Chemical Engineering Commons^™

Architectural Paint Tank Cleaning, Callie Ruppen

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Architectural paint is highly susceptible to bacterial contamination, so material preservative ingredients are added during production to prevent bacterial contamination which can lead to wet-state spoilage of paint. In recent years however, paint formulations have reduced or eliminated volatile organic compounds (VOC) and regulations on the use of material preservative ingredients have been increased, reducing the use of traditional material preservatives. As a result, the coating industry must focus on improving microbial control through manufacturing hygiene programs including process tank cleaning and sanitization. While requirements for tank cleaning are clearly outlined in standard operating procedures (SOPs) and internal standards, there …

Anti-Freeze Double Network Hydrogels, William Gross

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Three polyethylene glycol (PEG) based crosslinkers with repeat unit nominal weights of 62.1, 200, and 400 g/mol in agar/PAM double network (DN) hydrogels were used to study the effect of different crosslinkers on thermal and mechanical properties. Using the one-pot synthesis method, hydrogels with the PEG crosslinkers or methylene-bis-acrylamide (MBAA) were made via sol-gel transition for formation of agar network, and photopolymerization of the PAM network using Irgacure 2959 as photo initiator. Tensile and compression tests were performed on as prepared, swollen, and swollen & cooled specimens of each hydrogel. Freezing time and thermal imaging were performed in -20 °C …

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 …

Cross-Seeding Of Protegin-1 And Amyloid Beta To Inhibit Amyloid Beta Aggregation, Sarah Robinson

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Amyloid beta (Aβ) is considered a major component in the progression of degenerative disease like Alzheimer’s disease. In an attempt to cure Alzheimer’s before it has presented, this project proposes a study on the effects of protegrin-1 (PG-1) on the aggregation of Aβ. By cross-seeding to form a PG-1- Aβ heterocomplex, it is believed that aggregation of Aβ on the human brain can be inhibited, thus helping to stop the neurodegeneration caused by Alzheimer’s disease. To complete this project, an initial literature review of previous work done by the graduate student leading the project will be completed. After this, experiments …

Reinforcement Of Elastomers By Reactive Ionic Surfactant, Nicole Vickerman

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Elastomers without cross-linking agents or fillers do not have the necessary properties for practical applications in the rubber industry. Elastomers must be reinforced with fillers and/or cross-linking agents to achieve the needs of physical and mechanical properties for commercial products. Sodium octyl 6-mercaptohexyl phosphate (SOMP) and sodium ethyl (6-mercaptohexyl) phosphate (SEMP) were used to investigate the influence of a reactive ionic surfactant and its influence on the physical properties of peroxide crosslinked styrene butadiene rubber (SBR). SEMP and SOMP were both found to be able to be grafted successfully on to the SBR chains within the rubber using extraction testing …

Prototype Development For Fabric Sodium Sensor, Mary Nicodemus, Dunia Jaffal, Shelby Daniels

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project is designed to refine a process for developing sodium-selective nylon fabric sensors to be used for reading sodium concentrations in sweat from the human body through a series of quality control and on-body testing experiments. The intention is to have a refined process to make reproducible sensors that are turned into consistently working prototypes for future mass production. There are three essential steps in developing a working prototype: sensor synthesis, sensor testing, and sensor validation. Once all three steps are completed, consistent methods will be defined for turning nylon into sensors and then into prototypes, calibrating the prototypes, …

Austenitic, Duplex, And Lean Duplex Stainless Steel Critical Pitting Temperature In Simulated Concrete Environment, Bobby Giebel

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

In this work, the critical pitting temperature (CPT) will be observed for a selection of austenitic (316LN and 24100) and duplex (2205), and lean duplex (2304, 2001) stainless steels in simulated concrete pore solution. To study the influence of temperature on the pitting stability of the stainless steels, three temperatures were tested: 25oC, 45oC, and 65oC for cyclic potentiodynamic polarization (CPP) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Electrochemical properties of the interfaces we studied via EIS analysis. Kinetics were studied via CPP testing. To reveal the critical pitting temperature of the stainless steels, cyclic thermammetry was used. Characterization of the pits …

Designing A Distillation Process For A Local Brewery, Julia Syme

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Proper distillation of spirits is key in maximizing resource value and producing a consumable liquid. A local brewery owner is considering entering the distilling market, and he requested information regarding a small-scale continuous column. This project used CHEMCAD to determine an operating design for continuous distillation of ethanol at a few different feed compositions. Since this model was limited to CHEMCAD, it had to build off of previous research and engineering parameters without an experimental verification. The project determined that an eight stage distillation column produced 40-58% ethanol product when the feed ranged from 7.5-12% ethanol. Eight stages produced even …

