Chemical Engineering Commons^™

Soot Capture In An Electrocatalytic Reactor, Thana Slanvetpan

Theses

A major problem with many soot emission control devices is the fact that they quickly become loaded with soot which must be removed by a regeneration process. A soot capture reactor using a large flow channel was studied in order to eliminate channel plugging and avoid regeneration. Electrostatic precipitation was used in order to enhance particle diffusion to the catalyst wall of the reactor tube. The system effectiveness for soot capture was measured with filter paper sampling of the incoming versus the outgoing flow through the reactor. Soot filter loadings were analyzed by laser optical transmission. From the soot filter …

Development Of Aqueous Scrubber To Oxidize And Absorb Nitric Oxide, Wanna Lolertpiphop

Theses

The use of sodium chlorite (NaClO₂) and alkaline aqueous cumene hydroperoxide (CHP) as oxidizing agents to promote the absorption of nitric oxide from flue gases was investigated in a semicontinuous bubbling scrubber. The efficiency of the scrubbing solutions to remove nitric oxide was evaluated as a function of operating conditions such as pH, concentration of the oxidants, residence time, temperature, flue gas compositions.

Under acid conditions, sodium chlorite can stoichiometrically react and absorb 99.5% NO and 80% SO₂ in the same scrubber with 0,672 M NaClO₂ in buffered solution at pH 6, and 0.3 M NaOH. …

Pervaporation-Assisted Esterification Of Salicylic Acid, Chaiya Chandavasu

Theses

The coupling of a pervaporation membrane unit with a reactor has been investigated as a means of improving the overall process efficiency. As model system, the esterification of salicylic acid with methanol in the presence of a homogeneous catalyst was studied in a unit consisting of a batch reactor externally coupled with a pervaporation module containing a composite poly(vinyl alcohol) membrane. The reaction was carried out at temperatures between 336 and 345 K. The catalyst was sulfuric acid at concentrations varying from 0.5 to 2.0 molar. Various initial molar ratios (Θ_B) of methanol and salicylic acid, ranging from …

Biodegradation Of Naphthalene Using Pseudomonas Putida (Atcc 17484) In Batch And Chemostat Reactors, Jay Boyd Best

Theses

Kinetic experiments were conducted using Pseudomonas putida (ATCC 17484) to determine the rate of growth when naphthalene was provided as a sole carbon source in suspended biomass systems. Batch and chemostat reactors were used under three sets of conditions: non-aerated, aerated at 29.5° C, and aerated at 25.5° C. A number of concentrations were tested under each set of conditions. Data regression was used to determine parameters for Monod (non-inhibitory), Andrews (inhibitory), and zero-order kinetics. Although the Andrews fit of the data provided a slightly lower sum-of-squares error (SSE), the amount of data scatter and the weak inhibition made the …

Growth Of Grass Shrimp, Palaemonetes Pugio, In A Contaminated And An Uncontaminated Site, Suruchi Bhan

Theses

Previous experiments have found that grass shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio, from a contaminated site, Piles Creek (PC). in Linden. New Jersey, are larger than those from a relatively pristine reference site, Sheepshead Creek, located in Tuckerton (T), New Jersey.

This study investigated the possibility that PC conditions provide more food for the shrimp, possibly by being a eutrophic environment. thus allowing for greater growth. or that salinity, toxicants, or other factors at. PC stimulate growth. The current experiment indicated that PC conditions do not foster greater growth for the shrimp than T conditions and that PC shrimp are not inherently …

An Investigation Into The Feasibility Of Utilizing Pneumatic Ultrasonic Devices Coupled With Pneumatic Fracturing In Enhancing Removal Of Volatile Organic Compounds From Soils, Hugo J. Fernandez

Theses

A bench scale investigation was conducted in a Plexiglass ™ Test cell 1 foot square by 2 feet in height, packed with 400 mesh sand to a density of 100 lb. /ft³. The sand was contaminated with a mixture of 10% ethanol and 90% water by weight having a total weight of 11.1 pounds, before it was packed in the test cell. A geotextile 1/2 inch thick was used as a simulated fracture and was placed 3 inches from the bottom of the tank. A siren and a whistle were tested in this fracture.

