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Articles 391 - 419 of 419

Full-Text Articles in Chemical Engineering

Biodiesel Production From Waste Algae Through Supercritical Methanol And Solid Catalysts, Alexander Lopez May 2011

Biodiesel Production From Waste Algae Through Supercritical Methanol And Solid Catalysts, Alexander Lopez

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The need for alternate fuels continues to rise as fossil fuel reserves decline, and the effects of harmful fuel emissions on the environment begin to take its toll. One alternate fuel that has great potential is biodiesel. Biodiesel is a non-petroleum based fuel composed of alkyl esters from feedstocks. Using biodiesel as an alternate fuel source has a variety of advantages over traditional petroleum diesel, including producing no SOx emissions and low COx emissions. Another important advantage of biodiesel is that it can be produced from a wide variety of feedstocks. Biodiesel processes using waste cooking oil, animal fats, and …


Algae To Butanol: Our Contribution To People, Prosperity, And Planet, Ethan Carter May 2011

Algae To Butanol: Our Contribution To People, Prosperity, And Planet, Ethan Carter

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Phase I investigated a method for producing butanol from algae using a novel automated hydrolysis, fermentation, and separation process. The Phase I research team sought to experimentally optimize individual steps and parameters of the process, design and build an automated unit to produce fuel-grade butanol from algae in a batch process, evaluate the sustainability and large scale economics of the process, and design an outreach program encouraging energy and environmental awareness centered around K-12 students. The team used macroalgae samples obtained through the generosity of the City of New York from Jamaica Bay to test the equipment and viability of …


Design And Construction Of A Novel Automated Unit For Conversion Of Algae To Butanol, Hiroko Nakao May 2011

Design And Construction Of A Novel Automated Unit For Conversion Of Algae To Butanol, Hiroko Nakao

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Phase I investigated a method for producing butanol from algae using a novel automated hydrolysis, fermentation, and separation process. The Phase I research team sought to experimentally optimize individual steps and parameters of the process, design and build an automated unit to produce fuel-grade butanol from algae in a batch process, evaluate the sustainability and large scale economics of the process, and design an outreach program encouraging energy and environmental awareness centered around K-12 students. The team used macroalgae samples obtained through the generosity of the City of New York from Jamaica Bay to test the equipment and viability of …


Innovation And Development Of Biofuel Technologies, Nicole Lorenz May 2011

Innovation And Development Of Biofuel Technologies, Nicole Lorenz

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The need for viable alternatives to gasoline has lead researchers to explore various options for renewable energy resources. This research study focuses on two major options for renewable energy. The first is biodiesel, which is a fuel that can be made from vegetable oils or animal fats. In this study, biodiesel was made from tall oil, a paper byproduct. A novel reaction method was used, employing high temperature methanol rather than acid or base catalysis. The second option that was investigated is butanol, which is an alcohol with advantages over ethanol. First, a two-step fermentation was examined to improve the …


Algae To Butanol: The Design, Construction, And Implementation Of An Automated Sugar-To-Fuel Process, Elizabeth Bevan May 2011

Algae To Butanol: The Design, Construction, And Implementation Of An Automated Sugar-To-Fuel Process, Elizabeth Bevan

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Phase I investigated a method for producing butanol from algae using a novel automated hydrolysis, fermentation, and separation process. The Phase I research team sought to experimentally optimize individual steps and parameters of the process, design and build an automated unit to produce fuel-grade butanol from algae in a batch process, evaluate the sustainability and large scale economics of the process, and design an outreach program encouraging energy and environmental awareness centered around K-12 students. The team used macroalgae samples obtained through the generosity of the City of New York from Jamaica Bay to test the equipment and viability of …


Cost Efficient Method Of Pumping Water For Small, Remote Rural Communities, James Hudson May 2011

Cost Efficient Method Of Pumping Water For Small, Remote Rural Communities, James Hudson

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Many technologies are used for water disinfection. Chlorine, iodine, and ozone are some chemical methods of water disinfection. Filtration, including microfiltration, ultrafiltration, and reverse osmosis, is used to remove bacteria. In addition to chemical and filtration technologies, one can disinfect water using UV irradiation, ultrasonic treatment, electrolysis, solar disinfection, and slow sand filtration.
Currently, there are few solutions being employed in third world settings for communities. The current solutions are either for one household or are part of an existing infrastructure and therefore are not portable. Slow sand filtration is used successfully to provide potable water for individual households. Tablet …


Synthesis And Analysis Of The Antimicrobial Peptoid N-Lfb6, Allen Busick May 2011

