Engineering Commons^™

Glucose Recovery From Different Corn Stover Fractions Using Dilute Acid And Alkaline Pretreatment Techniques, D. Aboagye, N. Banadda, R. Kambugu, Jeffrey Seay, N. Kiggundu, A. Zziwa, I. Kabenge

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Background: Limited availability of corn stover due to the competing uses (organic manure, animal feed, bio-materials, and bioenergy) presents a major concern for its future in the bio-economy. Furthermore, biomass research has exhibited different results due to the differences in the supply of enzymes and dissimilar analytical methods. The effect of the two leading pretreatment techniques (dilute acid and alkaline) on glucose yield from three corn stover fractions (cob, stalk, and leaf) sourced from a single harvest in Uganda were studied at temperatures 100, 120, 140, and 160 °C over reaction times of 5, 10, 30, and 60 min.

Results: …

Life Cycle Assessment Of Sweet Sorghum As Feedstock For Second-Generation Biofuel Production, Karla Morrissey

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

There exist few life cycle assessments (LCAs) in the literature that focus on the second-generation biofuel production from sweet sorghum, a non-food-source feedstock that offers several advantages in terms of farming requirements compared to corn or sugarcane. The objective of this LCA study was to evaluate biofuels produced from sweet sorghum to determine the potential environmental benefits of producing sweet sorghum biofuel compared to conventional fossil fuels. The biofuel production process used for this study differed from other LCAs in that, in parallel to stalk juice extraction and fermentation, residual bagasse and vinasse was pyrolyzed and upgraded to a diesel …

Activity Of Pgm-Free Electrocatalysts For Oxygen Reduction Reaction: Ph And Co-Catalysis Effects, Mario Santiago Rojas Carbonell 8148369

Chemical and Biological Engineering ETDs

Fuel cells offer a source to the current and always increasing demand for electric power. But as any new technology, there are challenges that need to be addressed to render it feasible for the market place. One of this challenges is finding the appropriate materials to catalyze the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) that occurs in the cathode. Oxygen is used as an oxidant in a significant portion of the fuel cells due to its readily availability and high reduction potential. Now, one the bottlenecks that stops the large-scale adoption is the expensive and rare metals that have been used as …

A Study Of Iron-Nitrogen-Carbon Fuel Cell Catalysts: Chemistry – Nanostructure – Performance, Michael J. Workman

Nanoscience and Microsystems ETDs

Fuel cells have the potential to be a pollution-free, low-cost, and energy efficient alternative to the internal combustion engine for transportation and small-scale stationary power applications. The current state of fuel cell technology has already achieved two of these three lofty goals. The remaining barrier to wide-scale deployment is the high cost, which is primarily caused by dependence on large amounts of platinum to catalyze the energy conversion reactions. To overcome this barrier and facilitate the integration of fuel cells into mainstream applications, research into a new class of catalyst materials that do not require platinum is needed.

There has …

The Potential Of Elephant Grass (Pennisetum Purpureum Schum), An African Indigenous Grass, In Bioethanol Production: A Decarbonization Alternative For The Shipping Industry, Lawrence Kuroshi Phd

MARENER 2017

While it is true that fossil fuel based energy which is non-renewable has contributed immensely to global economic growth, it has brought with its usage the emission of carbon dioxide (CO2), a principal greenhouse gas. Studies using business as usual (BAU) model has predicted that the emission of CO2 into the atmosphere will increase by 50 to 250% by the year 2050 with perhaps a commensurate increase in the global carbon footprint. The shipping industry has remained a major contributor to this global carbonization. Concern over this increasing concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, has intensified interests in developing …

Designing Efficient Petroleum Fiscal System For Mozambique, Nelson Victor

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Nowadays, tax regime is designed to attract investment and provide the contractor with fair return on investment, at the same time, provide the host government with adequate resources for rent, thereby resulting in win-win situation. This study analyses the existing petroleum fiscal regime in the Republic of Mozambique and proposes a more efficient and flexible regime. The analysis shows that the government take currently remains at around 39% while the contactors' net present value (NPV) increases as field sizes and oil prices increase. The current system is considered a regressive system which is inefficient in distributing wealth from oil profit. …