Comparing Galvanic Corrosion Rates Predicted From Polarization Curves With Empirical Data From A Carbon Steel And Monel Couple For A Various Geometries, Michael Hinnebusch

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The objective of this investigation was to compare the galvanic corrosion rate of carbon steel C1018 and Monel K-500 alloy in a bolt and plate geometry to that derived using Tafel plots. This was achieved using carbon steels sheets of steel with a pair of with varying the number of Monel bolts and varying spacing. It was found that the carbon steel plates do not corrode uniformly. This can create issues when using Polarization curves to assume galvanic corrosion rate of a carbon steel and Monel system. The geometry of the bolts can further affect this corrosion rate and make …

Amino-Polymer For Co2 Capture By Vacuum Swing Adsorption, Sean Billy

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The applications of sorbent compounds in conjunction with amines and other additives is an innovative method at combating CO2 pollution. An ideal solution would use an amine sorbent to trap the high levels of absorbed CO2 with a low binding energy (less than 45 kJ/mol) and subsequently release them into a stored vessel at ambient temperature with a vacuum swing adsorption system. Attempts at finding a best mixture will be conducted through the usage of a vacuum swing system, utilizing a bed syringe containing the sorbent mix and a vacuum syringe to pull on and subsequently release the CO2 into …

Scale-Up Of Flow-Electrode Capacitive Deionization Method For Hard Water Softening, Noah Henry

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This study’s purpose is to further document a capacitive deionization design that could be capable of purifying H₂O at a household scale where clean water is otherwise unobtainable in applicable regions of the world. The hypothesis behind this study was continuously larger scaled electrochemical cell-units would increase their water softening capabilities in sustainable fashion. The trend at which performance will scale is currently unknown. The units studied were constructed using graphite plates, anion exchange membranes, cation exchange membranes, and Teflon channels. Three streams, two being CaCl₂ solutions in DI H₂O (one being concentrated with CaCl …

Wetting Transition On 3d-Printed Surfaces, Isabelle Moryan

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Taking the previous research conducted, this project aims to further the study and research of the wettability of surfaces. Surface features and types are important factors to their wettability. The geometric properties of a surface can make it more hydrophobic and hydrophilic. Extreme cases of hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces lead to water repulsion or water absorption, even under extreme conditions. The goal of this project is to gain further insight on how fabricated 3D-printed featured surfaces and examine the wetting transition on these surfaces. In particular, cylindrical pillars will be studied with varied pillar spacing, height and diameter. In addition, …

Application Of Sla 3d Printing For Polymers, Taylor Wilson

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Stereolithography is a type of 3D printing that allows liquid photopolymer resin to be cured into layers that make up a 3D object. Creation of such resins for these purposes can require a significant amount of time to test and develop, and commercial resins also require some amount of testing for printer settings before use. This paper reviews how stereolithography works, the materials used, and experimentation done to compare the resin properties to the determined curing times. Using several commercially available resins, varying base exposure and layer exposure times were used to determine the lowest possible curing time that gave …

Enzymatic Treatment, Gluten Reduction, And Production Of Celiac Safe Gluten Removed Beer, Alyssa Baumann, Calvin Baumann, Noah Alfman

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Celiac Disease affects many people across the world with the only solution being a life-long abstinence from gluten intake. Although beers may be considered “gluten-free”, some still contain remains of gluten which can be harmful to those with Celiac Disease. There exists a large market for high-quality, celiac-safe beer. The primary approach for producing gluten-free beer is enzymatic treatment. The first objective of the project is to measure the natural gluten reduction in the beer brewing process versus the gluten reduction within enzymatic treated beer. The second objective of the project is to create celiac-safe beer through experimentation of the …

Amine-Functionalized Interpenetrating Polymer Networks For Co2 Capture, James Wills

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The research performed looked to advance the studies of vacuum swing absorption of Carbon Dioxide to help combat global climate change issues. The focus of the project was to create an anime-polymer sorbent that will weakly absorb and desorb CO2. The sorbent must be durable and be able to withstand multiple uses. The creation of a porous polymer matrix aided in the amines' ability to absorb CO2. Created samples underwent several qualitative and quantitative tests to determine their usefulness as an industrial sorbent. Infrared spectroscopy was used to study the effectiveness of the amine sorbents. Studying the changes in the …

Retention And Stability Of Polystyrene Sulfonic Acid And Polyethylene Glycol Anti- Fouling Films With 3-Aminopropyltriethoxysilane Coupling Agent, Brian Cameron

