Chemical Engineering Commons^™

Evaluating The Homogeneity Of Solidification/Stabilization Treated Waste Soils By Chemical Analysis Method, Mei Liu

Theses

Solidification/Stabilization technology has been widely used for waste treatment, especially for heavy metals, non-volatile wastes, radioactive wastes and soils. Homogeneity is a very important criterion for this kind of technology.

This study focuses on the development of a method to evaluate the homogeneity of S/S treated soil. A chemical analysis method, atomic absorbance, is employed to evaluate the distribution of S/S reagent in a soil-cement mixture and thus the uniformity of the soil-cement mixture. Also, a fluorescent tracer method is discussed in this study, which can be used to estimate the homogeneity of the soil-cement surface. The fluorescent tracer method …

Pure Strong Competition For Two Microbial Populations In A Chemostat, Efthimios Ioannis Banias

Theses

The dynamics of pure, strong, double competition between two microbial populations in an ideal chemostat have been investigated by using mathematical and numerical analysis. The two nutrients competed for have been assumed to be complementary for both competitors. Inter active models have been used for the specific growth rates. Two cases have been considered; one in which neither of the two substrates exerts inhibitory effects on the growth of either one of the competing populations, and one in which the growth of one population is inhibited by only one of the two substrates. The primary focus of this investigation was …

Inability Of Phanerochaete Chrysosporium To Degrade Polychlorinated Biphenyls In Sand, Pankaj Pankaj

Theses

The white rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium has been previously found to successfully degrade a wide spectrum of chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons (some of them in soil or sand matrices). In this research, it was tested if the fungus could also degrade a very recalcitrant class of pollutant, i.e. Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) in sand at a concentration of 100 ppm (w/w PCB to sand). For this purpose, a number of experiments were performed, in which several operating parameters, such as nutrient concentrations (nitrogen and glucose), amount of initial biomass, aeration, and degree of chlorination of the PCBs were varied. The results obtained …

Biodegradation Of Phenol And Benzoic Acid In Batch And Sequencing Batch Reactors, Stephane Reynaud

Theses

A pure culture of Pseudomonas aeruginosa ( ATCC 10145 ) was used for the biodegradation of phenol and benzoic acid. Two sets of small scale (shaker flask) experiments were originally performed: in the first set, phenol was the only carbon source present while in the second, benzoic acid was the sole carbon source. These experiments revealed the kinetics of benzoic acid degradation (they were found to be described by a Monod, non-inhibitory model), as well as of phenol biodegradation (they were found to be described by Andrews'inhibitory model) by Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

The kinetic expressions from the small scale experiments …

Liquid-Liquid Dispersion In Agitated Vessels Provided With Multiple Impellers, Yu-Tsang Huang

Theses

Baffled vessels with multiple impellers are widely used in industry to generate liquid-liquid dispersions. In this work, a new method to determine the minimum agitation speed for complete dispersion in two immiscible liquids was developed. This method was conceived to replace the traditional visual observation method that has been extensively used in the past for this purpose. The minimum agitation speeds for liquid-liquid dispersion with single and multiple impellers in baffled vessel were also measured. The effect of a number of variables such as size and type of impellers, size of tank, impeller location, spacing between impellers, and dispersed phase …

Biodegradation Of Phenol And 4-Chlorophenol Using A Single Species In A Sequencing Batch Reactor, Kung-Wei Wang

Theses

Biodegradation of phenol and 4-chlorophenol (4CP) using Pseudomonas putida (ATCC 17514) was studied in batch and sequencing batch reactors. Batch experiments were first performed in order to reveal the kinetics of biodegradation for each substrate. 4-Chlorophenol was degradable only in the presence of phenol, or immediately after exposure of the organism to phenol. It was postulated that an enzyme induced by the presence of phenol was necessary to initiate degradation of 4-chlorophenol.

A mathematical model was then developed to describe the dynamic behavior of both substrates in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR). The model utilized rate parameters obtained from batch …

A Comparative Analysis Of The Efficacy Of Zero-Order, First-Order And Monod Kinetic Models In Representing Raw Aerobic Biodegradation Data, Andrew I. Bakun

Theses

A total of 148 raw aerobic biodegradation data sets from batch and continuous stirred-tank reactors were extracted from the open literature and previous NJIT MS theses. Kinetic analysis of each of these data sets was performed with respect to the following commonly used empirical models: (1) zero-order, (2) first-order, and (3) Monod. Two constant-biomass versions of each model were evaluated; one in which So (i.e., the boundary condition for substrate concentration at time equal to zero) was assumed to be equal to the measured value of the initial substrate concentration and the other in which So was treated as a …

Adiabatic Kinetic Studies Of The Cytidine/Acetic Anhydride Reaction By Utilizing Temperature Versus Time Data, Joseph John Shatynski

Theses

It is possible to predict the kinetics of a reaction by using temperature versus time data under adiabatic conditions. This method was used for the cytidine/acetic anhydride reaction using a RC1 Mettler Reaction Calorimeter.

