Chemical Engineering Commons^™

Cloning And Characterization Of Sas0754, A Hypothetical Protein From Community Associated Staphylococcus Aureus, Unknown Unknown

Symposium 2012

Community associated Staphylococcus aureus (strain MSSA476) is a gram positive cocci capable of infecting many different parts of the body and known to cause serious infections that can be fatal, such as bacterial arthritis and acute endocarditis. To find effective ways of fighting against CA-MRSA strains we must learn more about their ability to infect. The focus of this study was cloning and characterization of a protein referred to as SAS0754. The size of SAS0754 is 340 amino acids and the gene sequence is 1023 nucleotides. The hypothetical function of this protein is that it is an extracellular matrix binding …

A Convenient Synthesis Of 2,6-Dichlorohomonicotinic Acid, Chase Buchanan, Richard W. Fitch

Symposium 2012

In our synthetic efforts toward the alkaloid phantasmidine, we required a convenient source of the title compound. Herein, we describe a short synthesis of 2,6-dichlorohomonicotinic acid by direct allylation of 2,6-dichloropyridine with LDA/allyl chloride, followed by permanganate oxidation of the side chain [figure1]. Yields for the allylation are high, while permanganate oxidation required more adjustment. Successful conditions require the modest acidification of the mixture with acetic acid and cleanup by acid base workup. No chromatography is needed.

Convenient Parallel Synthesis Of Alkyl- And Aryl-S-Tert-Butyl Thiothers, Rebecca Norcross, Jessica Stanfield, Richard W. Fitch

Symposium 2012

While preparing novel cysteine derivatives as oxidation catalysts, we needed S-tert-butylcysteine. We also examined acid-promoted tert-butylation of thiols using tert-butanol as reagent and solvent. While cysteine and aminoethanethiol work well using tBuOH in 4M HCl, other thiols fail in the aqueous environment and aerobic conditions. We examined a variety of aliphatic and aromatic thiols in tBuOH with H2SO4 catalysis and found that argon sparging and the use of 1 eq of acid led to good yields in a parallel format.

A Pressure Gauge Based On Gas Density Measurement From Analysis Of The Thermal Noise Of An Atomic Force Microscope Cantilever, Dongjin Seo, Mark R. Paul, Willian A. Ducker

Faculty Publications

We describe a gas-density gauge based on the analysis of the thermally-driven fluctuations of an atomic force microscope (AFM) cantilever. The fluctuations are modeled as a ring-down of a simple harmonic oscillator, which allows fitting of the resonance frequency and damping of the cantilever, which in turn yields the gas density. The pressure is obtained from the density using the known equation of state. In the range 10–220 kPa, the pressure readings from the cantilever gauge deviate by an average of only about 5% from pressure readings on a commercial gauge. The theoretical description we use to determine the pressure …

Evaluation Of Tucumã Endocarp (Astrocaryum Aculeatum) As A New Biomass Resource For Application In Thermal Conversion Processes, Katia Tannous, J.B. Lourenco, Y.J.R. Ordoñez

BioEnergy IV: Innovations in Biomass Conversion for Heat, Power, Fuels and Chemicals

No abstract provided.

Point Of Use Water Treatment With Forward Osmosis For Emergency And Population Migration Relief, Ethan L. Butler

Honors Scholar Theses

According to the World Health Organization, 780 million people do not have access to an improved water source. Many of these people are victims of emergencies and/or forced population migration, and suffer from malnutrition and diarrheal illness as well. One promising solution is Hydration Technology Innovation’s (HTI’s) forward osmosis (FO) systems: the HydroWell and Village System. These systems produce clean drink from almost any source water. A systematic evaluation of HTI’s systems was performed. Bench-top testing showed that HTI’s membrane can remove significant concentrations of inorganic contaminants that have been found to be problematic in disaster-prone regions. A cost model …

Technological Aspects Of Molecular Diagnosis Of Bacterial Infectious Diseases, Christine S. Booth

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is continually growing in its application, particularly in the field of molecular diagnosis of disease from clinical specimens. The main focus has been in the detection and identification of pathogens. However, quantitative PCR is increasingly utilized to determine initial pathogen load. A well-designed PCR protocol is required in all of these instances. Just as importantly, in the context of disease diagnosis; is the design of the sample processing methodology. The ideal method should concentrate the DNA and effectively isolate a high-quality DNA product, free of PCR inhibitors, while also being simple, reproducible and safe.