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Fouling is a process where particles, proteins, or microorganisms will accumulate onto a material [2]. This can lead to biofilms in medical implants, which can trap and create drug resistant bacteria [5]. Due to this, the study and creation of anti-fouling polymeric films that is stable in aqueous environments is essential. The goal of this study is to utilize APTES to retain the already studied PSS-PEG anti-fouling films. The films that are created is a thermally crosslinked network of the polystyrene sulfonic acid (PSS) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) with differing mass fractions (75- 25 and 55-45 PSS-PEG). To retain the …

A Solid-State Fermentation Scale-Up Of Scopulariopsis Brevicaulis, Timothy Hudak

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Publication to be delayed until October 2023

Recycled Printer Filament, Charlotte Hyland, Troy D. Molinar

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The purpose of this research is to examine the effects of recycling PLA filament for 3D printing on its material properties. After examining these effects, PLA and carbon fiber additives were mixed with recycled PLA pellets in different ratios to attempt to regain material properties lost in the recycling process. To complete these findings, an experiment was design and executed.

The research found that tensile strength during multiple iterations of recycling remained mostly unaffected, however, the strain degraded exponentially. In the PLA additive study, high ratios of PLA additive were able to increase the strength and strain properties of the …

Extraction Of Melanin From Black Knot Fungus: Optimization And Applications, Amara Davis

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The goal of this research project was to optimize the extraction of melanin from black knot fungus and to analyze possible applications of the extracted melanin. An extraction method that was previously created was examined for possible improvements. Improvements that were studied include the elimination of steps in the extraction process while obtaining the same quality of product, examining options for machinery that could be used to increase production rate when moved to a production plant setting, and optimize the concentrations of the raw materials that are used in the extraction for possible reduction of cost without compromising yield or …

Retaining Thermoresponsive Poly(Vinyl Methyl Ether) To Cellulose Via (3-Aminopropyl)Triethoxylsilane Network, Grace Tolhurst

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Stimuli-responsive supports and devices that are fabricated from inexpensive materials are attractive candidates for a variety of applications, such as environmental protection, and regenerative medicine. Poly(vinyl methyl ether) (PVME), a thermoresponsive polymer (TRP), has recently been used as thermoresponsive cell culture supports for cell growth/proliferation followed with cell/cell sheet harvesting by simply switching temperature. Cellulose is an attractive candidate to replace glass/silicone supports as it is inexpensive and environmentally friendly. This project focuses on retaining PVME to the cellulose membrane via 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) network to generate TR membranes and flexible liners that can be incorporated into bioreactors for producing cells …

Mimicking The Namib Desert Beetle With Hydrophilic And Hydrophobic Surfaces, Tyler Bracewell

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The Namib Desert beetle, Stenocara gracilipes, condenses fog that rolls in off the west coast of Namibia to provide itself with the water it needs for the day. By lifting its abdomen into the air to collect the water vapor, it condenses on hydrophilic bumps that are about 500μm in diameter and are spaced apart about 500-1500μm. Once the water reaches a critical size, the droplet rolls off the hydrophilic bump and onto the flat hydrophobic surface of the elytra. Since the beetle is angled with its abdomen in the air, the water rolls down to its mouth. A …

Repurposing Human Α-Defensin 6, An Antimicrobial Peptide, As A Beta Amyloid Inhibitor, Eleanor Plaster

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Amyloid aggregation and microbial infection have been identified as the two main pathological risk factors that can result in amyloid diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), type II diabetes, and Parkinson’s disease. These two risk factors have been well studied separately, however only targeting one of these risk factors has shown to not be successful in preclinical trials since amyloid diseases are multifactorial. In this study, a new approach has been proposed to determine the effects of an antimicrobial and anti-amyloid aggregation approach by looking at the inhibition abilities of a heterocomplex of human α-defensin 6 (HD-6), whose secondary structure …

Design Project: 3d Printer/Injection Molder Hybrid, Lee Paolucci, Luke Everhart, Brandon Leap, Karson Lorey

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

In the realm of rapid, small-scale prototyping, there are a few main factors that drive decisions to invest resources in technology to make that prototyping possible. Cost and ease of use are two of the most influential when looking at most SMEs (Small to Medium-sized Enterprises). The U.S. Small Business Administration defines an SME as smaller than 1,250 employees. According to An Assessment of Implementation of Entry-Level 3D Printers from the Perspective of Small Businesses, 59% of small manufacturers had implemented 3D printers as of 2014. However, no matter what technology is used in rapid prototyping, there are common …

