Chemical Engineering Commons^™

Combined Effect Of Oxidative Treatment And Residual Alcohol On The Mechanics Of A Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube Laden Interface, William Ivancic, Christopher L. Wirth

Chemical & Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Single and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT & MWCNT) have been investigated over the past three decades because of their excellent properties, including their mechanical strength and large electrical and thermal conductivities. Incorporating CNTs into consumer and industrial products is challenging because of strong attractive interactions, heterogeneity, and lack of separation techniques for these nanomaterials. Further challenges include those associated with CNT interaction and adsorption to interfaces. In the present work, the properties of an air/water interface laden with industrial grade MWCNTs with systematically varied oxidative treatment in nitric acid were measured. The duration of treatment was varied and the surface …

Developing Multi-Scale Models For Water Quality Management In Drinking Water Distribution Systems, Ahmed A. Abokifa

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Drinking water supply systems belong to the group of critical infrastructure systems that support the socioeconomic development of our modern societies. In addition, drinking water infrastructure plays a key role in the protection of public health by providing a common access to clean and safe water for all our municipal, industrial, and firefighting purposes. Yet, in the United States, much of our national water infrastructure is now approaching the end of its useful life while investments in its replacement and rehabilitation have been consistently inadequate. Furthermore, the aging water infrastructure has often been operated empirically, and the embracement of modern …

Lignin Conversion To Value-Added Products Via Heterogeneous Catalysts, Yu Gao

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Increasing world population has led to great demands for fuels, chemicals, and materials, and has raised concerns over the depletion of non-renewable resources and the environmental impacts of their processing and utilization. However, the biorefinery concept suggests lignocellulosic biomass can be used as an alternative resource for producing a range of fuels, chemicals and materials to fulfill these demands in a sustainable way. Hence, fermentation technologies are widely developed to efficiently utilize lignocellulosic carbohydrates. However, the non-carbohydrate fraction of biomass, lignin, is still considered as waste and is under-utilized as low-grade fuel, mainly for local heat and electricity production. Since …

Aromatic Tolerance And Utilization Mechanisms Of Rhodococcus Opacus Pd630 To Produce Value-Added Products From Lignin, Wiliam Henson

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Lignocellulosic biomass is a potential renewable feedstock for the microbial production of fuels and chemicals. For microbial utilization, lignocellulosic biomass must undergo pretreatment (e.g., thermochemical and enzymatic processing) to release fermentable sugars.

Lignin comprises ~15-30% of lignocellulosic biomass, and lignin-derived aromatic compounds released during pretreatment can inhibit the microbial conversion of lignocellulosic sugars to bioproducts. Additionally, cost-effective separation of lignin and lignin by-products from lignocellulosic sugars remains a challenge, and current processes generate large waste streams that are typically burned or discarded. Thus, efforts are underway to improve microbial tolerance to lignin by-products and to develop approaches for valorizing waste …

Exploring Fatty Acid Metabolism For The Biosynthesis Of Non-Natural Chemicals, Wen Jiang

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

The global energy crisis and increasing environmental concerns have spurred the sustainable production of biofuels and other fossil-fuel-derived chemicals. One approach is to engineer microbial metabolic pathways to convert renewable feedstocks (e.g. lignocellulosic biomass) to compounds that have structures similar to those of petroleum-derived fuels and chemicals. The microbial fatty acid (FA) biosynthetic pathway is attractive because FAs are common precursors that can be converted to several types of chemicals, including alkanes, alkenes, alcohols, and esters. These chemicals have numerous applications as fuels, fragrances, emollients, plasticizers, thickeners, and detergents. Most work has used Escherichia coli as the microbial host due …

Synthesis Of Crumpled Graphene And Titanium Dioxide Based–Nanomaterials And The Application To Carbon Dioxide Photoreduction, Yao Nie

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

With the rapid development of the economy, increasing combustion of fossils fuels has caused an increase in the atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) level, and has led to global climate change. As a mitigation approach, CO2 capture and conversion (CCC) can not only capture CO2, but also convert it to useable products, such as hydrocarbon fuels. Photocatalytic reduction is an attractive CCC option that directly harnesses inexpensive and abundant solar energy. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a widely used semiconductor for photocatalysis, and graphene nanosheets are a promising material for use in fabricating graphene-TiO2 hybridized photocatalysts. To realize the application of these …

Engineering Robust And Programmable Biological Systems, Tatenda Shopera

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

The ability to engineer programmable biological systems using complex artificial gene networks has great potential to unlock important innovative solutions to many biotechnological challenges. While cells have been engineered to implement complex information processing algorithms and to produce food, materials, and pharmaceuticals, many innovative applications are yet to be realized due to our poor understanding of how robust, reliable, and predictable artificial gene circuits are built. In this work, we demonstrate that robust complex cellular behaviors (e.g., bistability and gene expression dynamics) can be achieved by engineering gene regulatory architecture and increasing the complexity of genetic networks. We further demonstrate …

