Chemical Engineering Commons^™

Novel Castor Oil/Water/Ethanol Pickering Emulsions Stabilized By Magnetic Nanoparticles And Magnetically Controllable Demulsification, Mohammad J. Hasan, Peng Chen, Neithan Dominick, Erick S. Vasquez, Esteban E. Ureña-Benavides

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

A novel castor oil/water/ethanol Pickering emulsion, stabilized by magnetic nanoparticles (NPs), was developed to allow on-demand demulsification by an external magnetic field for the extraction of ethanol from aqueous solution using the castor oil. The emulsion was stabilized by Fe3O4-coated cellulose nanocrystals (CNC@Fe3O4) and lignin-coated Fe3O4 NPs (lignin@Fe3O4). The stability of the emulsions was investigated at various castor oil to ethanol-water ratios (50/50 and 70/30), various NP concentrations, and ethanol concentrations in the aqueous phase. The magnetically controlled demulsification ability of the emulsions was investigated by using a permanent magnet. The results showed that the 70/30 emulsions were more stable …

Determination Of Oxidative Stability Of Crude And Refined Vegetable Oils By Rancimat, Oybek Zufarov, Kamar Serkayev

Chemical Technology, Control and Management

The oxidative stability of vegetable oils has been introduced as a critical factor that affects on its quality, shelf life, and nutritional value. In this study, the Rancimat method was analyzed for investigation and comparing the oxidative stability of crude and refined vegetable oils. The induction period, representing the time taken for significant oxidative degradation to occur, has been used as a key parameter to evaluate the oxidative stability. The oxidative stability of different types of vegetable oils, including sunflower, rapeseed, soybean, and cottonseed oil, was studied at various stages of processing: water degummed and neutralized oil. The induction period …

The Fabrication Of Nearly Monodisperse Chiral And Achiral Plasmonic Nanostructures And Their Applications, Macayla J. Caso

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

An object is chiral when it holds no lines of symmetry. This quality naturally occurs in chemistry and biology. When an object is chiral it has a unique handedness and objects of opposite chirality are called enantiomers. The importance of handedness was brought to light in the 1960’s when a racemic mixture of thalidomide enantiomers was given to pregnant women. One enantiomer was able to treat morning sickness while the other caused severe birth defects. This case brought to light how enantiomers have unique properties from each other even though they are similar materials. With this knowledge chiral nanomaterials must …

Gold Thin Film Electrodes For High Sensitivity & Selectivity Electrochemical Detection Of Arsenite In Water, Tybur Q. Casuse Driovínto

Civil Engineering ETDs

This is partial fulfillment of a dissertation defense on electrochemical detection of Arsenic (As) in water using gold (Au) nanofilms as sensing electrodes. The maximum contaminant level of Arsenic in drinking water is set at 10 g L^-1 by the WHO and USEPA. Electrochemical detection by linear stripping voltammetry has comparable detection limits to more expensive laboratory-based methods but with added benefits of being portable and manufacturable. The work has developed sputtered and crystallographically oriented nanofilms for detection of trace As (III). Ultraflat Au(111) oriented thin films, Au(UTF), were compared to single crystal model electrodes to identify the impacts …

Exploring Methods For Recycling Filament Waste In 3d Printing, Max Rios Carballo

Publications and Research

The goal of the current study is to investigate cutting-edge techniques for recycling filament waste from 3D printing procedures. Appropriate waste management techniques are required to reduce this trash's harmful environmental consequences. The goal of the project is to look at new methods for recycling filament waste in order to minimize disposal and encourage reuse. To acquire data from pertinent papers and research, a thorough literature review methodology was used. The findings show that this issue may be resolved utilizing a variety of recycling techniques, including shredding, melting, and re-extrusion. The type of filament waste and the intended goal will …

Novel Microdevices To Analyze Toxic Volatile Organic Compounds., Sujoy Halder

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There has been a growing interest to measure volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in a range of environmental applications. The presence of toxic VOCs in the air has been associated with serious health problems including asthma, central nervous system dysfunction, cardiovascular disease and cancer, etc. Different analytical instruments such as gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and sensor systems, such as metal oxide sensors are used to analyze VOCs. However, challenges still exist in the detection of airborne VOCs because of their trace concentration and interference with complex gas mixtures. In this dissertation, two microfabricated devices, a sensor array and a micropreconcentrator were …