The data were divided …

Low Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition Of Silicon Carbonitride Films From Tri(Dimethylamino) Silane, Rajive Shah

Theses

A literature study to investigate the incorporation of silicon into SiC and Si₃N₄ films from various organosilanes was carried out. The Arrhenius activation energy for the synthesis of silicon, silicon carbide and silicon nitride films from various organosilanes range from 165-210 kJ/mol. A review of recent studies have indicated that silicon deposition is the rate determining step in the synthesis of silicon from silane. It is proposed here that this hypothesis can be established for the synthesis of silicon carbide, silicon nitride and silicon carbonitride film. Limited experiments indicated that the silicon deposition is a rate determining …

Decontamination Of Aquifers Via Air Sparging/Biofiltration : An Experimental Study, Armando Mora Tellez

Theses

In this study experiments were performed in order to show feasibility of an integrated air sparging/biofiltration process for cleaning contaminated groundwater. Feasibility was also meant in the sense of meeting regulatory constraints. Using toluene as model compound and changing flowrates for the sparged air, it was shown that despite fluctuations in the toluene concentration at the inlet of the biofilter, the concentrations at the outlet of the unit were essentially constant over long periods of time and remained below the levels dictated by environmental regulations. However an increase in outlet concentrations at levels not meeting regulatory constraints was observed after …

Optimization Of Ion-Exchange Chromotography With Multiple Gradient Inputs For Protein Separations, Tariq Mahmood

Theses

Gradient elution chromatography is an efficient technique for adjusting the retention of sample components during liquid chromatographic separations. However, the optimization of gradient elution is usually done by trial and error. Thus, for large scale processes this results in expensive and time consuming design and operations. Peak resolution that describes the degree of separation is a commonly used parameter for chromatographic processes. However, in processes where operating time and product dilution are of great importance, resolution alone is not adequate for describing the separation efficiency.

A new parameter "resolution optimization factor" is used for the optimization of gradient elution processes. …

A Student Training Manual For Running The Hysim Computer Simulation Program, Roberta Rosty

Theses

Hyprotech's HYSIM computer simulation program is used in the chemical processing industry (CPI) to simulate unit operations, which aid in the design of various different kinds of processing plants. It is important then that chemical engineering students should gain early exposure to a simulation program such as HYSIM, in order to facilitate their comprehension of process engineering design work using this type of program, and to bridge the gap between the textbook knowledge they gain of unit operations in the classroom with some of the actual process engineering work-a-day methods available for solving problems.

The objective of this work was …

The Treatment Of Vegetable Processing Waste Water Using A Pilot Scale Sequencing Batch Reactor Activated Sludge Process, Peter Hassett

Theses

The SBR process is a discontinuous, unsteady state process and has developed popularity in many countries assisted by reliable control technology for example programmable logic control. A typical SBR installation achieves equalisation, aeration and clarification of batches of wastewater on a timed sequence in one basin. This is in contrast to a volume sequenced process such as the conventional continuous stirred tank reactor where individual treatment objectives are met in separate basins. Advantages include, flexability, minimum energy input, consistent effluent quality and inhibition of filament organism growth by properly controlling substrate concentration and aeration sequences. Nitrification, denitrification and Bio-P removal …

Removal Of Volatile Organic Compounds From Contaminated Groundwater By Pervaporation, Sukla Chandra

Theses

Effective removal of non-aqueous phase liquid pools in groundwater and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from contaminated soils can be achieved by surfactant flushing. This surfactant-rich ground water contains VOCs like trichloroethylene (TCE), dichloroethylene (DCE), etc. Membrane pervaporation technique is employed here to remove TCE from these micellar systems where a very high percentage of the VOC is trapped inside the micellar core. The micellar solution flows through the bore of microporous hydrophobic hollow fibers wherein the micelles break down and release the surfactants and the TCE. The TCE is then removed through the pores and a nonporous thin silicone skin …

Removal Of Gasoline-Based Hydrocarbons By Vapor Permeation Membranes, Shivashanker Bagavandoss