The Pharmacodynamic Functions Of Low-Dose Rapamycin As A Model For Universal Influenza Protection, William Gust

Honors Theses

One of the most sought after breakthroughs in modern influenza research is the creation of a universal influenza vaccine that would protect against all strains of avian influenza. An unlikely model for this kind of protection might be found in the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin. Traditionally used to prevent organ transplant rejection, low doses of rapamycin have been found to protect mice against infection with distinct subtypes of influenza. However, it is not understood how a partial block in this pathway provides optimal heterosubtypic immunity. Interestingly, previous experiments have shown that low dose rapamycin inhibits germinal center formation to reduce antibody …

Coal Combustion Products Utilization For Soil Amendment, Tran Thi Anh Tuyet

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Nowadays, coal has a crucial role in generating energy all over the world. As a result, the consumption of coal creates a huge amount of coal combustion products, including bottom ash and fly ash. The coal ash has the potential characteristics to become a resource material in agriculture such as its texture, water holding capacity, bulk density, pH etc., and contains almost all the essential plant nutrients. However, most of the coal ash created is dumped into the landfill, which is a contributing factor in the environmental degradation. This study wants to use coal ash in agriculture as a way …

การเพาะเลี้ยงไดอะตอม Bacillaria Paxillifer เพื่อผลิตสารสีฟูโคแซนทินโดยใช้ซิลิกาที่สกัดจากเถ้าลอย, มาฆมาส ธวัชชัย

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

งานวิจัยนี้ศึกษาความเป็นไปได้ของการเพาะเลี้ยงไดอะตอม Bacillaria paxillifer โดยใช้ ซิลิกาที่สกัดจากเถ้าลอยและศึกษาปัจจัยด้านสิ่งแวดล้อมที่มีผลต่อการเติบโตและการผลิตสารสี ฟูโคแซนทิน ผลการทดลองในส่วนแรกพบว่าซิลิกาในรูปสารละลายโซเดียมซิลิเกตที่สกัดได้จาก เถ้าลอยมีประสิทธิภาพในการเพาะเลี้ยงไดอะตอมได้ไม่แตกต่างจากการใช้ซิลิกาตามที่ระบุในอาหารสูตร F/2 โดยได้รับความหนาแน่นเซลล์สูงสุด 23.33 ± 0.44 x 104 เซลล์/มิลลิลิตร น้ำหนักเซลล์แห้ง 0.32 ± 0.02 กรัม/ลิตร อัตราการเติบโตจำเพาะสูงสุด 0.53 ± 0.03 วัน-1 ความเข้มข้นของสารสี ฟูโคแซนทิน 0.43 ± 0.01 มิลลิกรัม/ลิตร และปริมาณสารสีฟูโคแซนทินต่อน้ำหนักเซลล์แห้ง 1.34 ± 0.05 มิลลิกรัม/กรัม ในการทดลองต่อมาได้ทำการศึกษาปัจจัยด้านสิ่งแวดล้อมที่มีผลต่อการเติบโตและการผลิตสารสีฟูโคแซนทิน ผลการทดลองพบว่าการเพาะเลี้ยงไดอะตอมภายใต้คาร์บอนไดออกไซด์ 2% โดยปริมาตร ความเข้มแสง 15,000 ลักซ์ และการปรับสูตรอาหารเลี้ยงเชื้อให้มีซิลิกาเพิ่มขึ้น 3 เท่าของปริมาณในอาหารสูตร F/2 และลดความเข้มข้นของไนโตรเจนเหลือ 30% ของปริมาณในอาหารสูตร F/2 สามารถเพิ่มการเติบโตและการผลิตฟูโคแซนทินของไดอะตอมได้อย่างมีนัยสำคัญเมื่อเปรียบเทียบกับผลการทดลองในส่วนแรก โดยมีความหนาแน่นเซลล์สูงสุด 146.33 ± 1.25 x 104 เซลล์/มิลลิลิตร อัตราการเติบโตจำเพาะสูงสุด 1.73 ± 0.03 วัน-1 น้ำหนักเซลล์แห้ง 0.95 ± 0.03 กรัม/ลิตร ความเข้มข้นของสารสีฟูโคแซนทิน 3.18 ± 0.03 มิลลิกรัม/ลิตร และปริมาณสารสีฟูโคแซนทินต่อน้ำหนักเซลล์แห้ง 3.35 ± 0.09 มิลลิกรัม/กรัม และเมื่อทำการจำแนกสารกลุ่มแคโรทีนอยด์ในไดอะตอมด้วย HPLC พบว่ามีสารสีฟูโคแซนทินประมาณ 60 – 80% ของปริมาณ แคโรทีนอยด์ทั้งหมด

