharmaceutical prescribed for the treatment of seizure disorders, neuropathic pain, and various psychological disorders. …

Sulfate Removal From Mine Impacted Waters, Luis Sagarnaga

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Woo Pig Sulfate (WPS) has developed two methods for reducing levels of calcium sulfate in mine impacted waters, a “hot process” and a two-stage nanofiltration process. Both processes were designed to treat gypsum saturated water that is currently being pumped via interceptor wells to prevent the spread of a sulfate plume into a nearby community. Each solution was designed for Freeport McMoran’s Sierrita mine in Green Valley, Arizona, which was visited in order to gain insight about the problem. Below 250 ppm on the treated stream, nanofiltration and the hot process achieve overall recoveries of 84 and 99%, respectively. The …

Direct Potable Reuse Of Wastewater, Boyce Bethel

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Water is essential to our societies and mankind. Currently, 844 million people across the globe lack access to potable water. By 2025, it is projected that half of the world population will be in a region of water stress.⁵ The water crisis is often thought of as a problem limited to places that have always struggled to have clean water, but it is now affecting new areas such as the southwest United States. With increasing population demands and drought, the feasibility of direct potable reuse (DPR) of wastewater is being considered. According to an EPA report in 2017, there …

Enhancing Performance Of Ionic Liquid Property Prediction With Molecular Dynamics., Trisha H. Patel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Molecular dynamics have been used to predict thermodynamic and transport properties of eight room-temperature ionic liquids. Simulation parameters including box size and van der Waals cutoffs were varied. The density, heat capacity, and self-diffusion coefficients of the ionic liquids were computed and compared to experimental data and to previously published simulations. Predicted properties were generally close to their experimentally observed values. It was determined that the prediction of ionic liquid properties via molecular dynamics simulations could be accelerated several-fold by using less stringent integration parameters and smaller simulation sizes. The properties of density and heat capacity did not change significantly …

Comparing Stenotic Blood Flow In Three- And Two-Dimensional Arterial Renderings Using Computational Fluid Dynamics And Multiphase Mean Age Theory., Jacob S. Garza

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over one million invasive coronary angiography procedures are performed annually in patients who experience chest pain or are known to have coronary artery disease. The procedure is carried out to ascertain the degree of arterial blockage (stenosis) that hinders blood flow to the heart. A cardiologist performing the procedure determines the physiological degree of a stenosis by either visual estimation, which is routine practice, or by invasively measuring fractional flow reserve (FFR), which is the current gold standard that has been demonstrated to improve patient outcomes and temper the cost of healthcare. Nevertheless, FFR is performed in only 10–20% of …

Sulfate Removal From Mine Impacted Waters, Tyler Shock

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Woo Pig Sulfate (WPS) has developed two methods for reducing levels of calcium sulfate in mine impacted waters, a “hot process” and a two-stage nanofiltration process. Both processes were designed to treat gypsum saturated water that is currently being pumped via interceptor wells to prevent the spread of a sulfate plume into a nearby community. Each solution was designed for Freeport McMoran’s Sierrita mine in Green Valley, Arizona, which was visited in order to gain insight about the problem. Below 250 ppm on the treated stream, nanofiltration and the hot process achieve overall recoveries of 84 and 99%, respectively. The …