Chemical Engineering Commons^™

Mechanochemical Nitration Of Aromatic Compounds, Oleg Shlomo Lagoviyer

Theses

Aromatic compounds such as toluene are commercially nitrated using a combination of nitric acid with other strong acids. This process relies on the use of highly corrosive chemicals and generates environmentally harmful waste, which is difficult to handle and dispose of. In this study aromatic nitration using solvent-free mechanochemical processing of environmentally benign precursors has been achieved and investigated. Mononitrotoluene was synthesized by milling toluene with sodium nitrate and molybdenum trioxide as a catalyst. Several parameters affecting the desired product yield and selectivity were identified and varied. MNT yields in excess of 60% have been achieved in different tests. The …

Micronized Dry Drug Powder-Loaded Polymer Films For Delivery Of Poorly Water Soluble Drugs, Lu Zhang

Dissertations

Polymer strip films have been recently established as a robust platform for delivery of poorly water-soluble drugs via slurry casting, in particular using stable drug nanosuspensions. In this dissertation, a simpler, economically feasible, and robust method to directly incorporate dry micronized poorly water-soluble drug is introduced. As a major novelty, simultaneous surface modification using hydrophilic silica along with micronization is done using fluid energy mill (FEM) in order to reduce the hydrophobicity and agglomeration of poorly water-solube drug powder. When micronized coated drug powders are used, films exhibit improved appearance (thickness uniformity, visible lumps), better drug content uniformity (relative standard …

Elucidating The Action Of A Regulatory Lipid Ligand Via Molecular Simulation: Cholesterol Swarms And The Inwardly Rectifying Potassium Channel, Belinda Akpa, Nicolas Barbera, Irena Levitan

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Modeling Pharmaceutical Inhibition Of Glucose-Stimulated Renin-Angiotensin System In Kidneys, Ashlee N. Ford Versypt, Minu R. Pilvankar, Hui Ling Yong

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Experimental Evaluation Of Lignocellulosic Biomass Pyrolysis By Dielectric Heating And Thermocatalytic Upgrading Of Pyrolysis Vapors Via Iron-Doped Montmorillonite Clay Catalyst, Candice Raffaela Ellison

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This work is an investigation of microwave-assisted biomass pyrolysis and thermocatalytic upgrading of pyrolysis vapors. In the first two chapters, the microwave susceptibility of mixtures of biomass with potential microwave absorbers are characterized by dielectric measurements at microwave frequencies. Dielectric constant and dielectric loss factor of biomass mixtures with char and biomass mixtures with bentonite are found to increase quadratically with increasing weight percent of char or bentonite.

Chapter 3 presents a finite element model, developed in COMSOL Multiphysics, comparing two waveguide applicator configurations for microwave processing using biomass as a model material. A standing wave configuration results in intense …

Selective Flocculation Separation Of Fine Hematite From Quartz Using A Novel Grafted Copolymer Flocculant, Jinxia Zhang, Weiguang Sun, Zhiyong Gao, Fusheng Niu, Long Wang, Yawei Zhao, Yuesheng Gao

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Beneficiation of ultrafine mineral particles (typically with an average size less than 20 µm) remains a critical problem for the mineral processing industry. Selective flocculation technique has been found to show great potential to tackle this problem, whose success mainly depends on the selective adsorption of a flocculant on the target mineral particles. In this work, a novel copolymer flocculant was synthesized by grafting starch and acrylamide, which for the first time, was employed in the flocculation separation of fine hematite from quartz. The composites of the grafted copolymer flocculant (GCF) were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and …

Synthesis-Structure-Activity Relationships In Co3o4 Catalyzed Co Oxidation, Kathleen Mingle, Jochen A. Lauterbach

Faculty Publications

In this work, a statistical design and analysis platform was used to develop cobalt oxide based oxidation catalysts prepared via one pot metal salt reduction. An emphasis was placed upon understanding the effects of synthesis conditions, such as heating regimen and Co2+ concentration on the metal salt reduction mechanism, the resultant nanomaterial properties (i.e., size, crystal structure, and crystal faceting), and the catalytic activity in CO oxidation. This was accomplished by carrying out XRD, TEM, and FTIR studies on synthesis intermediates and products. Additionally, high-throughput experimentation was employed to study the performance of Co3O4 oxidation catalysts over a wide range …

Stretchable Methyl Ammonium Lead Iodide Perovskite Solar Cells For Photovoltaic And Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting, William Tait