Synthesis And Analysis Of The Antimicrobial Peptoid N-Lfb6, Allen Busick

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The increasing presence of drug resistant bacteria has led to research of new methods to combat bacteria. A part of the natural peptide Lactoferricin, LfB6 (RRWQWR-NH2), has been shown to be effective against a variety of gram positive and gram negative bacteria. However, there are several problems associated with peptides. Peptides can quickly degrade in the body which causes larger doses to be effective. Large doses of some peptides are cytotoxic to the host. Peptoids are a class of compounds that can potentially mimic the function of peptides and circumvent the problems associated with them. The backbone of peptoids is …


Non-Natural Protein Mimetics For The Treatment Of Alzheimer's Disease, Jennifer Herrera, Amanada Compean, Jasmine Brown, Melissa Moss, Shannon Servoss May 2011

Non-Natural Protein Mimetics For The Treatment Of Alzheimer's Disease, Jennifer Herrera, Amanada Compean, Jasmine Brown, Melissa Moss, Shannon Servoss

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a slow degenerative disease that causes memory loss and eventually leads to death. AD is caused by the aggregation of the amyloid-beta protein, found on the outside of brain cells; once the amyloid-beta protein begins to aggregate it forms plaques on the extracellular part of the neural cells. To date there is no AD medication commercially available that breaks up the amyloid-beta aggregates. Current research has found that certain molecules bind to the amyloid-beta protein and prevent aggregation. The purpose of this research project is to engineer a peptoid-based molecule to stop the aggregation of the …


A Review Of The Benefits And Applications Of The Thorium Fuel Cycle, Vincent Hall Dec 2010

A Review Of The Benefits And Applications Of The Thorium Fuel Cycle, Vincent Hall

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

This paper aims to inform the reader of the benefits that can be achieved by using thorium as a fuel for nuclear power. Stages of the thorium cycle are directly compared against the current uranium based nuclear fuel cycle. These include mining, milling, fuel fabrication, use of various reactor designs, reprocessing, and disposal. Thorium power promises several key advantages over traditional nuclear power methods, namely a dramatic decrease in long lived radioactive waste, increased fuel efficiency, greater chemical stability during disposal, and higher adaptability for differing reactor designs across a wider range of the thermal neutron spectrum. Obstacles that face …


Production Of Biobutanol From Biomass Using Novel Membrane Reactor, Natalie Thibodeaux Jun 2009

Production Of Biobutanol From Biomass Using Novel Membrane Reactor, Natalie Thibodeaux

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Producing biobutanol from a waste product on a large scale is a novel idea. Because of this, there is very little research available in this area. Previous fermentation research has primarily focused on the production of ethanol or biobutanol using cellulosic or agricultural feed stocks. The Phase I research team, Team R azorbacks E ngineering FU el S olutions for E veryone (Team REFUSE), sought to design a fermentation process that would produce butanol from food waste. Team REFUSE cultivated a partnership with Chartwells, the campus food service provider for the University of Arkansas, for the acquisition of food waste. …


Production Of Biobutanol From Biomass Using Novel Membrane Reactor: A P3 Experience, Ashley Haub May 2009

Production Of Biobutanol From Biomass Using Novel Membrane Reactor: A P3 Experience, Ashley Haub

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Producing biobutanol from a waste product on a large scale is a novel idea. Because of this, there is very little research available in this area. Previous fermentation research has primarily focused on the production of ethanol or biobutanol using cellulosic or agricultural feed stocks. The Phase I research team, Team R azorbacks E ngineering FU el S olutions for E veryone (Team REFUSE), sought to design a fermentation process that would produce butanol from food waste. Team REFUSE cultivated a partnership with Chartwells, the campus food service provider for the University of Arkansas, for the acquisition of food waste. …


A Robust Process For Biodiesel Production Using Supercritical Methanol, Meagan Magie May 2009

A Robust Process For Biodiesel Production Using Supercritical Methanol, Meagan Magie

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The overarching purpose of Phase I was to test, at the bench scale, a continuous supercritical methanol reactor, and to determine the feasibility of implementing the technology at full scale. Specific objectives in reaching this purpose included:
Objective 1: Choose a viable feedstock
Objective 2: Perform experiments for oil extraction
Objective 3: Design, build and operate a continuous supercritical methanol reactor
Objective 4: Design and simulate full scale biodiesel facility
Objective 4a: Perform life-cycle and economic analysis on full scale design
Objective 5: Prepare a Phase II P3 project to demonstrate the entire biodiesel process
Project Scope: The students performed …