Comparing Firocoxib And Meloxicam In The Application Of Microneedle Patch For Transdermal Drug Delivery, Ruohan Li

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis compares the performance of meloxicam and firocoxib in the aspects of its physical characteristic, chemical compositions, and in-vitro performances for transdermal pain management microneedle patches on farm animals. The microneedle patches are composed of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), type I collagen (COL), and chitosan (CHI) as base material that carries NSAIDs to achieve therapeutic purposes. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was utilized to observe the morphological and physical characteristics of the microneedle patches. Both meloxicam and firocoxib microneedle patches were successfully prepared using the methodology, with organized microneedle distribution and sizing. And Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed the chemical …

Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Milk Production In The Us, Cailey Cooper

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Life cycle assessment is performed to determine the environmental impacts of the life cycle of a product. In this study, the greenhouse gas emissions from milk production in the United States were calculated using a cradle-to-gate analysis. The dairy industry has a noticeable impact on the total greenhouse gas emissions in the US. Performing life cycle assessment provides information about the main emission sources in the life cycle which can spark innovative changes to reduce these emissions. The life cycle assessment was performed using the openLCA software and ReCiPe impact assessment methodology. The results indicated that 1.28 kg of carbon …

Response Of Cell Nuclei To Mechanical Strain In Synthetic Liquid Crystals, Sydnee Ehorn

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

In this research project, induced mechanical stress on the cell nucleus via synthetic liquid crystals (LCs) was explored. Points of interest were the shape alterations and distortions of the nuclear envelope under strain, providing insight into the mechanics and stiffness of the cell nuclei. LCs are substances with structure and fluidity, and LCs in the nematic phase are aligned in a single direction without layers, inducing shear stress on inclusions. This study confirmed that an aqueous solution of 17.3 wt% disodium cromoglycate (DSCG) can successfully strain the nuclei of chicken red blood cells (RBCs) by examining the nuclear response to …

Probing The Structure Of Water On Surfaces: From Water Absorption To Ice Nucleation, Jiarun Zhou

All Dissertations

Water, essential for all life forms, is the most abundant, simple, yet mysterious molecule in the world. This molecule, consisting of only three atoms, behaves in unexpectedly different ways with the change of environment. In the past, studies of water under different conditions (temperature, pressure, on the surfaces, with confinement) have been conducted using experimental and computational methods. However, the influence of a given environment on water properties is yet to be fully understood. This dissertation studies water at complex interfaces (surfaces with various chemistry and physics properties) in both the liquid and crystalline states. Various heterogeneous systems used to …

Detection Of Toxic Aldehydes In Aerosols Of Electronic Cigarettes., Ellie Bess Reed

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over the past decade, use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) has increased in the younger generations of the United States. With the broad range of flavors and devices distributed on the market, American youth are prime marketing targets for the e-cigarette industry. To create a more regulated market, research of this thesis has been conducted on newer generations of e-cigarette “MOD” devices to examine how e-cigarette battery power output and coil temperature, concentrations of propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin, added flavorings (strawberry, mango, and menthol), and the presence of nicotine affect generation of aerosol particles and aldehydes in aerosols emitted by …

Synthesis, Property Tuning And Degradation Studies Of Phosphorene-Based Materials., Usman Onuminya Abu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Two-dimensional (2D) layered materials have sparked the interest of researchers because of their interesting properties drawn from quantum confinement effects, elevated density of states (DOS), increased surface area, increased active sites, etc. Phosphorene, an interesting addition to the 2D material family in 2014, has interesting properties such as in-plane anisotropy, elevated carrier mobility and thickness-dependent bandgaps that have made it a material of intense interest. Furthermore, there have been theoretical studies predicting that phosphorene could be made even more versatile by intercalating alkali atoms into its layers. Intercalation has proven to be a veritable tool for synthesis, modification, transformation, and …

Modelling And Optimization For An Operating Giant Gas Plant In Egypt, Nessren Farrag, Mohamed Shebl, Mai Fouad, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz

Chemical Engineering

An Egyptian gas-producing plant located in the north of Egypt on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea near Port Said city is designed mainly to receive and treat natural gas produced from offshore wells. The plant designed capacity is around 2800 million standard cubic feet per day (MMSCFD), which gives it a highly appreciated strategic importance. The primary plant process is removing H2S associated with the produced gas using amine solutions. The plant contains seven units called gas trains, which use packed columns for the removal. An additional acid gas removal unit was involved in the early production facility, which …

Adsorptive Properties And On-Demand Magnetic Response Of Lignin@Fe3o4 Nanoparticles At Castor Oil–Water Interfaces, Mohammad J. Hasan, Emily Westphal, Peng Chen, Abishek Saini, I-Wei Chu, Sarah J. Watzman, Esteban E. Ureña-Benavides, Erick S. Vasquez

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Lignin@Fe3O4 nanoparticles adsorb at oil–water interfaces, form Pickering emulsions, induce on-demand magnetic responses to break emulsions, and can sequester oil from water. Lignin@Fe3O4 nanoparticles were prepared using a pH-induced precipitation method and were fully characterized. These were used to prepare Pickering emulsions with castor oil/Sudan red G dye and water at various oil/water volume ratios and nanoparticle concentrations. The stability and demulsification of the emulsions under different magnetic fields generated with permanent magnets (0–540 mT) were investigated using microscopy images and by visual inspection over time. The results showed that the Pickering emulsions were more stable at the castor oil/water …

Liquid-Liquid Equilibria Of Water + Ethanol + Castor Oil And The Effect Of Cellulose Nanocrystal/Fe3o4 And Lignin/Fe3o4 Nanoparticles, Mohammad J. Hasan, Fariba Yehaneh, Amy Ciric, Peng Chen, Erick S. Vasquez, Esteban E. Ureña-Benavides

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Castor oil has been proposed as a renewable solvent for the liquid extraction of ethanol from water as an alternative to more traditional energy intensive distillation-based methods. The liquid–liquid equilibrium (LLE) of the ternary system water + ethanol + castor oil was determined at 295.15 K using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Castor oil was herein treated as a pseudo-component with the molecular weight of the triglyceride of ricinoleic acid. The experimental data was fitted to the UNIQUAC and NRTL models to obtain parameters for castor oil, and binary interaction parameters for castor oil/ethanol and castor oil/water pairs. The separation …

Distillery, Clare Nicholas, Patrick Hanlon

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The goal for this project is to make a cost effective still. We will be implementing cost saving parts to create a cheap but effective still. From initial research conducted, we will try to combine a stainless steel still and copper still together so that the cheaper material (stainless steel) and the component that removes sulfur compounds (copper) are both implemented. The ME side of the project will focus on the actual design and construction of the parts that will be implemented into the still. Included in the design process will be calculations of heat transfer for the current and …

Preparation, Cure, And Characterization Of Cyanate Ester-Epoxy Blends Containing Reactive Flame Retardants, Mustafa Mukhtar, Donald A. Klosterman

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Cyanate ester resins are sometimes mixed with lower cost epoxy monomers to modify cost, toughness, and processing capabilities. Despite the high performance of these thermosetting polymers, flame retardancy remains an issue. This study examined blends of three different commercial cyanate ester monomers (LVT-100, LECy, and XU-71787.02) and diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) at 50/50 wt% of each type. The blends were successfully reacted with two reactive flame retardants (FR): 9,10-dihydro-9-ox-9-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide (DOPO) and poly(m-phenylene methylphosphonate) (PMP) at phosphorus contents ranging from 0 to 3 wt%. The curing behavior of EP/CE blends was investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). It was …

Phosphorus Release And Recovery From Simulated Ferric Wastewater Sludge, Aseel Alnimer

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Phosphorus (P) is a fundamental element necessary for all life forms and a key component in the fertilizer industry. Meanwhile, the excessive load of P to water bodies due to human activities has the potential to promote eutrophication. Wastewater treatment plants remove P either biologically or chemically and produce P rich sludge which could be a potential renewable source for P. At present, commercial technologies exist for P recovery from biological wastewater sludge. However, P recovery from chemical sludge particularly iron(III)-phosphate (Fe-P) sludge generated in chemical P removal plants that use iron(III) salts remains a challenge.