Co2-Eor Mechanisms In Huff-N-Puff Operations In Shale Oil Reservoirs Based On History Matching Results, Dheiaa Alfarge, Mingzhen Wei, Baojun Bai

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Improved Oil Recovery (IOR) techniques in Unconventional Liquids Rich Reservoirs (ULR) are still a new concept because there is no commercial project for any IOR technique so far. Carbon dioxide (CO₂) based EOR technique has been effectively applied to improve oil recovery in the tight formations of conventional reservoirs. Extending this approach to unconventional formations has been extensively investigated over the last decade because CO₂ has unique properties which make it the first option of EOR methods to be tried. However, the applications and mechanisms for CO2-EOR in unconventional reservoirs would not necessarily be the same as …

Applications Of Computational Models On Studying Particulate Systems, Jielin Yu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Particulate systems have been widely studied because of its various phenomena and tight relationship with industry applications. In this dissertation, two types of computational models have been adopted to study two problems with different particulate systems: granular self-organization inside a cylinder driven by an orbital-shaker and the optimal design of bypass line for an industrial-scale 8‑leg polyolefin loop reactor.

In the first study, behavior of both single particle and multiple particles in a rotating cylinder has been modeled by discrete element method (DEM) to understand the mechanism of granular self-organization. Sets of studies have then been performed to study the …

Aging Response And Precipitation Behavior After 5% Pre-Deformation Of An Al-Mg-Si-Cu Alloy, Shuoxun Jin, Tungwai Ngai, Liejun Li, Shian Jia, Tongguang Zhai, Dongjie Ke

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

In this study, Al-1.00 Mg-0.65 Si-0.24 Cu alloy was solution heat-treated, water-quenched, and then pre-deformed for 5% before aging. The peak hardness and yield strength of the pre-deformed sample with subsequent artificial aging were similar to that of a T6 condition sample. It was also found that the pre-deformation treatment could inhibit the negative influence of natural aging to some degree. After seven days of natural aging, the pre-deformed sample obtained better peak hardness and yield strength upon artificial aging than the sample without pre-deformation. In addition, the pre-deformation treatment could reduce 50% of the artificial aging time to reach …

Kinetic Study Of Hydrolysis Of Ethyl Acetate Using Caustic Soda, Hany A. Elazab Dr

Chemical Engineering

We report here, the hydrolysis of ethyl acetate by using caustic soda which is followed by means of conductance measurements which is widely used in chemical industry. The main aim of this research is to study the parameters of production of ethyl acetate by chemical reaction kinetics using an anion ion-exchange acting as a catalyst and acid-base titrations. The reaction of ethyl acetate and sodium hy-droxide (caustic-soda) is done in a plug-flow reactor (steady-state tubular reactor) under the effect of different parameters including tem-perature, concentration and flow-rate, which allows the determination of activation energy and rate constants, due to large …

Arrayed Lyser And Homogenizer Systems With Multiple Agitator Devices, Robert W. Doebler, Mark Brown, Tanya Ferguson, Bruce Irvine, James D. Sterling

Business and Information Technology Faculty Research & Creative Works

Systems and methods for the efficient agitation of tissue samples. A device may include a plurality of chambers that each receives samples therein. The plurality of chambers may be uniformly spaced with respect to a least one dimension, to form a one dimensional or two-dimensional array. Each of the chambers may include an opening and an agitator device in fluid contact with the sample disposed within the chamber. The agitator devices may include a micromotor which provides rotational motion to a shaft and an impeller fixed to the shaft such that the impeller and the shaft rotate together upon provision …

Preparation Of Insulating Material Based On Rice Straw And Inexpensive Polymers For Different Roofs, Fatma Zakaria, M. A. Radwan, M. A. Sadek, Hany A. Elazab Dr

Chemical Engineering

Fossil fuel saving is part of the 21th century goal. One of the largest sectors that consumes energy is the building sector since it consumes 40% of the total energy in Europe through heating and cooling. Thus, the need of minimizing the energy consumption played an im-portant role in the development of building insulation materials. Selection of a proper material for building insulation differs according to the building surrounding climate and the properties required in the material. Building climate determines the insulating material location whether its internal or external while properties can differ ac-cording to many parameters that affect the …

Insulating Material Based On Shredded Used Tires And Inexpensive Polymers For Different Roofs, Hany A. Elazab Dr

Chemical Engineering

Thermal insulation is the ability of the material to prevent or reduce the heat transfer through the insulating material or between thermally contacted objectives. The increasing of the greenhouse effect leads to a continuous rising of the temperature especially in the summer, thus, there is a continuous research that aims to find more effective and environmental friendly insulation materials. Nowadays, a great number of proportions from polyurethane foam are produced every year in order to be used as an insulating material. Polyurethane foam shows an effective heat insulation results, but the price of the polyurethane is getting more expensive each …

Fabrication Of Mnox/Mwcnts-Gc Nanocatalyst For Oxygen Evolution Reaction, Yaser M. Asal Mr, Islam M. Al-Akraa Dr, Amr M. Arafa Eng.

