Chemical Engineering Commons^™

What Happens To Nox Emissions Of Vw Diesel Cars When Water/Methanol Injection Is Used?, Andrew Croxell

ASA Multidisciplinary Research Symposium

Volkswagen has come under fire for their "Clean Diesel" automobiles that were found to emit too much NOx (Oxides of Nitrogen) when driven on the street. Since NOx is created by high temperature combustion events, the addition of a water/methanol injection system was tested on a VW diesel vehicle to identify if it could cool combustion temperatures and thus reduce NOx to an acceptable specification.

Gender And Participation In An Engineering Problem-Based Learning Environment, Laura Hirshfield, Milo D. Koretsky

Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning

The use of problem-based learning (PBL) is gaining attention in the engineering classroom as a way to help students synthesize foundational knowledge and to better prepare students for practice. In this work, we study the discourse interactions between 27 student teams and two instructors in an engineering PBL environment to analyze how participation is distributed among team members, paying particular attention to the differences between male and female students. There were no statistically significant differences between the amount that male and female students spoke; however, stereotypical gender roles and traditional gendered behavior did manifest in the discussion. Also, regardless of …

Life Cycle Analysis For Algae Biofuels-Using Local Situations To Factor In The Cost/Benefit Of High-End Products Along With Nutrient Remediation And Co2 Sequestration, John Korstad, Joe T. Moore

College of Science and Engineering Faculty Research and Scholarship

Algae as a feedstock for commercial biofuels is best suited for sunny and warm areas with abundant fresh, salt, or brackish water. Optimum areas worldwide are in the tropics. Logical areas in North America include the Southeast Gulf coast and perhaps New Mexico. Additional practical areas on smaller scale probably lie in metropolitan locations, especially near international airports. The cost-benefit of these endeavors can be enhanced when factors such as high-end products alongside collaboration with sewage treatment or other waste water remediation, industrial carbon dioxide sequestration, reduced transport distance of fuels, and other aspects of the local economy are taken …

Incorporation Of Catalytic Modalities For Forming Of A Catalytic Cascade, Albert T. Perry Iii

Nanoscience and Microsystems ETDs

This dissertation investigates the novel incorporation of inorganic and enzymatic catalysts. There is little literature on inorganic catalysts operating at biologically relevant pHs and as such a significant amount of this dissertation focuses on determination of catalyst activity. Mn amino-anitpyrene (MnAAPyr), Pt, Pt alloys, Mn-N-C and Pd catalysts on 3D graphene supports(3D-GNS), were explored for activity towards glycerol intermediates: oxalic acid, mesoxalic acid, glyoxalic acid, and formic acid. MnAAPyr was designed to mimic the reaction center of oxalate decarboxylase and oxalate oxidaze, the natural catalyst towards oxalic acid. It showed high activity towards oxalic acid, with onset potentials of 0.714±0.002V …

Modelling And Simulation Of Hydrogen Production Via Membrane Reactor, Aya Abdel-Hamid Smail Mourad

Chemical and Petroleum Engineering Theses

A membrane reactor is a promising device to produce pure hydrogen and enrich CO₂ from syngas. A simulation study of a double tubular catalytic membrane reactor for the water-gas shift reaction (WGS) under steady-state operation is presented in this work. The membrane consists of a dense Pd layer (selective to H₂) deposited on a porous glass cylinder support. The reaction side was filled with a commercial iron-chromium oxide catalyst, designed as Girdler G-3. The mass of the catalyst was 12.1 g and the height of the catalyst bed was 8 cm. The WGS model was carried out …

Investigation Of The Effect Of Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Extraction On The Adsorption Capacity Of Date Pits, Haliemeh Imad Sweidan

Chemical and Petroleum Engineering Theses

This thesis aims to develop and investigate an innovative use of date pits, a common and abundant agricultural waste in the UAE. It is suggested that date pits may be used to produce date pit oil, and the powder residue from this extraction process may be used as a low cost adsorbent for removal of lead from water. This thesis aims to investigate the effects of the parameters pressure, temperature, and particle size on the extraction yield when using supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO₂) to extract oil from date pit powder. This oil is a valuable component which has many applications …

Experimental Study Of Low Salinity Water Flooding And Fracturing Effects In Low Permeability Carbonate Reservoir, Benny Arianto Harahap

Theses

In past decades, there were numerous research works demonstrated that salinity alteration of injected water could enhance the oil recovery. Low salinity water (LSW) injection is a type of Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) method, which attracts the industrial, and researchers because of its simplicity to use the implications,

Environment-friendly nature, and less cost. In addition to, hydraulic fracturing, also known as hydraulic stimulation, is another EOR method that improves hydrocarbon flow by creating fractures in the Low Permeability Formation (LPF) that connects the reservoir and wellbore. Fractures will increase the permeability of reservoir and give the flow path for hydrocarbon …

A Multiscale Modeling Study Of Particle Size Effects On The Tissue Penetration Efficacy Of Drug-Delivery Nanoparticles, Mohammad Aminul Islam, Sutapa Barua, Dipak Barua

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Background: Particle size is a key parameter for drug-delivery nanoparticle design. It is believed that the size of a nanoparticle may have important effects on its ability to overcome the transport barriers in biological tissues. Nonetheless, such effects remain poorly understood. Using a multiscale model, this work investigates particle size effects on the tissue distribution and penetration efficacy of drug-delivery nanoparticles.