University Scholar Projects

The goal of this work was to fabricate an inverse planar perovskite solar cell (PSC) that was stretchable in one dimension and completely solution-processible. Perovskites are a material that have attracted much attention in recent years due to their appealing characteristics, such as being photovoltaic and piezoelectric. PSCs have been the focus of many studies in the solar cell area, as they are solution-processible and have shown high efficiencies relative to the amount of time they have been studied. Fabricating a PSC on a stretchable substrate would be beneficial, as a bendable, stretchable PSC would likely have more applications than …

Learning In Bio-Molecular Computing Systems, Lauren Braun

Maseeh Summer Undergraduate Research Experience

Many potential applications of biochemical computers involve the detection of highly adaptable and dynamic chemical systems, such as emerging pathogens. Current technology is expensive to develop and unique to each application, thus causing limitations in accessibility. In order to make this type of computing a realistic solution to problems in the medical field, a biochemical computer would need to be adaptable to work in a variety of applications. Banda et al. (2014) previously proposed a first dynamic biochemical system that was capable of autonomous learning. For this project we studied a framework similar to Banda’s but in two separate pieces, …

Predicting The Dynamic Binding Capacities For Adsorbents Using Bsa As A Model Protein, Gaoshan Li

Rose-Hulman Undergraduate Research Publications

Membrane adsorbers are one alternative to traditional bead-based chromatography that receive attention in the bioseparation process because of their ability to process material with lower residence times. However some properties of membranes make membrane adsorbers unrealistic for some applications. For example, some membrane adsorbers exhibit lower binding capacities compared with the traditional bead-based chromatography counterparts. The dynamic binding capacity (DBC) in this study is defined as the amount of protein bound in the column when the outlet reaches a certain concentration, which is 10% [2], and the equilibrium binding capacity (EBC) is the binding capacity under the equilibrium conditions, when …

Radical Social Ecology As Deep Pragmatism: A Call To The Abolition Of Systemic Dissonance And The Minimization Of Entropic Chaos, Arielle Brender

Student Theses 2015-Present

This paper aims to shed light on the dissonance caused by the superimposition of Dominant Human Systems on Natural Systems. I highlight the synthetic nature of Dominant Human Systems as egoic and linguistic phenomenon manufactured by a mere portion of the human population, which renders them inherently oppressive unto peoples and landscapes whose wisdom were barred from the design process. In pursuing a radical pragmatic approach to mending the simultaneous oppression and destruction of the human being and the earth, I highlight the necessity of minimizing entropic chaos caused by excess energy expenditure, an essential feature of systems that aim …

Fundamental Studies Of Solid-Fuel Combustion Using A Two-Stage Flat-Flame Burner, Adewale Ayodeji Adeosun

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Innovative coal technologies are essential for addressing concerns about air pollution and global climate change. A key pathway to advancing these technologies is through developing a thorough understanding of the fundamental physical and chemical processes that occur during coal combustion. Ignition influences many aspects of coal combustion, including flame stability, submicron aerosol evolution, and char burnout. As important as ignition and these associated processes are, they are challenging to study because they depend on many factors, such as the combustion environment, particle size, and particle-particle interactions.

While there have been many studies of coal ignition, none have studied the process …

Poly- L -Lactic Acid- Co-Poly(Pentadecalactone) Electrospun Fibers Result In Greater Neurite Outgrowth Of Chick Dorsal Root Ganglia In Vitro Compared To Poly- L -Lactic Acid Fibers, Alexis M. Ziemba, Keith P. Lane, Ignacio M. San Segundo, Anthony R. D'Amato, Andrew K. Mason, Ryan J. Sexton, Hubert Casajus, Richard A. Gross, David T. Corr, Ryan J. Gilbert

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Electro spun poly-l-lactic acid (PLLA) fiber scaffolds are used to direct axonal extension in neural engineering models. We aimed to improve the efficacy of these fibers in promoting neurite outgrowth by altering surface topography and reducing fiber elastic modulus through the incorporation of a compatibilized blend, poly-l-lactic acid-poly(pentadecalactone) (PLLA-PPDL) into the solution prior to electrospinning. PLLA+PLLA-PPDL fibers had a larger diameter, increased surface nano topography, and lower glass transition temperature than PLLA fibers but had similar mechanical properties. Increases in neurite outgrowth on PLLA+PLLA-PPDL fibers were observed, potentially due to the significantly increased diameter and surface coverage with nano topography. …

