Engineering Commons^™

Adaption Of Catechol And Reversible Addition-Fragmentation Chain-Transfer (Raft) Chemistries For Water-Based Applications, Olabode Oyeneye

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Incorporating the binding chemistry of catechol functionality with RAFT chemistry offers a facile and simplified approach for developing a suite of new 2D and 3D hybrid materials with tailored morphologies. Leveraging both chemistries by synthesizing catechol-end functionalized RAFT agents and catechol-containing monomeric species for RAFT (co)polymerization, this dissertation examined a new series of advanced materials that were designed for water-based applications including model flocculants, thermoresponsive hydrogels, adsorbents and underwater adhesives.

To prepare the RAFT agents, novel trithiocarbonates with several catechol end R groups (as postpolymerization anchors) were synthesized that differ in their carbonyl α-substituents (Dopa-CTAs). These materials were evaluated for …

Production Of Bio-Oil With Different Oxygen Content And Characterization Of Catalytic Upgrading To Transportation Fuel, Mubarak Mohammed Khlewee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The world’s increasing population requires an increase in transportation fuel production. The lack of production of transportation fuels due to the shortage of fossil fuel resources combined with concerns about global emissions of carbon dioxide from fossil fuel combustion are the two major issues that have driven researchers to actively pursue alternative sources for oil production. Biomass is being considered as an alternative feedstock to produce fuel and chemicals due to its abundance and renewability. It has many features that make it suitable as a source of transportation fuel production. However, the bio-oil produced by the fast pyrolysis process has …

Fabrication And Modification Of Titania Nanotube Arrays For Harvesting Solar Energy And Drug Delivery Applications, Ahmed El Ruby Abdel Rahman Mohamed

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The fast diminishing of fossil fuels in the near future, as well as the global warming caused by increasing greenhouse gases have motivated the urgent quest to develop advanced materials as cost-effective photoanodes for solar light harvesting and many other photocatalytic applications. Recently, titania nanotube arrays (TNTAs) fabricated by anodization process has attracted great interest due to their excellent properties such as: high surface area, vertically oriented, highly organized, one-dimensional, nanotubular structure, photoactivity, chemical stability and biocompatibility. This unique combination of excellent properties makes TNTAs an excellent photoanode for solar light harvesting. However, the relatively wide band gap energy of …

Study Of Motion Of Agglomerates Through A Fluidized Bed, Muhammad Owais Iqbal Bhatti

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Formation of agglomerates in Fluid Cokers^TM can cause operating problems, such as excessive shed fouling, which can lead to premature unit shut down. Better understanding of how agglomerates move through a fluidized bed can help improve the design and operation of Fluid Cokers^TM and minimize the risk of agglomerates reaching regions where they cause problems.

To identify key factors in agglomerates motion in a fluidized bed, a new two-dimensional (2D) Radioactive Particle Tracking (RPT) method was developed which tracks model agglomerates motion. In conjunction, a tribo-electric method was used to determine bubble flow distribution in the fluidized bed. …

Synthesis Of Vo2 Nanomaterials Using Green Solvents For Thermochromic Window Coatings, Hanna Qin

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Progress in the development of energy-efficient coatings has led to recent investigations of smart windows with the ability to control heat and light. Of particular interest for this dissertation is the fabrication of vanadium dioxide (VO₂) thermochromic nanomaterials using an environmentally friendly approach with good performance for optical switching. Tungsten (W) doped VO₂/GO (graphene oxide) hybrids were successfully prepared using a one-step hydrothermal method. At 2 at. % doping, VO₂ nanotubes were successfully synthesized with tunable phase transition temperatures (T_c) achieved as low as 42^oC. In addition, various experimental parameters including …

An Exploration Of Basic Processes For Aqueous Electrochemical Production Of Hydrogen From Biomass Derived Molecules, Brian Fane

Doctoral Dissertations

Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells(PEMFCs) are energy conversion devices with significant potential. The factors preventing them from becoming widespread concern production and distribution of hydrogen. Developing an efficient hydrogen infrastructure with an approachable rollout plan is an essential step towards the future of fuel cells. Water electrolysis is limited by the thermodynamics of the process, which leads to high electrical consumption and significant materials challenges. Alternative methods for cleanly generating hydrogen while using a lower cell voltage are required. PEM based electrolyzers can operate with a "depolarized anode", whereby they become significantly less power hungry.