This study explored, in …

Model Based Systems Engineering Approaches To Chemicals And Materials Manufacturing, Quang Le

Theses and Dissertations

Model-based systems engineering (MBSE) is part of a long-term trend toward model-centric approaches adopted by many engineering disciplines. This work establishes the need for an MBSE approach by reviewing the importance, complexity, and vulnerability of the U.S. chemical supply chains. The origins, work processes, modeling approaches, and supporting tools of the systems engineering discipline (SE) are discussed, along with the limitations of the current Process Systems Engineering (PSE) framework. The case is made for MBSE as a more generalizable and robust approach. Systems modeling strategies for MBSE are introduced, as well as a novel MBSE method that supports the automation …

Mechanisms Of Emulsion Destabilization: An Investigation Of Surfactant, Stabilizer, And Detergent Based Formulations Using Diffusing Wave Spectroscopy, Jordan N. Nowaczyk

Theses and Dissertations

Conventional approaches for studying emulsions, such as microscopy and macroscopic phase tracking, present challenges when it comes to establishing detailed mechanistic descriptions of the impact of emulsifier and stabilizer additives. Additionally, while a combination of sizing methods and macroscopic phase tracking can provide insights into droplet size changes and concentration, the use of multiple measurements can be cumbersome and error-prone. It is the focus of this work, to present a new method for studying water in oil (W/O) emulsions that involves using diffusing wave spectroscopy (DWS) to examine the impact of three different surface stabilizing additives at varying concentrations. By …

Hygroscopic Tandem Differential Mobility Analyzer (Htdma) Design And Testing For Aerosol Hygroscopic Behavior Studies, Ziheng Zeng

Honors Theses

Most particles in the atmosphere take up water when exposed to increasing relative humidity (RH), and this behavior is described and quantized by a hygroscopicity parameter, kappa. Hygroscopic Tandem Differential Mobility Analysis (HTDMA) can be used to measure the physicochemical properties of aerosol particles and study phenomena that lead to size changes in submicron aerosol particles. Specifically, HTDMA measures how aerosol particles of different initial dry sizes grow or shrink when exposed to changing RH. HTDMA uses two differential mobility analyzers (DMAs) and a humidification system to make these measurements. One DMA selects a narrow size range of dry aerosol …

Hydro Cyclonic Separation Of Polyester Microfibers From Washing Machine Wastewater, Joe Kulkarni

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Clothing made from synthetic materials shed fibers in washing machines, and these fibers find their way into the effluent water. These fibers can absorb toxic materials in wastewater treatment plants and can then carry these toxins into other aquatic environments.

It’s believed that a hydro cyclone could be scaled down enough to fit into a washing machine and could be used to filter out up to 80% of the microparticles from the effluent water. It’s proposed to investigate if a hydro cyclone can be used for this application. The overall goal was for the hydro cyclone to concentrate the micro …

Utilizing Computer-Aided Molecular Design With Azido-Ester Plasticizers, Justin Ebert

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The goal of this project was to utilize Computer-Aided Molecular Design (CAMD) using the Signature molecular descriptor to inversely design optimized azido-ester plasticizers. Azido-ester plasticizers are used to modify the mechanical properties of propellant and explosive formulations. With the assistance of quantitative structure-property relationships, QSPRs, and two types of constraint equations, these new, novel plasticizers have the potential to possess optimal physical and chemical properties. Properties investigated in this work were decomposition temperature, heat of formation, glass transition temperature, and molecular weight. These properties were chosen for their importance when formulating propellants or explosives. After the filters were applied to …

Synthesis Of Quasi-Freestanding Graphene Films Using Radical Species Formed In Cold Plasmas, Michael A. Mathews Jr.

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

For over a decade, the Stinespring laboratory has investigated scalable, plasma assisted synthesis (PAS) methods for the growth of graphene films on silicon carbide (SiC). These typically utilized CF₄-based inductively coupled plasma (ICP) with reactive ion etching (RIE) to selectively etch silicon from the SiC lattice. This yielded a halogenated carbon-rich surface layer which was then annealed to produce the graphene layers. The thickness of the films was controlled by the plasma parameters, and overall, the process was readily scalable to the diameter of the SiC wafer.