The authenticity of the experimental adiabatic system was verified by determining the kinetic parameters of a known reaction (hydrolysis of acetic anhydride) and comparing them to literature values.

For example, the average experimental activation energy, heat of reaction, and ln k₀ values for the hydrolysis of acetic anhydride were 11.2 ±.5 kcal/gmole, -14.4 ± .2 kcal/gmole, and 12.74 ± .94 sec^-1, respectfully, while …

Charcoal Catalyzed Ozone Decomposition Of Organic Pollutants In Water, Kin Ho

Theses

A laboratory study has been performed on the wastewater treatment (destruction of organic species in water) using a novel process called Integrated Adsorption-Oxidation (IAO) where activated carbon is being utilized as a catalyst-adsorbent, and ozone as oxidant. The results of ozonation alone on the pollutants in water are also reported to provide a comparison with the adsorption-oxidation scheme in semi-batch reactions. All experiments were conducted at room temperature in a semi-batch reactor using five (water soluble) representative chemicals as pollutants: Aniline, Acetamide, Pyridine, N,N-dimethyl formamide and O-cresol. We also studied two volatile compounds: Trichloroethylene and Chloroform. Phenol was studied in …

Catalytic Oxidation Of Chlorinated Compounds Over Pdo/Al2o3 On A Monolith, Tai-Chiang Yu

Theses

The catalytic oxidation of trichloroethylene(TCE) and dichloromethane (DCM) was investigated over a catalyst containing 4% PdO on Al₂O₃ washcoat and on a cordierite monolith with 400 channels per in². Reactivity and selectivity of the catalyst for the destruction of 200 ppm C₂HCl₃ and 500 ppm CH₂Cl₂ in air was evaluated over the temperature range 250 to 550 °C. This research was conducted in a tubular reactor system at space velocities of 4,000 to 24,000 v/v/hr. It was found that complete oxidation occurs at 500°C for DCM and 550°C for …

Solid-Liquid Suspension In Agitated Vessels Provided With Multiple Impellers, Tong Li

Theses

A large number of references can be found in the literature on the effect of mixing parameters on the achievement of the minimum agitation speed to just suspend solid particles. In the vast majority of these studies the agitation system consisted of just one centrally mounted impeller. However, the determination of the minimum agitation speed to achieve the just suspended state when the additional impellers are used have received very little attention. It is the intent of this work to investigate the role of multiple impeller agitation system on the achievement of the complete particle suspension state. The effect of …

A Study Of Biological Dentrification Of Munition Wastes, Sonia R. Venugopal

Theses

Kinetics of denitrification were studied using a consortium from the Lawrence, Kansas municipal treatment plant. Experiments were conducted in the batch mode, under controlled oxygen and pH conditions. It was found that the Monod model can successfully perdict the experimental results of nitrate depletion. It was also found that when the pH is maintained at values between 7.0 and 8.5, nitrate can be treated in a batch mode without having any significant nitrite presence in the reactor. The experimentally determined kinetic parameters were used in preliminary calculations for sizing a sequencing batch reactor (SBR). An existing mathematical model for the …

Coexistence Of Three Pure And Simple Competitors In Four Interconnected Bioreactors, Ming Wu

Theses

It is known that a homogeneous environment having invariant inputs cannot allow for steady state coexistence of any number of pure and simple competitors. However, it has been proven that two pure and simple competitors can coexist at a steady state in two interconnected chemostats, if the conditions are such that they allow a different species to grow faster in each one of the two vessels. It has been also shown that three pure and simple competitors cannot coexist in three interconnected chemostats, even if the conditions are such that a different population could grow faster (have the competitive advantage) …

Evaluation Of Rates Constants In An Isothermal Turbular Reactor, Yu-Hsin Lin

Theses

To view upon an incompressible laminar-flow fluid in fully developed in a plug reactor, in which a layer of catalyst coated on the inside surface of this reactor. Two kinds of reaction will occur : one is bulk ( homogeneous ) reaction, i.e., the reaction of reactants themselves; another is a first-order irreversible catalyst ( heterogeneous ) reaction, i.e., the reaction of reactants and catalysis.It is apparent that two reactipn rate constants, Κ_b for the homogeneous reaction and Κ_ω for the heterogeneous reaction, will be caused because of these two reactions

One partial differential equation after working of …

Biodegradation Of Hexachlorocyclohexane In Sand And Wastewater Using Immobilized Phanerochaete Chrysosporum, Ajaykumar C. Gami

Theses

The present study was carried out in order to assess the ability of Phanerochaete chysosporium to degrade lindane (hexachlorocyclohexane) in sand as well as in water. It was found that the fungus is immobilized on saw dust, it is able to degrade lindane in a packed-bed reactor configuration, with a first-order rate constant of 0.00066min^-1. The fungus is also able to degrade lindane in sand. As with the packed-bed reactor, a supplemental carbon source (glucose) is required. In this study it was found that a glucose concentration of 20 gm/kg of sand, and 40% w/w moisture content, give …