Performance Comparison Of Multifunctional Reactors For Biodiesel Production From Transesterification Of Palm Oil, Tanutporn Laosuttiwong

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Biodiesel is classified as a qualified alternative energy that can be used for diesel engine. It is produced via transesterification of vegetable oil with alcohol in presence of homogeneous or heterogeneous catalyst. However, oil and alcohol are not totally miscible leading to slow reaction rate. Multifunctional reactors, especially cavitational reactors, are proposed to overcome this issue. The cavitational reactors include ultrasonic reactor and homogenizer reactor. In this work, ultrasonic reactor, homogenizer reactor and conventional magnetic stirred reactor were used to investigate and compare biodiesel yield and the efficiency in terms of biodiesel yield based on the energy consumption at different …

Effect Of Operating Variables Of Corona Discharge Reactor Onbenzene Removal Efficiency, Thanunwut Thanahirunthitichote

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Volatile organic compound (VOC) has been known as one of air pollutants generated by the fast growth of industry and social development. There were many kind of VOC which is harmful for humans and environments. All concerned organization requested controlling of these problems. As a result, there were many technologies developed for handling and degrading such VOC. Among these technologies, corona discharge reactor has been known as a promising means because of its effectiveness and compactness. In this work, benzene was selected as a model VOC pollutant. Performance of multi-channeled corona discharge reactor for removal of benzene was experimentally examined …

Utilizing The Zebrafish Model To Determine Anti-Epileptic Properties Of Mistletoe And Cannabis, Collin Dietrich

Honors Theses

Epilepsy affects around 50 million people in the world, therefore improving treatment efficacy and safety for epileptics is imperative. In this study we sought to screen the effectiveness and safety of cannabis constituents (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol) and Tapinanthus globiferus extracts in treating epilepsy. We used a zebrafish model wherein seizures were induced by treatment with pentylenetetrazol. Our results showed that Tapinanthus globiferus dose-dependently reduced seizure activity, and no toxicities were seen at the concentrations used. In contrast delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol did not significantly reduce seizure activity and some toxicities were seen at the higher concentrations tested. We conclude that extracts …

Preparation And Application Of Catalysts For The Stereospecific Reduction And Photooxygenation Of Olefins In Continuous Operations: A Novel Method For The Production Of Artemisinin, Daniel C. Fisher

Theses and Dissertations

Over the last two centuries, the discovery and application of catalysts has had a substantial impact on how and what chemicals are produced.Given their broad significance, our group has focused on developing new catalyst systems that are recoverable and reusable, in an attempt to reduce concomitant costs.