The PAS process reproducibly yielded two- to three-layer thick graphene films …

Microwave-Assisted Ammonia Synthesis Over Cs-Ru/Ceo2 Catalyst, Alazar Kesete Araia

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Ammonia synthesis is one of the greatest innovations of the 20^th century with extensive applications from fertilizers to intermediates for nitrogen-containing chemicals and pharmaceuticals. Annually, more than 242 million tons of ammonia is produced globally, supporting approximately 27% of the world’s population. One of the fast-growing applications for ammonia is as H₂ energy carrier due to its high energy storage capacity, considered to be a decarbonized energy source. The low volumetric energy density and incompressibility makes Hydrogen a non-preferable energy carrier; an alternative carrier becomes a requirement. Ammonia possesses unique property as an energy-dense carrier to store and …

Mechanical And Adhesive Properties Of Supramolecular, Mussel-Inspired Hydrogels, Daniel Darby

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

The exceptional mechanical and adhesive properties of mussel byssal threads come from supramolecular interactions of ligands found in the proteins comprising them. Ligands can form hydrophobic interactions, π-π stacking interactions, and hydrogen bonds, but the strongest supramolecular interaction they demonstrate is metal-ligand coordination. Specifically, Histidine (His-) and nitrodopamine (nDOPA) ligands coordinate to metals in a bidentate fashion and take on tris-, bis-, and mono- modalities (3, 2, or 1 ligand per ion, respectively). The distribution of these modalities is controlled by equilibrium thermodynamics. These same ligands can be used as crosslinks in supramolecular hydrogel networks. Supramolecular hydrogel networks are dissipative, …

Dynamic Modeling, Data Reconciliation, Parameter Estimation, And Health Monitoring Of A Supercritical Power Plant, Katherine Grace Hedrick

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

With the introduction of a larger portion of renewable sources of power coming onto the U.S. power grid in recent decades, the operational strategy of coal-fired power plants has changed significantly to focus more on flexibility in response to the changing energy market. This has naturally led to different operational challenges. Many of these challenges are focused on the boilers within these plants, as they are producing more emissions and experiencing increased damage during load-following, which in turn leads to increased costs from penalties for not achieving emission standards or maintenance costs as boilers accumulate damage from the cycling behavior. …

Utilization Of Biopertalite For Fuel Efficiency And Reduction In Co And Co2 Gas Emissions In Four-Wheel Motor Vehicles, Ridwan Iskandar, Hadiyanto Hadiyanto, Suherman Suherman, Zainul Akmar Zakaria

Makara Journal of Technology

Emissions of carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2) gases are the main problem that must be rectified as they are harmful and contribute to global warming through the greenhouse gas effect. In Indonesia, motor vehicles, especially four wheelers, are one of the biggest contributors with up to 71 million tons of CO2 emissions and energy consumption of 179 million barrel of oil equivalent. Bioethanol has octane rating >100, which is higher than that of gasoline; and emission contribution of only 0.02 kg/L, which is lower than that from gasoline (2.23 kg/L). Accordingly, a mixture of gasoline and bioethanol is …

Anion Alloying Of Iii-V Semiconductors For Water Splitting., Sonia Calero-Barney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The challenge of solar energy conversion and storage translates into the discovery and development of semiconductor materials that can transform sunlight energy into electricity and/or high-energy-density fuels in a cost-effective way. From the solar energy conversion perspective, cation-alloyed III-V solar cells hold record-breaking energy conversion efficiencies, while anion-alloyed III-V’s are particularly interesting for photoelectrochemical hydrogen generation. The major challenge for the adoption of III-V-based technologies lies in the high manufacturing costs of established synthesis techniques and the difficulty to control the composition of ternary alloys. One of the materials investigated in this work is GaSb_zP_1-z. Thermodynamic …

Multi-Criteria Decision Matrix Method In The Risk Analysis Of Biodiesel Production Processes, Kaylee Alles

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

Renewable fuel technologies aim to mitigate the non-renewability of fossil fuels, challenges with increased energy demand, and the climate impact of fossil fuel emissions. However, before investing in renewable technologies, there need to be decision strategies that assess and identify the best alternatives according to stakeholder priorities. There is also a concern about whether the technologies that are the “most sustainable” effectively meet the acceptable risk requirements of stakeholders. In response to this question, a risk-adapted multi-criteria decision model was developed and compared to a sustainability study that evaluated five renewable diesel technologies, including Green Diesel I, II, and III; …