Theses

Removal and recovery of evaporated lighter gasoline fractions can be effectively implemented by selectively permeating the hydrocarbons (HCs) and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the vented air streams through nonporous hydrophobic polymeric membranes subjected to vacuum on the permeate side and then condensing these organics from the permeate. Such a vapor permeation process employing spiral-wound membranes has already been commercialized for VOCs. In this study, attention has been focused on removal of hydrocarbons from nitrogen flowing through the bore of microporous hydrophobic hollow fibers with a specially engineered nonporous silicone coating on the outside surface with a view to …

Solids Suspension And Power Dissipation In Stirred Tanks Agitated By An Impeller Near The Tank Bottom, Ernesto Uehara-Nagamine

Theses

In this work, the effect of very small impeller clearances off the tank bottom, C, on complete solid off-bottom suspension, Njs, was investigated. Four types of impellers were used six-blade flat-disk turbine, six-blade flat-blade turbine, six-blade flat (45 degreees) pitched-blade turbine, and the high efficiency impeller Chemineer HE-3. The effects of the impeller diameter, D, tank diameter, T, and solids loading, X, were quantified. The presence of two impellers was analyzed using impellers of the same type and size.

Typically, Njs and the power consumption were found to decrease with the impeller clearance. However, for lower C/T values, a slight …

Fuel-Rich Combustion Of Ethylene And Air In A Two Stage Turbulent Flow Reactor, Tara Byrnes Salem

Theses

This thesis presents experimental and modeling results from the combustion of ethylene and air in a two stage turbulent flow reactor. This work is motivated by the continuing concern over combustion by-products. The first half of the research effort focused on the validation of the reactor as a perfectly stirred reactor and a plug flow reactor (PSR+PFR) sequence. Using four detailed reaction mechanisms, measured concentrations of carbon oxides, oxygen, and light hydrocarbon concentrations were modeled. Within the accuracy of the data, the mechanism of Mao (1995) yielded the best results. However, it was observed that the success of the reactor …

Removal Of Vocs From Waste Gas Streams By Cyclic Membrane Separation Techniques, Gordana Obuskovic

Theses

In this study, new separation techniques called Flow Swing Membrane Absorption Permeation (FSMABP) and Flow Swing Membrane Permeation (FSMP) were used for the removal of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In both cases, processes are cyclic in terms of feed flow while desorption of the VOCs is constantly taking place. The transport mechanism in the FSMABP process is selective permeation followed by absorption of the VOCs into the stagnant nonvolatile absorbent liquid on the shell side of the membrane module and then desorption through a similar polymeric membrane. In the FSMP process, VOCs selectively permeate through the membrane into the …

Mass Transfer Of Pryene Between A Solid Phase And Oil/Water Suspensions, Sachin Ashok Purekar

Theses

This study dealt with understanding the partitioning of pyrene between water and mineral oil, and the mass transfer of pyrene from solid particles to oil/water suspensions.

It was found that when pyrene is dissolved in mineral oil, the amount transferred to water is negligible even after 10 days of phase contact.

Glass beads and sand were used as model solid phases to simulate soil and PAH (pyrene)-contaminated industrial sludges.

The transfer of pyrene from glass beads to mineral oil when no water phase is present was quantified. Mass transfer coefficients, and their dependence on the rate of environment shaking were …

Comparison Of Reductive Dehalogenation By Microbial Populations On Adsorptive Versus Non-Adsorptive Bioreactor Support Materials, Linda S. Colella

Theses

The overall performance of two bioreactors was studied. The reactor with a wood-based activated carbon as a biosupport completely dehalogenated a higher feed concentration of trichlorophenol than that with Manville beads. The carbon reactor was further characterized by the development of adsorption isotherms for most of the class of chlorophenols. Competitive adsorption wag investigated using an anaerobic medium, and a lignite-based carbon was studied for comparison. The order of adsorption strength on both carbons is trichloropenols> dichlorophenols> monochlorophenols, with the wood-based carbon having higher overall adsorption than the lignite-based carbon. The presence of the anaerobic medium decreased the extent of …

Determination Of Physical Parameters Affecting Biofiltration Of Vocs, Steven Matthew Wojdyla

Theses

This study dealt with the determination of physical and design parameters affecting the transient behavior of classical biofilters employed in removal of VOCs from airstreams. The column packing material consisted of a mixture of peat and perlite particles (2:3, v:v). The design parameters investigated were the density of the packing material, its porosity, and the void fraction of the filter-bed. The physical parameters investigated were the characteristics of adsorption equilibrium between VOCs and packing material, and the mass transfer coefficients of VOCs to the packing material.