Our efforts have centered on constructing a recyclable chiral heterogeneous catalyst capable of effecting asymmetric hydrogenations of olefins with high stereoselectivity. A class of phosphinoimidazoline ligands, developed by researchers at Boehringer-Ingelheim, known as BIPI ligands, have proven efficacious in the asymmetric reduction of alkenes. However, these chiral ligands are homogeneous and coordinated to …

Use Of Natural Ores As Oxygen Carriers In Chemical Looping Combustion: A Review, Michael J. Matzen, Jessica Pinkerton, Xiaomeng Wang, Yaşar Demirel

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Faculty Publications

Chemical looping combustion (CLC) has gained considerable ground in energy production due to its inherent carbon capture with a minimal energy penalty. The choice of metal oxide used as an oxygen carrier (OC) in CLC has a substantial weight on the overall efficiency of energy production as well as the ultimate cost per MW. While much work has gone into manufacturing synthetic OCs with high fuel conversions, harsh operating conditions and process limitations cause some unavoidable loss of the oxygen carrier. With low production costs and minimal conditioning required, natural ores have grown in interest as cheap alternative oxygen carriers. …

Experimental Investigations Of Natural Circulation In A Separate-And-Mixed Effects Test Facility Mimicking Prismatic Modular Reactor (Pmr) Core, Mahmoud M. Taha

Doctoral Dissertations

"After the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident in 2011, significant attention was directed to investigate natural circulation thermal-hydraulics in Prismatic Modular Reactors (PMRs). Natural circulation is employed as a passive safety feature that passively removes the decay heat released after the loss of flow accidents (LOFA). Several computational studies have addressed such phenomena, however, validation of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is needed by providing high-quality data obtained from separate test facilities designed with reference to the corresponding reference PMRs. To address this need, a separate effects Plenum-to-Plenum Facility (P2PF) was designed and developed with dual channels and plena for …

Goggatomy: A Method For Opening Small Cuticular Compartments In Arthropods For Physiological Experiments, Alan R. Kay, Davide Raccuglia, Jon Scholte, Elene Sivan-Loukianova, Chirstopher A. Barwacz, Steven R. Armstrong, C. Allan Guymon, Michael N. Nitabach, Daniel F. Eberl

Faculty Publications

Most sense organs of arthropods are ensconced in small exoskeletal compartments that hinder direct access to plasma membranes. We have developed a method for exposing live sensory and supporting cells in such structures. The technique uses a viscous light cured resin to embed and support the structure, which is then sliced with a sharp blade. We term the procedure a “goggatomy,” from the Khoisan word for a bug, gogga. To demonstrate the utility of the method we show that it can be used to expose the auditory chordotonal organs in the second antennal segment and the olfactory receptor neurons …

Asset Management Model For An Industrial Process Automations System In The Chemical Engineering Unit Operations Laboratory At Rose-Hulman Institute Of Technology, Megan Elaine Liebman

Graduate Theses - Chemical Engineering

In the Chemical Engineering curriculum, the Unit Operations (UO) Laboratory is recognized as the place where hands-on exposure to industrial practices occurs. Students not only examine fundamental engineering principles, but also gain knowledge of the intricacies of modern control technology. The UO Laboratory at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology houses an industrial state-of-the-art distributed control system, which operates eleven large-scale experiments and interfaces with approximately two hundred process instruments. The size and complexity of the distributed control system and its associated equipment have grown over the past ten years and have reached a point where a systematic asset management approach is …

Nanofiltration Rejection Of Contaminants Of Emerging Concern From Municipal Water Resource Recovery Facility Secondary Effluents For Potable Reuse Applications, Steven Michael Jones

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As reuse of municipal water resource recovery facility (WRRF) effluent becomes vital to augment diminishing fresh drinking water resources, concern exists that conventional barriers may prove deficient and the upcycling of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) could prove harmful to human health and aquatic species if more effective and robust treatment barriers are not in place.