A Robust Process For Biodiesel Production Using Supercritical Methanol, Travis Roberts May 2009

A Robust Process For Biodiesel Production Using Supercritical Methanol, Travis Roberts

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The overarching purpose of Phase I was to test, at the bench scale, a continuous supercritical methanol reactor, and to determine the feasibility of implementing the technology at full scale. Specific objectives in reaching this purpose included:
Objective 1: Choose a viable feedstock
Objective 2: Perform experiments for oil extraction
Objective 3: Design, build and operate a continuous supercritical methanol reactor
Objective 4: Design and simulate full scale biodiesel facility
Objective 4a: Perform life-cycle and economic analysis on full scale design
Objective 5: Prepare a Phase II P3 project to demonstrate the entire biodiesel process
Project Scope: The students performed …


Production Of Biobutanol From Biomass Using Novel Membrane Reactor: A P3 Experience, Ellen Draehn May 2009

Production Of Biobutanol From Biomass Using Novel Membrane Reactor: A P3 Experience, Ellen Draehn

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Producing biobutanol from a waste product on a large scale is a novel idea. Because of this, there is very little research available in this area. Previous fermentation research has primarily focused on the production of ethanol or biobutanol using cellulosic or agricultural feed stocks. The Phase I research team, Team R azorbacks E ngineering FU el S olutions for E veryone (Team REFUSE), sought to design a fermentation process that would produce butanol from food waste. Team REFUSE cultivated a partnership with Chartwells, the campus food service provider for the University of Arkansas, for the acquisition of food waste. …


A Robust Process For Biodiesel Production Using Supercritical Methanol, Thomas Kasprowicz May 2009

A Robust Process For Biodiesel Production Using Supercritical Methanol, Thomas Kasprowicz

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The overarching purpose of Phase I was to test, at the bench scale, a continuous supercritical methanol reactor, and to determine the feasibility of implementing the technology at full scale. Specific objectives in reaching this purpose included:
Objective 1: Choose a viable feedstock
Objective 2: Perform experiments for oil extraction
Objective 3: Design, build and operate a continuous supercritical methanol reactor
Objective 4: Design and simulate full scale biodiesel facility
Objective 4a: Perform life-cycle and economic analysis on full scale design
Objective 5: Prepare a Phase II P3 project to demonstrate the entire biodiesel process
Project Scope: The students performed …


Proximate Characterization And Lycopene Determination In Bitter Melon Seed Aril, Luis Raul Jimenez Interiano May 2009

Proximate Characterization And Lycopene Determination In Bitter Melon Seed Aril, Luis Raul Jimenez Interiano

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Bitter melon aril is the mucilage covering the fruit's seeds which could contain beneficial dietary ingredients. The bright red color of bitter melon aril suggests that it could contain lycopene. The purpose of this study was to determine the proximate composition of bitter melon aril and to explore this material as a potential rich source of lycopene that has health benefits. Bitter melon aril from Sri Lanka, harvested in Arkansas, USA in 2005, 2006, and 2007 was analyzed. An investigation to develop an extraction method for lycopene from bitter melon was performed using liquid-liquid and a polar liquid extraction. The …


Understanding The Effects Of Hydrophobicity For The Detection Of Methylated Dna By Microchannel Electrophoresis, Micah Fritsche May 2009

Understanding The Effects Of Hydrophobicity For The Detection Of Methylated Dna By Microchannel Electrophoresis, Micah Fritsche

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

DNA methylation is an epigenetic mechanism used for long - term silencing of gene expression. This silencing of gene expression can be involved in the down regulation of genes involved in apoptosis, which is a process of regulated cell death, and this inability to break down cells can ultimately lead to tumor formation in cancer. Methylation of DNA follows a certain pattern through developmental stages of an individual, and this pattern is normally maintained throughout that individual's life. However, in the DNA of older individuals, this methylation is commonly seen to be altered. This altered pattern of methylation can be …


Oil Recovery Through Deemulsification Research : Separation Of Water From Emulsified Oil, Aaron Russell, Matthew S. Clay, Christopher A. Cox, Jessica E. Nichols, Summer Scott, Sirikarn Surawanvijit Aug 2008

Oil Recovery Through Deemulsification Research : Separation Of Water From Emulsified Oil, Aaron Russell, Matthew S. Clay, Christopher A. Cox, Jessica E. Nichols, Summer Scott, Sirikarn Surawanvijit