Results: We have developed a multiscale spatiotemporal model of nanoparticle transport in biological tissues. The model implements a time-adaptive Brownian Dynamics algorithm that links microscale particle-cell interactions and adhesion dynamics to tissue-scale particle dispersion and penetration. The model accounts …

Metabolomic Effects Of Ceo₂, Sio₂ And Cuo Metal Oxide Nanomaterials On Hepg2 Cells, Kirk T. Kitchin, Steve Stirdivant, Brian L. Robinette, Benjamin T. Castellon, Xinhua Liang

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Background: To better assess potential hepatotoxicity of nanomaterials, human liver HepG2 cells were exposed for 3 days to five different CeO₂ (either 30 or 100 μg/ml), 3 SiO₂ based (30 μg/ml) or 1 CuO (3 μg/ml) nanomaterials with dry primary particle sizes ranging from 15 to 213 nm. Metabolomic assessment of exposed cells was then performed using four mass spectroscopy dependent platforms (LC and GC), finding 344 biochemicals.

Results: Four CeO₂, 1 SiO₂ and 1 CuO nanomaterials increased hepatocyte concentrations of many lipids, particularly free fatty acids and monoacylglycerols but only CuO elevated lysolipids and …

Ga And In Modified Ceria As A Support For Cobalt Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis, Muthu Kumaran Gnanamani, Gary Jacobs, Wilson D. Shafer, Michela Martinelli, Donald C. Cronauer, A. Jeremy Kropf, Christopher L. Marshall, Burtron H. Davis

Center for Applied Energy Research Faculty and Staff Publications

Ceria modified by the addition of gallium or indium (20 mol%) was used as a support for cobalt Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. The addition of gallium to ceria improved the CO conversion for cobalt, whereas indium tended to decrease it. A similar trend was observed with the Ag-promoted cobalt/ceria catalysts that were doped with Ga or In. For Ag promoted catalysts, doping with Ga or In decreased methane and increased the product selectivities of olefins and alcohols. The sum of olefins and alcohols in terms of product selectivity for the Ag-promoted catalysts decreased in the following order: Ag-Co/Ce-Ga > Ag-Co/Ce-In > Ag-Co/Ce. The H2-TPR-XANES …

Responsive Nanogel Probe For Ratiometric Fluorescent Sensing Of Ph And Strain In Hydrogels, Mingning Zhu, Dongdong Lu, Shanglin Wu, Qing Lian, Wenkai Wang, Amir H. Milani, Zhengxing Cui, Nam T. Nguyen, Mu Chen, L. Andrew Lyon, Daman J. Adlam, Anthony J. Freemont, Judith A. Hoyland, Brian R. Saunders

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

In this study a new pH-responsive nanogel probe containing a complementary nonradiative resonance energy transfer (NRET) fluorophore pair is investigated and its ability to act as a versatile probe of network-related changes in three hydrogels demonstrated. Fluorescent sensing using NRET is a powerful method for studying relationships between Angstrom length-scale structure and macroscopic properties of soft matter. Unfortunately, inclusion of NRET fluorophores into such materials requires material-specific chemistry. Here, low concentrations of preformed nanogel probes were included into hydrogel hosts. Ratiometric photoluminescence (PL) data for the gels labeled with the nanogel probes enabled pH-triggered swelling and deswelling to be studied …

Development Of Novel N-Isopropylacrylamide (Nipaam) Based Hydrogels With Varying Content Of Chrysin Multiacrylate, Shuo Tang, Martha Floy, Rohit Bhandari, Thomas D. Dziubla, J. Zach Hilt

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

A series of novel temperature responsive hydrogels were synthesized by free radical polymerization with varying content of chrysin multiacrylate (ChryMA). The goal was to study the impact of this novel polyphenolic-based multiacrylate on the properties of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) hydrogels. The temperature responsive behavior of the copolymerized gels was characterized by swelling studies, and their lower critical solution temperature (LCST) was characterized through differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). It was shown that the incorporation of ChryMA decreased the swelling ratios of the hydrogels and shifted their LCSTs to a lower temperature. Gels with different ChryMA content showed different levels of response to …

Constructing Slow Sand Filters: Engineering Students’ Experiences In San José De Playón, Bolívar, Colombia, Sol Park, Sanyukta Gokhale, Kaylyn Colinco

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

Sol Park, Sanyukta Gokhale, and Kaylyn Colinco were members of a Global Design Team (GDT) involved in providing innovative solutions to drinking water treatment in rural areas of developing countries. The immediate goal of the GDT in May 2016 was to deliver large slow sand filters (SSFs) to a rural school in Colombia. The experience placed the students in a small town 80 km (~50 miles) south of Cartagena, Colombia, called San José de Playón. The town pumps water from the Arroyo Reservoir, which is then consumed by the citizens and students at the local school (the only one in …

Computational Materials Characterization, Discovery, And Design With High Performance Computing, Qunfei Zhou, Xiaotao Liu, Tyler Maxwell, Thomas John Balk, Matthew J. Beck

Commonwealth Computational Summit

No abstract provided.