There are no federal Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) regulations in place specifically for direct potable reuse (DPR) of WRRF effluent. Out of necessity, some states are developing their own DPR reuse regulations. Currently, reverse osmosis (RO) is the default full advanced treatment (FAT) …

Rapid, Low-Cost Biosensor For Water-Borne Pathogens In Low-Resource Environments, Kimberly Cribbs

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

When testing water quality, “microbiological results typically require a minimum of 24 hours to complete” due to reliance on the traditional and inexpensive cultivation method. In 2000, an isothermal DNA amplification method termed loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) was invented allowing for microbiological assessments to be performed in less than one hour without the need for an expensive thermocycler. In 2013, the World Health Organization reported LAMP as an “attractive diagnostic platform for resource-poor settings: it is fast [15-40 min], isothermal [requiring only a heat block], robust to inhibitors and reaction conditions that usually adversely affect PCR methods, and it generates …

Development Of A Simple Handheld Biosensor For Waterborne Pathogens, Bryce C. Jones

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Current methods of detecting waterborne pathogens involve testing strips which take 24-48 hours to yield results, or require expensive equipment in order to function. In minimalist environments, these two technologies are not always applicable to test water quality. With the emergence of a new method of PCR, named LAMP PCR, it is possible to quickly and accurately detect pathogen DNA in a water sample. In order to scale this technique into a simple device, the aspects of the reaction must be accommodated, and a visual detection method chosen. A handheld device which keeps the isothermal LAMP PCR stable for the …

Low-Temperature Artificial Maturation Studies Of Type Ii And Type Iii Kerogens: Implications For Biogenic Gas Production, Albert Willy Nguena Kamga

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Ancient organic matter (OM) in shales and coals, known mainly as Type II and Type III OM are known to produce both biogenic, thermogenic gas and oil. In this dissertation, mild artificial maturation, via closed system pyrolysis, is employed to determine the thermal reactivity of Type II and Type III OM beyond diagenesis. We select three Type II kerogens: i) Type II kerogen isolated from recent cores (3.3 Ma, Ro = 0.28) recovered from an upwelling basin in Namibia, Africa referred to as ODP Sediment, ii) Type II-S isolated from sediments (150 Ma, Ro = 0.38) recovered from an outcrop …

Methane Emissions As Energy Reservoir: Context, Scope, Causes And Mitigation Strategies, Xiaoli Chai, David J. Tonjes, Devinder Mahajan

Technology & Society Faculty Publications

Methane (CH4) is now considered a bridge fuel between present fossil (carbon) economy and desired renewables and this energy molecule is projected to play an important role in the global energy mix well beyond 2035. The atmospheric warming potential of CH4 is 28-36 times, when averaged over a 100-year period, that of carbon dioxide (CO2) and this necessitates a close scrutiny of global CH4 emissions inventory. As the second most abundant greenhouse gas (GHG), the annual global CH4 emissions were 645 million metric tons (MMT), accounting for 14.3% of the global anthropogenic GHG emissions. Of this, five key anthropogenic sources: …

Mathematical Modeling Of Transport And Corrosion Phenomenon Inside High Temperature Molten Salt Systems, Bahareh Alsadat Tavakoli Mehrabadi

Theses and Dissertations

In today's world, alternative clean methods of energy are needed to meet growing energy demands. Concentrating solar thermal power, more commonly referred to as CSP, is unique among renewable energy generators because even though it is variable, like solar photovoltaic and wind, it can easily be coupled with thermal energy storage as well as conventional fuels, making it highly dispatchable. One challenge with concentrated solar power (CSP) systems is the potential corrosion of the alloys in the receivers and heat exchangers at high-temperature (700-1000 °C), which leads to a reduction of heat transfer efficiency and influences the systems durability. The …

Variable Stress Orientations In The Offshore Nile Delta: The Role Of Salt As A Mechanical Detachment Horizon, Weicheng Zhang

Masters Theses

"The offshore Nile Delta is characterized by variations of the maximum horizontal stress orientation in subsalt and supra-salt sequences. Margin-parallel SH, typical for tertiary deltas, is observed for regions that are below or do not contain evaporites. In sequences underlain by evaporates pre-dominantly margin-normal SH is observed. This observation yielded the first conclusive in situ evidence that salt acts as a mechanical detachment layer. In this study, 3D finite element analysis (FEA) is used to simulate the total stress distribution in the offshore Nile Delta featuring evaporate sequences. Several parameters such as different salt sequence geometries, friction coefficient on faults, …