Chemical Engineering

Manganese oxide (MnOx) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are intended to modify the GC electrode for oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Optimization of MnOx loading is carried out and the deposition of 55 cycles was sufficient to obtain the highest activity toward OER. The stability of the catalyst is enhanced by the addition of MWCNTs. As a result, an amount of 22 kWh/Kg of O₂ of energy is saved. Several techniques including cyclic voltammetry, linear sweep voltammetry, chronoamperometry, chronopotentiometry, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy will be combined to track the catalyst activity and to determine its …

Preparation And Characterization Of Decorative And Heat Insulating Floor Tiles For Buildings Roofs, Hany A. Elazab Dr

Chemical Engineering

Since the beginning of the 5th century, people felt the urge to construct a sort of heat insulation system to their houses. This research paper focuses on the preparation, development and design of heat insulating tiles using materials like automobile tires powder and rice husk which are materials that are available at almost negligible costs and great amounts. Throughout this paper, experimental work will be provided to document, analyze and compare different insulating materials based on their thermal conductivity factor (K-factor), eco-nomic aspects, contribution to a greener earth, and mechanical properties. The results show that a mixture of used automobile …

Preparation And Characterization Of Bullet-Proof Vests Based On Polyamide Fibers, Hany A. Elazab Dr

Chemical Engineering

Fiber reinforced plastics (FRP) is classified as one of the main classes of structural materials. Due to its high strength and light weight, it is considered for being used in a large scale of different applications. Particularly, bullet proof vests are widely used in order to protect the soldiers from being targeted in battle fields, however many modifications are being implemented to enhance the bullet resistivity of the vests for achieving more protection. This scientific paper investigates the enhanced properties of Twaron CT 736 when it is being reinforced with epoxy resin and topped with silicon carbide ceramics. The potential …

Internet Traffic Forecasting Model Using Self Organizing Map And Support Vector Regression Method, Enrico Laoh, Fakhrul Agustriwan, Chyntia Megawati, Isti Surjandari

Makara Journal of Technology

Internet traffic forecasting is one of important aspect in order to fulfill the customer demand. So, the service quality of internet service provider (ISP) can be maintained at the good level. In this study self-organizing map (SOM) and support vector regression (SVR) algorithm are used as forecasting method. SOM is first used to decompose the whole historical data of traffic internet into clusters, while SVR is used to build a forecasting model in each cluster. This method is used to forecast ISPs traffic internet in Jakarta and surrounding areas. The result of this study shows that SOM-SVR method gives more …

Effects Of The Preheating Temperature On The Crystal Structure And Texture Of Martensitic Stainless Steel, Tri Hardi Priyanto, Rifai Muslih, Herry Mugirahardjo, Bharoto Bharoto, Andon Insani, Muzzakiy Muzzakiy

Makara Journal of Technology

Theoretically, the preheating temperature refers to the start martensite temperature (Ms), and the martensite transformation can be considered as the conservation of the invariant habit-plane in the lattice structure. The habit-plane is the interface plane between austenite and martensite as measured on a macroscopic scale. From the calculation, Ms = 252 °C. The martensite formation can be affected by temperature or stress treatment. In this experiment, temperature treatment was conducted. The sample was treated at 250 °C ± 10 °C. Before and after the pre-heat treatment, the sample was characterized using the neutron diffraction method. BATAN’s Texture Diffractometer (DN2) with …

Investigation Of Ship Hull Girder Strength With Grounding Damage, Muhammad Zubair Muis Alie, Ristiyanto Adiputra

Makara Journal of Technology

The objective of the present study is to investigate ship hull girder strength as a result of grounding damage upon longitudinal bending. A bulk carrier and tanker are analyzed and Smith’s Method is adopted and implemented in the analysis program. An efficient solution procedure is performed by assuming the cross-section remains plane and the vertical bending moment is applied to the cross section. As a fundamental case, the damage is simply created by removing the elements from the cross section. Welding residual stress, initial imperfections, and crack extensions are not considered. The grounding damage is made by two conditions, namely …