This thesis explores two techniques …

A Comparison Of Mean Age Theory And Residence Time Distributions In Mixed Systems., Nolan Theaker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A comparison between mean age theory and conventional residence time distributions over a range of quantified mixing levels was conducted using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The system was a stirred tubular reactor. The model was validated by comparing computationally derived RTD curves with experimentally obtained RTD curves, with quantified differences less than 3%. Mixing was quantified using the Tanks-in-Series model. Mixing levels were set by varying flow rate and impeller rpm. Mean age distributions at the outlet, where experimental RTD’s were measured, were very narrow for all levels of mixing studied. RTD’s showed expected characteristics; a wider distribution and long …

Pollution Prevention In The Great Lakes Basin: Working With Pulp & Paper Manufacturers, Eugene Park

Journal of Environmental Sustainability

In response to growing concerns over persistent toxic substances in the Great Lakes, new initiatives are in place to address and mitigate pollutant loadings to these large natural waterbodies. With support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and New York Department of Environmental Conservation, the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute (NYSP2I) worked with pulp & paper companies in the Great Lakes Basin in an effort to find solutions to reduce environmental impacts from this industry sector. Based on currently available EPA toolkits, NYSP2I developed and utilized an assessment tool called Lean, Energy, and Environment (LE2). Five different paper manufacturers …

Characterization Of Paper Dusting, Gregory K. Yum

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Dusting of paper in various printing and processing operations is a common problem. The dusting tendency of a paper is difficult to characterize with standard laboratory methods; there is currently no standard test available. As the trend to create grades with high filler content continues, the issue of dusting will remain important. The goal of this thesis was to explore various methods to characterize the dusting and linting in a laboratory environment with limited samples and time.

Techniques to cause and collect dust are compared that include a tape pull test, a bending test, and an abrasion test. Methods to …

Crystal Engineering Of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients With Low Aqueous Solubility And Bioavailability, Jenna M. Skieneh

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Approximately 75% of new molecular entities approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the pharmaceutical industry are found to have poor aqueous solubility. This undesirable attribute leads to consequences such as higher doses required to reach therapeutic levels, greater vulnerability to food effects, lesser fraction absorbed in the small intestine and damage to the environment due to increased quantity of excretion. The addition of an excipient (i.e. a FDA approved inactive ingredient) to the molecular structure of an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) through intermolecular bonding is of growing interest because the properties of the API can …

Hydrodynamics In The Gas-Driven Inverse Liquid-Solid Fluidized Bed, Jiaqi Huang

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

A novel reactor named Gas-Driven Inverse Liquid-Solid Fluidized Bed (GDFB for short) was developed in this research. A vertical baffle divides the column into a riser and a downer. Inverse fluidization is driven by the gas and occurs in the downer, where hydrodynamics and their influencing factors were studied. In the solid-baffle system, four fluidization regimes were observed, including the packed bed, semi-fluidized bed, fully-fluidized bed, and circulating bed. Bed expansion ratio was higher for particles with a higher density and a smaller solids loading. Moreover, the average particle velocity was proportional to superficial gas velocity and higher for denser …

Performance Characterization Of Coagulation Pretreatment For Two Industrial Effluents, Jing Wan

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In this work, performances of coagulation and flocculation were tested for two different industrial effluents. Coagulation-Flocculation and activated carbon adsorption were applied for the remediation of oil sands process-affected water (OSPW), generated from oil sands operations in Alberta, Canada. OSPW is a complex mixture of suspended solids, various suspended and dissolved organic compounds. Alum and natural coagulant Opuntia ficus-indica (OFI) were used as the coagulants, and the process was optimized to improve the removal of turbidity and dissolved organic carbon (DOC). The maximum removal of 98% and 63% in turbidity and DOC from OSPW, respectively occurred at pH=6.32, with an …

Regeneration Potential Of Activated Petroleum Coke For Application In Oil Sands Process-Affected Water, Sreejon Das

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Cost effective regeneration of spent adsorbent is crucial for large scale application of adsorption as a viable separation process. While adsorption studies are abundant in literature, systematic and comprehensive regeneration studies are seldom reported in open literature. A proprietary activated carbon from petroleum coke was used for the removal of model naphthenic acids (NAs) and organic compounds from oil sands process-affected water (OSPW). A systematic and comprehensive study was conducted to regenerate the adsorbents. Methanol with aqueous NaOH (pH adjusted to around 12) was applied to regenerate the spent commercially available granular activated carbon (GAC) and activated petroleum-coke (APC). Optimization …

Novel Synthesis Of Cigs Nanoparticles For Scalable, Benign Inks For Solution Processed Solar Cells, Jacob Fields, Ryan Ellis, Rakesh Agrawal