Oxidative Dehydrogenation Of Light Alkanes With Carbon Dioxide, Marktus A. Atanga

Masters Theses

”Most experts studying the global ecosystem and climate suggest that rising anthropogenic CO₂ emissions have contributed to significant global climate change in the last half-century. The development of effective strategies that convert CO₂ into energy, fuels, and chemicals are greatly preferable to oceanic or geologic sequestration options because they offer the potential to create new commercially-viable products from renewable carbon feedstock. On the other hand, the selective oxidative dehydrogenation of light alkanes (C₂-C₄) to corresponding olefins, methane reforming, and methane coupling are the major challenges for producing valuable and versatile feedstocks. The oxidative dehydrogenation …

Biological Activity Of Garcinia Kola On Hepatitis C, Madeline Dwyer

Honors Theses

Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). According to the World Health Organization, hepatitis C infections affect between 130-150 million people worldwide. It is a major cause of liver cirrhosis and liver cancer, and approximately 500,000 people die from hepatitis C infections or related complications each year. Although new treatments are 90% effective at curing chronic hepatitis C infections, they cost tens of thousands of dollars. Available treatments are incredibly cost prohibitive, especially considering that the regions most affected by hepatitis C are Africa and central and eastern Asia (Hepatitis C). This creates a …

Development Of Single-Well Gas Assisted Gravity Drainage Process For Enhanced Oil Recovery, Bikash Deep Saikia

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

EOR application in prolific deepwater Gulf of Mexico (DGOM) reservoirs has remained a challenge. Exorbitant well cost (>200M$) precludes having extensive injection patterns and very characteristics of the reservoirs themselves are partly to blame for negligible EOR activity in DGOM. We have been able to develop and demonstrate a novel design in the form of Single Well – Gas Assisted Gravity Drainage (SW-GAGD) process, which is potentially cost effective, at the same time ensuring very high oil recoveries. In this design, a single well acts as an injector as well as a producer, thereby minimizing well cost. The efficacy …

Carinata Fame Production Process And Biofuel Oxidation, Benoit Kindo

Honors College Theses

In this experiment, the contribution of a standard production method for biofuels on their oxidative stability was investigated. Peroxide values were measured at different steps of the production process of Brassica carinata and peanut-based biofuels. The washing and drying steps in this production method showed significant increases in peroxide values for both biofuels and was identified as a major contributor of biofuel oxidation. Further analyses of the physical and thermal properties showed a more pronounced affect in the biofuel from Bassica carinata, and indicated an unusual composition much higher in saturated fatty acids much longer than those found in peanut. …

Experimental And Theoretical Investigation Of Sustainable Fast Pyrolysis Biofuels From Woody Biomass, Bethany Jean Klemetsrud

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Biofuels are an important advancement in alternative energy that can provide substantial environmental benefits compared to their conventional fossil fuel counterparts Said benefits are usually measured using life cycle assessments. However, it is not well understood yet how different methodological choices such as system boundaries, biomass feedstocks, conversion pathways, geographical data, etc. affect the conclusions drawn from biofuels LCA. This research shows large variability in life cycle assessment results and limits comparison across different biofuel pathways due to methodological choices set forth by policy and certification schemes. Advanced biofuels have not reached large scale production due to a limited understanding …

Overview Of Estimation Methods For Industrial Dynamic Systems, John Hedengren, Ammon Eaton

Faculty Publications

Measurement technology is advancing in the oil and gas industry. Factors such as wireless transmitters, reduced cost of measurement technology, and increased regulations that require active monitoring tend to increase the number of available measurements. There is a clear opportunity to distill the recent flood of measurements into relevant and actionable information. Common methods to do this include a filtered bias update, implicit dynamic feedback, Kalman filtering, and moving horizon estimation. The purpose of these techniques is to validate measurements and align imperfect mathematical models to the actual process. Additionally, they can determine a best-estimate of the current state of …