The density of the packing material was found to be 0.679 x 106 g-packing/ …

Removal Of Vocs From Waste Gas Streams By A Hollow Fiber Permeator, Varinder Pal Malik

Theses

Removal of various VOCs from air/nitrogen feed streams using a novel hollow fiber membrane was studied. Hollow Fiber Module (HFM) used had composite silicone membranes wherein an ultrathin (~ 1μm), nonporous silicone rubber membrane layer had been plasma polymerized on a porous (porosity: 0.4) polypropylene substrate. VOCs studied were toluene, methanol, acetone, methylene chloride and hexane. Primary focus was on single VOCs, although separation of VOC mixtures was also briefly studied. HFM was found to be extremely effective in removing various VOCs from feed streams. Removal of 90-99 % of various VOCs was achieved at low feed flow rates and …

Modeling The Fate Of Volatile Organic Compounds In Wastewater Treatment Facilities; Implementation Of Volatilization Models In Envirocad, Vinita Chhahira

Theses

The 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments have identified wastewater treatment facilities as a major source of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions. VOCs present in wastewater discharges affect the quality of receiving waters, while emissions to the air affect downwind populations. The primary mechanisms involved in VOC removal from a wastewater treatment facility are volatilization and stripping, biodegradation, and sorption to either suspended or biological solids. Although many models have been developed to predict the fate of VOCs in wastewater treatment facilities, no model completely predicts emissions for an entire wastewater treatment facility. The focus of this work is to incorporate …

A Comparison Of Anhydrous Ethanol Production From Ethylene And From Corn Utilizing Life Cycle Analysis Methodology, Gregory Morse

Theses

There is currently much concern with the impact on the environment due to industrial processes. One method to assess this impact is to perform a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) on the process. Life Cycle Analysis is made up of three stages; Life Cycle Inventory Analysis, Life Cycle Impact Assessment, and Life Cycle Improvement Assessment. In this study, Life Cycle Inventory Analysis methodology was applied to two industrial processes for producing anhydrous ethanol. The first process is the fermentation of corn, and the second is the hydration of ethylene using water and a catalyst. Each process was first modeled using the …

Volatilization Of Volatile Organic Compounds From Complex Wastewaters, Syed Sikandar Qadry

Theses

A variety of volatile organic solvents used in the pharmaceutical and specialty chemical industries end up in wastewater collection and treatment systems. EPA has classified these VOCs into groups depending on their potential to volatilize from the wastewaters. In making this classification, Henry's Law, which is valid at very low concentrations, has been used to describe the vapor-liquid equilibrium. But, in reality the concentrations observed in the wastewaters are often too high for Henry's Law to be valid and it is inappropriate to assume that equilibrium has been achieved for every compound.

This project evaluates the volatilization rates, both experimental …

A Study Of The Biofiltration Process Under Shock-Loading Conditions, Helen Androutsopoulou

Theses

Biofiltration is a new technology for treating airstreams contaminated with emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). It employs porous particles which are placed in reactors, in packed-bed configurations, after appropriate microorganisms have been immobilized on the solid support.

Biofiltration involves complex processes, and is not yet well understood. In this thesis the response of biofilter units to quantitative and qualitative changes in the inlet airstreams was examined. Steady state data were also analyzed through the use of an existing detailed model.