Study Guide Generation In Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics: A Comparison Between Individual And Group Preparation, William Brown

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Thermodynamics is an essential course in the chemical engineering curriculum. Thermodynamics requires the use of many equations and rules that use subtle concepts from math, physics, and chemistry. To assist students with using these equations and recalling rules on exams, students are often permitted a “study guide” to use on the exams to help avoid rote memorization. Study guide construction is an environment in which students learn, and learning has been shown to improve when collaboration is involved. In this research, students will construct study guides individually for one exam, and in teams for one exam. Students will answer questions …

Matlab Model To Predict Liquid Hydrogen Spill Characteristics And Safety, Amy Gravenstein

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The potential of using liquid hydrogen for propulsion is often undermined due to its perilous nature. Hydrogen has a wide flammability range when mixed with air (4.0 - 75.0% hydrogen) and a low ignition energy (0.019 mJ). Liquid hydrogen adds to this high risk as a cryogenic fluid that is to be maintained below -22 K. A liquid hydrogen model has been created in MATLAB that can model various spill scenarios from cryogenic liquid hydrogen vessels. This model takes into consideration the spill rate, spill temperature, air temperature, duration of spill, and air flow conditions to calculate the mass accumulation, …

Development Of Co2 Capture Method Via Polyurethane-Amine Sorbent In Vsa, Samantha Starkey, David S. Rinehart

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

With increases in extreme weather and global temperatures, research is delving into CO₂ capture to help reverse climate change. This project explored utilizing vacuum swing adsorption (VSA) for CO₂ capture and release. VSA uses a sorbent, in this case amine sorbents, to capture CO­­₂ from air and subsequently removes it via vacuum. Polyurethane (PU) foam was investigated as a potential matrix for amine sorbents to increase exposure of CO₂ capturing amines to air by utilizing its porous structure. PU mixing studies were conducted to determine the feasibility of mixing PU foam with amines and coating foams …

Cold Plasma Enhanced Active Sites On Supported Nip Nanoparticles For The Oxygen Evolution Reaction, Michael Ricci

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Identifying materials to efficiently facilitate the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is key to advancing water electrolysis, an essential technology in the pathway towards a sustainable energy future. Here, we explore cold-plasma treatment as a facile method to enhance the activity of NiP nanoparticles supported on activated carbon. NiP nanoparticles were synthesized on an activated carbon support using a solid-state method and were then treated with argon, oxygen, and hydrogen plasmas for extended times. In all cases, plasma treatment reduced the number of active sites on the support. OER activity was evaluated by testing the materials in alkaline conditions. The activities …

Testing The Effectiveness Of Various Fabrics For Use In Protective Face Coverings, Isaac Daley

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Facemask requirements have been heavily implemented as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to test various fabrics that could be used in face coverings and determine which materials are best for reducing virus transmission rates. Of the seven fabrics tested, five were conventional home-use fabrics and the other two were surfaces modified with hydrophobic organosilanes. Wettability and droplet adherence tests were performed on each material. The materials that performed the best were decyltrichlorosilane (DTS) modified cotton, perfluorotrichlorosilane (FTS) modified cotton, and polyester. Contact angles for water droplets on these fabrics were 106°, 93°, and …

Development Of Phagotrophic Algae-Based Process For Conversion Of Waste Organics To Algae Lipids As Potential Feedstock For Biofuel, Hannah Nelson

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Interest in sustainable feedstock for biofuel has encouraged research on the production of phagotrophic algae from bacteria using a two-staged continuous-flow system. Bacteria cultures were fed the content of a waste stream from The J.M. Smuckers Company containing high concentrations of sugar. In the design, the bacteria effluent overflowed into the algae tank which was kept at a set volume. Several methods were developed to assist in maintaining the system at steady state and minimize the impact from contaminants. A rigorous cleaning protocol was implemented for both tanks, effectively eliminating protozoa from the bacteria system. The protozoa were decreased in …

Evaluating The Thermoresponsive Properties Of Hydroxypropyl Cellulose Solutions For Smart Window Applications, Adam Reed

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

With HVAC and building energy usage expected to increase, there is a strong need for autonomous thermal management solutions. In particular, there has been a growing interest in thermoresponsive (TR) smart windows that are activated by ambient temperature changes. Most TR smart windows contain a liquid solution between two panes. The goal of this research project was to develop a self-supporting smart window by forming a gel that maintained its TR properties. A gel is less prone to spilling in the case of window breakage. It was also desired to tune the phase transition to occur at environmentally relevant conditions …