The …

Formation Of Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Matrices Using, William Erwin

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study serves as a proof of concept that a poly(acrylonitrile-co-acrylic acid) may be used to form an chiral selective polymer membrane for discrimination of L-tryptophan from racemic tryptophan. Due to the unavailability of necessary equipment, a polymer membrane was not tested, rather, two experiments were run in conjunction; (1) A membrane of L-tryptophan imprinted P(AN-co-AA) was cast and tested on a scanning electron microscope to determine the membrane density, and (2) Imprinted polymer was ground and tested for absorption of L-Tryptophan by finding circular dichroism and concentration for different samples. It was found that it is feasible that P(AN-co-AA) …

Green Ro Pretreatment, Elizabeth Fullerton

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The use of sea water desalination to produce potable water for maritime vessels is essential for eliminating storage of potable water. Reverse osmosis (RO) is the technology of choice for desalination purposes; however, raw seawater must undergo pretreatment to avoid rapid fouling and plugging of RO membranes and modules. Current pretreatment technology is effective in the open ocean but in coastal regions involves frequent replacement of filter cartridges and increased maintenance costs. The standard pretreatment process consists of 20 μm cartridge filters and 3 μm cartridge filters in series. Several technologies were considered as options for improving the current pretreatment …

Microhydroelectric Power Generation, Aaron Hughes

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

A major industrial water user in New Mexico discharges approximately 3.8 million gal of wastewater per day. The topology of the site provides an elevation difference of about 150 ft between the plant site and the entrance to the municipal sewage line; this flow and elevation difference is sufficient to produce about 40 kW of electrical power using a water turbine/electrical generator set to extract power from the flowing stream. This report includes designs and economic analyses for two distinct cases. One case is based on the written premises of the task; whereas, a second case is based on a …

Micro Hydro-Electric Power Generation, Travis Rose

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

A major industrial water user in New Mexico discharges approximately 3.8 million gal of wastewater per day. The topology of the site provides an elevation difference of about 150 ft between the plant site and the entrance to the municipal sewage line; this flow and elevation difference is sufficient to produce about 40 kW of electrical power using a water turbine/electrical generator set to extract power from the flowing stream. This report includes designs and economic analyses for two distinct cases. One case is based on the written premises of the task; whereas, a second case is based on a …

Plasmonic Nanogel: Structure, Rheology, And Optical Properties, Georo Zhou

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

The invention of plasmonic nanogels (PNG) opens up the field of nanotechnology to a wide variety of applications such as, enhanced light trapping in solar cells, design of smart glasses, chemical detection, and optofluidic devices. In this work, it was determined that, the synthesis of a nanoparticle-micelle network in a fluid state is performed with the ability to suspend metal nanoparticles in a gel-like solution in a stable fashion. Furthermore, the stable suspension of the nanoparticles in the fluidic system allows the user to easily tune the PNG’s optical and rheological properties by controlling the concentration of the nanoparticles and …

Hollow Fiber Membranes In Increased Algae Growth For Biobutanol Production, Allison Mcatee

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Algae are a unique and remarkable species of plant that is capable of thriving on land deemed useless for the cultivation of food crops. They also breathe in the harmful greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide. As the fastest living organism to complete a life cycle, algae is the single most effective user of carbon dioxide in the world thus making it an important ally for diminishing the threat of global warming. Furthermore, algae are comprised of high concentrations of lipids, rendering it an appealing option for use in biodiesel production, specifically butanol. Increasing the algae’s supply of carbon dioxide gas causes …

Using Capillary Electrophoresis To Detect Amyloid Protein Aggregation, Jennifer Kurtz

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia accounting for ½ to ¾ of all cases. AD is characterized by a progressive loss of cognitive function over a span of 10 years, ultimately ending in death. The main possible cause of AD being researched is the formation of soluble, oligomer amyloids. Amyloids are proteins that misfold and aggregate in the brain causing potent neurotoxic effects on neurons in the brain. Microchip electrophoresis and capillary electrophoresis are two potential methods of determining the level of amyloid aggregation. In order to detect at physiological concentrations, covalent dyes must be used to …