High Octane Gasoline Using Renewable Aromatic Hydrocarbons, Wayne Seames, Malhar Khambete, Nahid Khatibi, Shelby Amsley-Benzie, Evguenii Kozliak, Darrin Muggli, Brian Tande

Chemical Engineering Faculty Publications

Background:

The replacement of leaded high octane aviation gasoline with an unleaded renewable alternative would decrease the emissions of lead and fossil-derived carbon into the atmosphere. Replacement has been limited by the requirement of a very high octane number in many existing general aviation aircraft engines.

Method:

Two separate process pathways were developed that generate an unleaded octane fuel with a motor octane number >96 from triglyceride oils (TGs), such as crop oils and algae oil. A series of experiments coupled with process simulations was used to verify the feasibility of both pathways and to provide preliminary laboratory scale data …

Copper Oxide Nanoparticles As A Highly Efficient Catalyst For Catalysis Applications, Hany A. Elazab Dr

Chemical Engineering

In this research, we have developed a reliable green method for the synthesis of copper oxide nanoparticles as a potential efficient catalyst for several catalysis applications. In our experimental approach, microwave-assisted synthesis technique was used in order to perform chemical reduction of copper salt using hydrazine hydrate as a strong reducing agent. The prepared catalyst was characterized using various techniques showing the formation of well dispersed copper oxide nanoparticles. The synthesized Copper oxide catalyst shows many advantages including the use of environmentally benign solvent systems, green synthetic approach, and mild reaction conditions.

Spontaneous Jumping, Bouncing And Trampolining Of Hydrogel Drops On A Heated Plate, Jonathan T. Pham, Maxime Paven, Sanghyuk Wooh, Tadashi Kajiya, Hans-Jürgen Butt, Doris Vollmer

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

The contact between liquid drops and hot solid surfaces is of practical importance for industrial processes, such as thermal spraying and spray cooling. The contact and bouncing of solid spheres is also an important event encountered in ball milling, powder processing, and everyday activities, such as ball sports. Using high speed video microscopy, we demonstrate that hydrogel drops, initially at rest on a surface, spontaneously jump upon rapid heating and continue to bounce with increasing amplitudes. Jumping is governed by the surface wettability, surface temperature, hydrogel elasticity, and adhesion. A combination of low-adhesion impact behavior and fast water vapor formation …

Thermodynamics Of Concentrated Solid Solution Alloys, Michael C. Gao, Chuan Zhang, Pan Gao, Fan Zhang, Lizhi Ouyang, Michael Widom, Jeffrey A. Hawk

Mathematical Sciences Faculty Research

This paper reviews the three main approaches for predicting the formation of concentrated solid solution alloys (CSSA) and for modeling their thermodynamic properties, in particular, utilizing the methodologies of empirical thermo-physical parameters, CALPHAD method, and first-principles calculations combined with hybrid Monte Carlo/Molecular Dynamics (MC/MD) simulations. In order to speed up CSSA development, a variety of empirical parameters based on Hume-Rothery rules have been developed. Herein, these parameters have been systematically and critically evaluated for their efficiency in predicting solid solution formation. The phase stability of representative CSSA systems is then illustrated from the perspectives of phase diagrams and nucleation driving …

Computational Modeling Of High-Entropy Alloys: Structures, Thermodynamics And Elasticity, Michael C. Gao, Pan Gao, Jeffrey A. Hawk, Lizhi Ouyang, David E. Alman, Mike Widom

Mathematical Sciences Faculty Research

This article provides a short review on computational modeling on the formation, thermodynamics, and elasticity of single-phase high-entropy alloys (HEAs). Hundreds of predicted single-phase HEAs were re-examined using various empirical thermo-physical parameters. Potential BCC HEAs (CrMoNbTaTiVW, CrMoNbReTaTiVW, and CrFeMoNbReRuTaVW) were suggested based on CALPHAD modeling. The calculated vibrational entropies of mixing are positive for FCC CoCrFeNi, negative for BCC MoNbTaW, and near-zero for HCP CoOsReRu. The total entropies of mixing were observed to trend in descending order: CoCrFeNi > CoOsReRu > MoNbTaW. Calculated lattice parameters agree extremely well with averaged values estimated from the rule of mixtures (ROM) if the same crystal …

Formulation And Dissolution Of Polymer Strip Films For The Delivery Of Poorly Water-Soluble Drug Nanoparticles, Scott Matthew Krull

Dissertations

Polymer films have emerged as a promising platform for delivery of pharmaceutical products in recent years due to simplified processing, greater flexibility, and improved patient compliance over traditional solid dosage forms. However, the large majority of efforts have focused on incorporation of water-soluble drugs. The objective of this dissertation is to explore the robustness and versatility of the strip film platform for delivery of poorly water-soluble drug nanoparticles to ultimately develop a predictive model for drug release from such films.

The robustness of the polymer strip film platform to successfully deliver a variety of poorly water-soluble drug nanoparticles without the …