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

In an effort to improve the environment, there is a need to recover and reuse the oil and water components of lubricating emulsions used in copper drawing and rolling processes. The Freeport-McMoRan Copper and Gold Inc. copper rod mill located in El Paso, TX was chosen as the site location for this project. It is one of the largest rolling and drawing operation facilities in the world, and it meets the established criteria set by Project ORDER. A large facility generates an average of 8,400 gallons of spent lubricant per day. The WERC emulsion sample contains 98 v% water and …


Exploring The Potential For Electromangetophoretic Separation, Thomas Lewis May 2008

Exploring The Potential For Electromangetophoretic Separation, Thomas Lewis

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Current research in mircofluidic technology is underway to develop automatic micro-analyzing chips for medical diagnostic testing. Diagnostic testing often requires separation of specific biological particles from a sample, and many of these molecules contain electric or magnetic properties. This project investigates the potential for separation in electromagnetophoretic and magnetophoretic microfluidic technology. In electromagnetophoresis, the Lorentz force acting on a current carrying medium in a homogeneous magnetic field creates a pressure gradient in the fluid, resulting in an applied force to particles present in the separation medium. This force causes the particle to have a velocity component that is perpendicular to …


A Study Of Inhomogeneity Effects On Packed High Performance Liquid Chromatography Columns, Tyler House May 2008

A Study Of Inhomogeneity Effects On Packed High Performance Liquid Chromatography Columns, Tyler House

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The packing quality of a High Performance Liquid Chromatography column has significant impact on the resulting separations. In practice, problems in a packing occur through normal usage of a column. Resulting chromatograms from inhomogeneities exhibit varying problems such as extreme tailing and double peaks. Early detection of such problems is critical to fixing problems before their effect harms efficiency, but a fully developed theory of how inhomogeneities affect separations does not exist. The purpose of this work was to experimentally characterize HPLC column inhomogeneities and to begin preliminary simulations of HPLC columns with the computer simulation package STAR-CD. To do …


Conversion Of Biomass Resource To Useful Forms Of Energy And Other Products, Steven Jennings May 2008

Conversion Of Biomass Resource To Useful Forms Of Energy And Other Products, Steven Jennings

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The United States is facing increasing pressure to find renewable energy sources due to rising energy costs. With world energy demand at an all time high, renewable energy has been thrust into the forefront of research as a means to mitigate this looming crisis. Throughout the United States, there is a large quantity of agricultural biomass that could be used to generate energy and lessen the dependence on diminishing resources. Specifically, animal feeding operations (AFOs) such as dairies generate large amounts of cow manure, which, when improperly handled, causes both air and water pollution. Currently, most manure is temporarily stockpiled …


Kinetics Determination Of Soybean Oil Transesterification In The Design Of A Continuous Biodiesel Production Process, Irwin Jacob, Ed Clausen, Danielle Julie Carrier May 2008

Kinetics Determination Of Soybean Oil Transesterification In The Design Of A Continuous Biodiesel Production Process, Irwin Jacob, Ed Clausen, Danielle Julie Carrier

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

One-step batch transesterification consisting of three stepwise reversible reactions of pure soybean oil with methanol was conducted at two different mixing speeds (600 and 300 rpm) to produce soybean oil fatty acid methyl esters (biodiesel). In both batch reactions, sodium methoxide (1.09 wt% based on soybean oil) was used as the catalyst, the reaction temperature was 60oC, and the methanol-to-oil molar ratio was 6:1. The objectives were to determine and/or investigate: 1) the mechanism and order of the reaction, 2) the reaction rate constants, 3) the effect of changes in mixing intensity on the reaction rate, 4) the comparison of …


Conversion Of Biomass Resource To Useful Forms Of Energy And Other Products, Latosha Johnson Dec 2007

Conversion Of Biomass Resource To Useful Forms Of Energy And Other Products, Latosha Johnson

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The United States is facing increasing pressure to find renewable energy sources due to rising energy costs. With world energy demand at an all time high, renewable energy has been thrust into the forefront of research as a means to mitigate this looming crisis. Throughout the United States, there is a large quantity of agricultural biomass that could be used to generate energy and lessen the dependence on diminishing resources. Specifically, animal feeding operations (AFOs) such as dairies generate large amounts of cow manure, which, when improperly handled, causes both air and water pollution. Currently, most manure is temporarily stockpiled …


Ultrafiltration Membrane Process For Pyrogen Removal In The Preparation Of Water For Injection (Wfi), Thet N. Soe Jan 2006