Catalyst Studies With Implications On The Design And Fabrication Of Microreactors, Eric Snider

Honors Theses

Biodiesel, or fatty acid methyl ester (FAME), 'is a potential alternative, renewable fuel source to lessen foreign fuel dependency. Dr. Frank Jones' microreactor research group is investigating the use of microreactors to produce biodiesel. Microreactors can increase reaction rates, heat transfer, and lessen production costs due to their small size. The first generation of microreactors, coated with a nickel oxide (NiO) catalyst, has been developed and needs to be tested to determine their performance. Also, a catalyst study comparing NiO and platinum oxide (PtO2) will be performed to find the better catalyst for FAME production.

Silver Coated Bioactive Glass Particles For Wound Healing Applications, A. W. Wren, A. Coughlan, P. Hassanzadeh, Mark R. Towler

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Bioactive glass particles (0.42SiO₂-0.15CaO-0.23Na ₂O-0.20ZnO) of varying size (<90 >μm and 425-850 μm) were synthesized and coated with silver (Ag) to produce Ag coated particles (PAg). These were compared against the uncoated analogous particles (Pcon.). Surface area analysis determined that Ag coating of the glass particles resulted in increased the surface area from 2.90 to 9.12 m²/g (90 μm) and 1.09-7.71 m²/g (425-850 μm). Scanning electron microscopy determined that the Ag coating remained at the surface and there was little diffusion through the bulk. Antibacterial (Escherichia coli - 13 mm and Staphylococcus epidermidis …

Photocatalytic Reactor Using Tio2 Thin Film On Quartz Tubes, Ram Mahipal Kouda

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Photocatalysis process, as an environmental application is an advanced oxidation process with tremendous potential in the near future. Previously many researchers, have conducted photocatalysis in different reactor configuration using TiO2 slurry and thin film, using a UV light source, the constraints for these reactors are the need for the removal of TiO2 particles at the outlet stream in a slurry reactor and poor environment for the efficient use of TiO2 film using UV light, as the UV light penetration depth in water is about an inch.

Taking all this into consideration, we propose a design for reactor with efficient contact …

Real-Time Characterization Of Ultra-Thin Organic Layers Via Simultaneous Spectroscopic Ellipsometry And Piezoelectric Nanogravimetry, Keith B. Rodenhausen Jr.

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Analysis techniques are needed to determine the quantity and structure of materials composing an organic layer that is below an optical ultra-thin film limit and in a liquid environment. Neither optical nor acoustical techniques can independently distinguish between thickness and porosity of ultra-thin films due to parameter correlation. A combined optical and acoustical approach yields sufficient information to determine both thickness and porosity. The author describes application of the combinatorial approach to measure single or multiple organic layers when the total layer thickness is small compared to the wavelength of the probing light. The instrumental setup allows for simultaneous in-situ …

Innovative Desalination Systems Using Low-Grade Heat, Chennan Li

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Water and energy crises have forced researchers to seek alternative water and energy sources. Seawater desalination can contribute towards meeting the increasing demand for fresh water using alternative energy sources like low-grade heat. Industrial waste heat, geothermal, solar thermal, could help to ease the energy crisis.

Unfortunately, the efficiency of the conventional power cycle becomes

uneconomically low with low-grade heat sources, while, at the same time, seawater desalination requires more energy than a conventional water treatment process. However, heat discarded from low-grade heat power cycles could be used as part of desalination energy sources with seawater being used as coolant …

Mesh Adaption For Efficient Multiscale Implementation Of One-Dimensional Turbulence, D. O. Lignell, A. R. Kerstein, G. Sun, E. I. Monson

Faculty Publications

One-Dimensional Turbulence (ODT) is a stochastic model for turbulent flow simulation. In an atmospheric context, it is analogous to single-column modeling (SCM) in that it lives on a 1D spatial domain, but different in that it time advances individual flow realizations rather than ensemble-averaged quantities. The lack of averaging enables a physically sound multiscale treatment, which is useful for resolving sporadic localized phenomena, as seen in stably stratified regimes, and sharp interfaces, as observed where a convective layer encounters a stable overlying zone. In such flows, the relevant scale range is so large that it is beneficial to enhance model …