Experiments were performed with two small-scale biofilters, and with ethanol and butanol as model compounds. Each biofilter was dedicated …

Agitation Requirements For Complete Liquid Dispersion In Liquid-Liquid-Gas Systems, Emad Ahmad Abu-Hakmeh

Theses

A number of studies have been published in the literature on the determination of the agitation intensity at which two immiscible liquids become completely dispersed in mechanically agitated vessels. However, no information is currently available on the agitation intensity required for the complete dispersion of two liquids in the presence of an additional gas phase. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to experimentally determine the minimum agitation speed for complete liquid-liquid dispersion, N_cd, in liquid-liquid-gas systems as a function of gas flow rate, impeller type, impeller size, and impeller off-bottom clearance. The minimum agitation speed was …

The Development Of A Senior Unit Operations Laboratory On The Supercritical Extraction Of Solid Naphthalene With Supercritical Carbon Dioxide, Ronald G. Gabbard

Theses

A Senior level Undergraduate Unit Operations Laboratory experiment was developed for the extraction of Naphthalene with supercritical Carbon Dioxide. A Supercritical Extraction Screening System purchased from Autoclave Engineers of Erie, Pennsylvania was modified slightly for use as the laboratory equipment. The experiment consists of extracting solid naphthalene from a sand bed in a fixed bed extractor and determining the mass transfer coefficient for the unit.

The lab has been designed to allow the students to develop their own experimental plan without much direct input. The experimental outline provided for the students primarily focuses on information needed for safe and proper …

Investigation Of The Effects Of Methyl Chloride Addition On Premixed, Laminar, Methane/Air Flat Flames, Limin Wang

Theses

Temperatures and the concentrations of stable species, such as CO, CO₂, CH₄, and CH3Cl, have been measured over the height above burner at equivalence ratio of 0.79 (fuel lean) and 1.20 (fuel rich) for premixed, laminar CH₄/air and CH₃Cl/CH₄/air flat flames. A water-cooled quartz sampling micro-probe and gas chromatographic analysis were used for the concentration measurements. Chemical kinetic modeling of these flames with a 279-reaction, 63-species elementary reaction mechanism is performed using the CHEMKIN premixed flat flame code. The results of rate-of-production calculations are analyzed to determine the most important …

Pressure Swing Absorption-Based Separation Of A Gas Mixture, Syamalendu Bhaumik

Theses

In this study, separation of a gas mixture was investigated using the novel concept of pressure swing absorption in a stationary absorbent liquid. The best features of pressure swing adsorption, gas liquid scrubbing and hollow fiber based membrane processes were incorporated to develop the process.

A well-packed microporous hydrophobic hollow fiber module was used to achieve absorption of a gas at a high pressure into a liquid during a certain part of the cycle followed by desorption of the gas from the liquid in the other part of the cycle. The device has a very high interfacial area per unit …

Removal Of Volatile Organic Compounds (Voc's) Acetone And Ethyl Alcohol Emitted In The Manufacture Of A Multi-Base Propellant, Yih-Leu Liu

Theses

The Production Base Modernization Activity located at Picatinny Arsenal, initiated this study for the removal of the low concentrations of VOC's, acetone and ethyl alcohol emitted from the mixer operation and the forced air dry unit in the manufacture of a multi -base propellant. Air pollution requirements necessitate 85 % removal of the VOC's prior to discharge of the vent gases into the atmosphere. Because of the availability of sulfuric acid, it is proposed to use 70 percent or stronger acid as the absorbing agent in a recirculating acid absorption tower.

Vapor - Liquid Equilibrium ( VLE ) data were …

Mineralization Of 2-Chlorophenol Using A Hollow Fiber Ultrafiltration System In Combination With A Reactor Containing An Immobilized White Rot Fungus, Sheau-Ming Tung

Theses

Phanerochaete chrysosporium, a white rot fungus was immobilized on a packed-bed reactor, and was used to mineralize an aqueous stream contaminated with 50 ppm of 2-chlorophenol. Hollow fiber ultrafiltration membranes (for 5,000 daltons and 10,000 daltons molecular weight cut-oft) were utilized to retain the extracellular enzyme resulting from the immobilized fungus in a recirculation loop outside of the reactor.

It was found here that the concentration of proteins (roughly proportional to the extracellular enzyme releasd by the fungus) does not correlate with the rate of degradation of 2-chlorophenol in the system. The protein was concentrated 1.5 fold in the recycle …