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

One potential production route to high efficiency, low cost, photovoltaics (PVs) which was explored is Copper Indium Gallium Sulfide (CIGS) nanocrystal inks for solution processed PVs. A common CIGS nanocrystal ink synthesis utilizes ligands—molecules attached to the particle surface—for colloidal stability, size control, and shape control. It is desirable to devise a novel synthesis which will incorporate a ligand that allows suspensions in more benign solvents than current methods—a desirable characteristic for large scale production. In order to develop the aforementioned synthesis of CIGS nanoparticles, an optimization study of synthesis parameters was performed. Selection of an appropriate solvent, and sulfur …

Correlating Long-Term Lithium Ion Battery Performance With Solid Electrolyte Interphase (Sei) Layer Properties, Seong Jin An

Doctoral Dissertations

This study was conducted to understand effects of some of key factors (i.e., anode surface properties, formation cycling conditions, and electrolyte conditions) on solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation in lithium ion batteries (LIBs) and the battery cycle life. The SEI layer passivates electrode surfaces and prevents electron transfer and electrolyte diffusion through it while allowing lithium ion diffusion, which is essential for stable reversible capacities. It also influences initial capacity loss, self-discharge, cycle life, rate capability and safety. Thus, SEI layer formation and electrochemical stability are primary topics in LIB development. This research involves experiments and discussions on key factors …

Novel Processing Approaches For Thin Film Solar And Related Technologies., Brandon Lavery

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A growing population along with developing nations are increasing the demand for energy. The International Energy Agency forecasts a global electricity demand increase of 70 percent by 2040. This is an increase from nearly 18 TW to over 30 TW. The sun can be a great clean source of achieving this energy demand. Despite the large solar industry development, the market is still growing as solar energy only accounted for 0.87% of the global energy production in 2013. The opportunity exists to manufacture more affordable solar energy that can penetrate more of the global energy market. In this dissertation, a …

Evaluating One-Step Catalytic Free Method Including Hydrolysis, Esterification, Transesterification, And Degradation Reactions To Produce Biodiesel From Soybean Oil, Mahmood Gheni Jebur

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Due to the environmental and economic impacts of diesel fuel based on petroleum, several studies have been done to find an alternative source of energy. Biodiesel is considered one of these alternative sources. It is a renewable source of energy produced from vegetable oils and animal fats. There are two main reaction routes used to produce biodiesel (fatty acid methyl esters). Transesterification reaction is the first route used to convert triglycerides to fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs), while hydrolysis followed by esterification reactions are the second route employed to convert triglycerides to free fatty acids (FFA) and then further converted …

Peptide-Directed Nanoparticle Synthesis With A Denovo Pd-Binding Sequence Fused To A Reporter Protein, Rita Eloisa Tejada Vaprio

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There is a need for low-cost nanoparticle materials in the context of new technologies for catalyst development. The purpose of this work was to recombinantly produce a 45- amino acid long metal binding peptide that is useful for nanoparticle synthesis. Using splicing by overlap extension PCR, a synthetic gene containing the fusion of the metal binding peptide with Green Fluorescent Protein (GFPUV) was constructed. The metal binding peptide, fused to reporter protein GFPUV, was expressed using high cell density fermentation. Palladium nanoparticles of an average diameter of 1.18 0.45 nm were synthesized by using the crude cell extract containing the …

Electrochemical Behavior Of Dense Electrodes For Impedancemetric Nox Sensors, Nabamita Pal

Doctoral Dissertations

NOx (NO and NO2) exhaust gas sensors for diesel powered vehicles have traditionally consisted of porous platinum (Pt) electrodes along with a dense ZrO2 based electrolyte. Advancement in diesel engine technology results in lower NOx emissions. Although Pt is chemically and mechanically tolerant to the extreme exhaust gas environment, it is also a strong catalyst for oxygen reduction, which can interfere with the detection of NOx at concentrations below 100 ppm. Countering this behavior can add to the complexity and cost of the conventional NO x sensor design. Recent studies have shown that dense electrodes are less prone to heterogeneous …

Preparation And Coating Of 5-Asa Pellets With A Novel Rotating Fluidized Bed, Shijia Guan

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Although Mesalazine (5-ASA) demonstrates huge popularity in treating inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) due to its local effect on intestinal and colonic mucosa, it still demands more accurate and effective delivery of 5-ASA. As pellets embrace various technological and therapeutic advantages over the single-unit dosage form, this study aims at developing and optimizing the drug-loading and coating processes of 5-ASA pellets with a novel rotating fluidized bed. Powder layering and powder coating techniques, which are the same in essence, were applied in the drug-loading and coating processes, respectively. Three different coatings of 5-ASA pellets were achieved, resulting in extended, delayed and …

Tailings Dust Emissions, Emily Degner, Sam Horn, Zakary Galligan, Ryan Bernard, Julie Jameson, Josh Mueller, Natalie Tucker, Joe Griffin

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Fugitive dust emissions from the storage and handling of mine tailings presents environmental and safety concerns, which must be addressed to promote the land sustainability and the health and safety of individuals around a tailings storage facility (TSF). The investigated dust control methods were agglomeration, binder slurry injection, and topical spray.