Baseline Effects Of Lysophosphatidylcholine And Nerve Growth Factor In A Rat Model Of Sciatic Nerve Regeneration After Crush Injury, Ryan L. Wood, Keaton S. Karlinsey, Austin D. Thompson, Mark N. Rigby, Greggory D. Boatright, William G. Pitt, Beverly L. Roeder, Scott C. Steffersen, Alonzo D. Cook

Faculty Publications

Schwann cells play a major role in helping heal injured nerves. They help clear debris, produce neurotrophins, upregulate neurotrophin receptors, and form bands of Büngner to guide the healing nerve. But nerves do not always produce enough neurotrophins and neurotrophin receptors to repair themselves. Nerve growth factor (NGF) is an important neurotrophin for promoting nerve healing and lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) has been shown to stimulate NGF receptors (NGFR). This study tested the administration of a single intraneural injection of LPC (1 mg/mL for single LPC injection and 10 mg/mL for multiple LPC injections) at day 0 and one (day 7), two …

Investigation Of The Use Of A Bio-Derived Solvent For Non-Solvent-Induced Phase Separation (Nips) Fabrication Of Polysulfone Membranes, Xiaobo Dong, Amna Al-Jumaily, Isabel Escobar

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Organic solvents, such as N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) and dimethylacetamide (DMAc), have been traditionally used to fabricate polymeric membranes. These solvents may have a negative impact on the environment and human health; therefore, using renewable solvents derived from biomass is of great interest to make membrane fabrication sustainable. Methyl-5-(dimethylamino)-2-methyl-5-oxopentanoate (Rhodiasolv PolarClean) is a bio-derived, biodegradable, nonflammable and nonvolatile solvent. Polysulfone is a commonly used polymer to fabricate membranes due to its thermal stability, strong mechanical strength and good chemical resistance. From cloud point curves, PolarClean showed potential to be a solvent for polysulfone. Membranes prepared with PolarClean were investigated in terms of …

Method Of Increasing Mass Transfer Rate Of Acid Gas Scrubbing Solvents, Cameron Anthony Lippert, Kunlei Liu, Christine Marie Brandewie, Joseph Eugene Remias, Moushumi Sarma

Center for Applied Energy Research Faculty Patents

A method and catalysts for increasing the overall mass transfer rate of acid gas scrubbing solids is disclosed. Various catalyst compounds for that purpose are also disclosed.

Antibacterial Properties Of A Cationic Imidazolium-Containing Poly(Ionic Liquid), Kaitlyn P. Brickey

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Poly(ionic liquids), or PILs, have been shown to have a number of biological applications as ligands, drug delivery vehicles, and nonviral DNA delivery mechanisms. Additionally, PILs have been proven to be efficient antibacterials. Imidazolium-containing PILs have promising results in antibacterial studies, but relating to their chain and charge density, only the effects of mono- & bis-imidazolium PILs have been sufficiently described in literature. The work detailed in this thesis aimed to further existing research on the effect of chain density by controlling the UV-initiator immobilization time. The effects of chain density were investigated by grafting poly(vinylimidazolium chloride) onto SiO_{2 …}

Biocompatible, Responsive Polysoaps Via Raft Copolymerization For The Delivery Of Model Cancer Therapeutics, Mason Dearborn

Honors Theses

Many chemotherapeutic drugs are small, hydrophobic molecules that require water-soluble, biocompatible nanocarriers for enhanced vascular circulation. Existing polymeric carriers either conjugate the drug along a copolymer backbone or sequester drugs within a protected interior domain to be delivered to specific sites in the body. Such therapeutic systems must overcome a myriad of hurdles, beginning with complex, multi-step syntheses, followed by other inherent barriers that limit the efficiency of drug delivery at the targeted site. This work aims to circumvent a number of these issues using biocompatible, stimuli-responsive polysoaps that are capable of unimeric micelle formation, hydrophobic drug delivery, and triggered …

Development Of An In Vitro Platform For The Exploration Of Skeletal Muscle Cell Mechanobiology, Sydney Spradlin

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Muscles have the natural ability to regenerate when damaged. This works to keep the body functioning, unless this ability is overwhelmed. Volumetric muscle loss (VML) occurs when a substantial amount of a muscles mass is lost. This leads to the development of scar tissue, and often a loss of function. In order to find a solution for this condition, in vitro models are needed to explore the mechanobiology of skeletal muscle cells. Two platforms were developed in this study, to explore 3 factors: orientation, strain, and supporting structure. One platform used fibronectin stamped lanes on PDMS to encourage cell growth …

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 …