Ultrafiltration Membrane Process For Pyrogen Removal In The Preparation Of Water For Injection (Wfi), Thet N. Soe

Inquiry: The University of Arkansas Undergraduate Research Journal

An artificial kidney process based on ultrafiltration (called hemodiafiltration) more effectively removes blood toxins, particularly those of higher molecular weight, than conventional dialysis. In hemodiafiltration, replacement liquid must be added directly to the patient's blood to replace liquid filtered out of the blood in the ultrafiltration cartridge. This replacement liquid is made up of' "water for injection" (WFI) and other components such as salts and glucose. WFI is produced either by distillation or reverse osmosis and has a cost of $1.00 per liter. A patient with kidney problems would require three hemodiafiltration treatments per week, each requiring 70-80 liters of …


Use Of Calcium Hypochlorite As A Sanitizer For Seeds Used For Sprouting: Task #2; Impact: Improved Alfalfa Decontamination Technologies, Emily Damron, Carrie Klein, Melissa Leach, Jordan Mourot, Tom Murphy, Amy Seamans, Ryan Wilson Jan 2005

Use Of Calcium Hypochlorite As A Sanitizer For Seeds Used For Sprouting: Task #2; Impact: Improved Alfalfa Decontamination Technologies, Emily Damron, Carrie Klein, Melissa Leach, Jordan Mourot, Tom Murphy, Amy Seamans, Ryan Wilson

Inquiry: The University of Arkansas Undergraduate Research Journal

Consumption of raw or lightly cooked alfalfa sprouts has been a concern of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in recent years due to connections between sprouts and foodborne illnesses. Researchers have identified, contaminated seeds as the primary source of alfalfa sprouts contamination. Contamination of alfalfa seeds can originate in the field, harvesting, storing, or sprouting. Two pathogens of particular concern on alfalfa seeds are Escherichia coli 0157:H7 (E. coli) and Salmonella. These pathogens are capable of producing biofilms that provide protection for individual cells and allow for survival in otherwise hostile environments, including some disinfectant washes. Other factors …


Extraction Of Silymarin Compounds From Milk Thistle (Silybum Marianum) Seed Using Hot, Liquid Water As The Solvent, J.F. Alvarez Barreto Jan 2002

Extraction Of Silymarin Compounds From Milk Thistle (Silybum Marianum) Seed Using Hot, Liquid Water As The Solvent, J.F. Alvarez Barreto

Inquiry: The University of Arkansas Undergraduate Research Journal

High value specialty chemicals are usually obtained from natural products by extracting with generally regarded as safe (GRAS) solvents. Because organic solvents are quite often used, high operating and disposal costs often occur. When compared to traditional solvents, water can be viewed as an interesting alternative because of its low operating and disposal costs. Milk thistle contains compounds (taxifolin, silychristin, silydianin, silybinin A and silybinin B) that display hepatoxic protection properties. This paper examines the batch extraction of silymarin compounds from milk thistle seed meal in 50'C, 70'C, 85'C and 100'C water as a function of time. For taxifolin, silychristin, …


Electrodeposition Of Copper Indium Sulfide Films From Organic Solutions, Arif Raza, Robert Engelken, Brandon Kemp, Imran Khan, Wasim Aleem, Chris Barber Jan 1996

Electrodeposition Of Copper Indium Sulfide Films From Organic Solutions, Arif Raza, Robert Engelken, Brandon Kemp, Imran Khan, Wasim Aleem, Chris Barber

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

We report on organic solutions ofCuCl 2 ,InClg, and elemental sulfur for electrodepositing CuIn x Sv films. CuInS 2 and CuInSe 2 are promising solar cellmaterials; our work on CuInSg prefaces planned work on plating CuInSe 2 from nonaqueous solvents. Two promising solvent systems are (1) mixed propylcne carbonate and water and (2) mixed ethylene glycol, propionic acid, and water (Engelken et al., 1988). Gray-brown films ofCuInx Sy (nominally GuInS2 ) have been plated from both baths. Major problems include (1) reduction ofCu+2 to Cu and Cu x S by the solvent at high temperatures (T>l()0°C), hence depleting Cu+2,(2) …


Homogenous Functions In Thermodynamics, Stephen R. Addison Jan 1991

Homogenous Functions In Thermodynamics, Stephen R. Addison

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.


Some Physical Measurements On Catalysts And Their Significance, Robert M. Engelbrecht Jan 1958

Some Physical Measurements On Catalysts And Their Significance, Robert M. Engelbrecht

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.