The Dust Busters determined that pelletizing was the most practical method of agglomeration. In order to produce durable pellets from the mine tailings, which consist primarily of silica, a binder must be added. A variety of binders were considered including magnesium and calcium chloride, bentonite, barite, cement, vinyl polymers, …

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 …

Feasibility Analysis Of Recycled-Paper Fueled Agricultural Desalination Process: Design Of Recycling And Desalination Processes, Sean M. Street

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

While recycled-paper-briquettes have lower BTU ratings than wood, and fresh water is typically a low cost to agricultural entities, situations exist where economic and/or environmental factors may allow a recycled-paper-fueled desalination process to be viable for some specific agricultural entities. This document begins with a discussion of how water is priced throughout India before analyzing trends in the Maize futures market. By tying the two together, an opportunity is created for solution which the remainder of the document presents. Paper waste in India makes-up 50% of its solid waste country-wide; however, only a quarter of that waste is recycled - …

Economic Analysis Of Rare Earth Element Recovery From Clay, Joel J. Weber, Jordan Christopher, Garrett W. Smith, Josiah P. Brandt

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Effect Of High Cationic Flocculant On Anaerobic Digestion Of Municipal Wastewater., Prathap D. John

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Anaerobic digestion (AD) of municipal sludge is a widely used stabilization process at municipal wastewater treatment plants. It is highly effective in reducing sludge volume and produces methane gas which is used as fuel in the wastewater plant. Following digestion sludge is sent to a centrifuge to separate the solids from the liquids. Louisville MSD adds flocculent to material in the centrifuge to better coagulate the solids, thereby aiding in separation of the solids from the liquids. The potential for further AD, COD reduction, and methane generation of the liquid effluent from the centrifuge was unknown, particularly in regards to …

Economic Analysis Of Rare Earth Elements Extraction From Clay Waste, Seth Archambault

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

An Economic Analysis Of The Extraction Of Rare Earth Elements From Clay Waste Stream, Mary Mcbride, Marti Bell, Melanie Lindsey

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Novel Iii-V Alloys For Unassisted Water Splitting., Alejandro Martinez-Garcia

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Direct conversion of solar energy to fuels by photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting has been identified as a promising route for sustainable power generation and storage. However, semiconductor materials with suitable opto-electronic properties have yet to be identified. In this dissertation, band gap engineering of III-V alloys, tuning the light sensitivity of GaP and GaN nitride through alloying Sb, is investigated for developing new semiconductor alloys with appropriate opto-electronic properties and their performance with overall water photoelectrolysis. In addition to III-V materials, copper oxide (Cu₂O) electrode was investigated for p-type semiconductor material. The new III-V alloy anodes were studied …

Data Driven Discovery Of Materials Properties., Fadoua Khmaissia

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The high pace of nowadays industrial evolution is creating an urgent need to design new cost efficient materials that can satisfy both current and future demands. However, with the increase of structural and functional complexity of materials, the ability to rationally design new materials with a precise set of properties has become increasingly challenging. This basic observation has triggered the idea of applying machine learning techniques in the field, which was further encouraged by the launch of the Materials Genome Initiative (MGI) by the US government since 2011. In this work, we present a novel approach to apply machine learning …

Technical Feasibility Of Selectively Separating Rare Earth Elements By Vapor Phase Extraction And Condensation, Katie Lyons

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Experiments were performed to evaluate the technical feasibility of selectively separating selected rare earth halides (bromides and chlorides) using a volatilization and condensation technique. Initially, optimum chloridizing and bromidizing roast parameters were secured in studies performed on reagent grade rare earth oxide samples and subsequently confirmed in tests performed on mineral ore and concentrate samples. The volatilization and condensation experiments were performed by placing the subject rare earth halide samples in an argon-purged multiple-zone tube furnace wherein the temperature profile was controlled to establish separate vaporization and condensation regions. Following each experiment, condensate and solid residue samples were analyzed to …