Preparation And Testing Of Novel Blocked Isocyanate Dental Adhesives Based Upon Hydroxyhexylmethacrylate, Yunwen Ye

Theses

A new kind of dental adhesive, O-Chlorophenol-TDI-HEMA-Pentaerythritol (TDI), was studied under long term conditions. The test was done in human third molar teeth which had been extracted 7 days to 6 months. Both citric acid and non citric acid pre-treatments were used on dentin surfaces. Based on Causton's[9] mineralizing solution pre-treatment method, we have used 3 kinds of mineralizing solutions, ITS, 0.5% CaCl2, NaF, as pre-treatment solutions. There were no significant differences between the citric acid and non citric acid pre-treatment. The ITS mineralizing solution pre-treatment caused a large increase in bond strength. The average bond strength of 1791 psi …

Modeling A Fuel Rich Premixed Laminar Methane Flame Oh, Ch, Nh, Cn Profiles, Including Prompt No, Md. Hasan Ul Karim

Theses

A detailed reaction mechanism based upon fundamental thermochemical kinetic principles has been developed to describe the concentration profiles of OH, CH, NH, CN, and NO including prompt NO radicals in laminar flow, fuel rich methane flames as well as flames doped with 700 ppm ammonia. A one dimensional laminar flat flame code which incorporated diffusion, and the detailed reaction mechanism was used to predict the radical concentration profiles from the model. These calculated values are compared to experimental data of Dean (1984).

The model consist of two reaction subsets, hydrocarbon oxidation set and an ammonia oxidation set. The reactions most …

Recycling: Separation Of Major Thermoplastics From Postconsumer Plastics Stream, Rafael A. Rodriguez

Theses

The complete process for separating Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE), High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), Polypropylene (PP), Polystyrene (PS), Polyurethane (PU), and Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) from a mixture of postconsumer plastics materials was presented. The driving forces considered to achieve separation were different densities and selective solubility of plastics in specific solvents.

The proposed process separates Polyurethane and Polystyrene by using aqueous solutions of different densities. On the other hand, the other five plastics are separated using solvents.

Diagrams showing streams and plastics separation in each unit were discussed. Individual material balances for each step were performed for a …

Biodegradation Of Phenol By Two Competing Microbial Species In A Sequencing Batch Reactor, Yoo-Suk Ko

Theses

Biodegradation of a single pollutant by two competing microbial species has been mathematically described for the case where a sequencing batch reactor is used. The model has been solved numerically to predict the behavior of the reactor under different operating conditions and for different kinetic expressions for biodegradation.

Experiments were performed to verify the predictions of the model. Serratia marcescens (ATCC 17991) and Pseudomonas putida (ATCC 31800) were the species used. Experiments were first performed in order to reveal the kinetics of biodegradation for each individual species. The biodegradable substance used was phenol, which was the sole carbon source in …

Mathematical Modeling And Computer Simulations Of Biodenitrification In Batch And Sequencing Batch Reactors, Sugata Sanyal

Theses

Mathematical models have been derived for describing biodegradation of ni¬trate and nitrite in an anaerobic environment. Monod model for nitrate and Andrews model for nitrite were used as kinetic models. Experimental data from literature suggest that nitrate is not an inhibitory substance, while nitrite is not only inhibitory but it may also have a toxic effect on the biomass. The models were brought in dimensionless form in order to reduce the number of parame¬ters. Biodegradation was mathematically described for a batch, and a sequencing batch mode of operation. Computer programs were developed for numerically simulating the process. Some of the …

Multiphase Solid-Liquid-Liquid Mixing In Stirred Tanks, George R. Deritter

Theses

A large number of investigations can be found in the literature which examine the effect of mixing parameters in both solid-liquid and liquid-liquid systems. However, very little is currently available for solid-liquid-liquid systems. It is the intent of this study to look at the various parameters affecting the point of complete dispersion for a liquid and the point of complete suspension for a solid phase, in a three phase liquid-liquid-solid system.

Dioxin Formation : Thermodynamics And Reaction Pathways During The Oxidation/Incineration Of Chloroaromatics, Sanjiv Narendra Patel

Theses

Enthalpy, entropy and heat capacity property estimation for cyclic molecules using Benson's group additivity method require the use of ring correction terms. Ring correction terms are estimated from the thermodynamic properties of the cyclic molecule being considered. In the absence of litera¬ture values a procedure is proposed to predict these thermodynamic values.

Benson's Group additivity method does not fully account for the interactions between bulky group or atom substituents on the aromatic ring. In order to have accurate thermodynamic properties for these compounds, a data base is generated with ortho, meta and Para interactions for (Cl-Cl), (Cl-OH), (OH-OH), (CH_{3 …}

Kinetic Mechanism Of The Reactions Of Dichloromethane And Chloroform With Atomic Hydrogen At Low Pressure And Room Temperature, Jia-Ling Linda Young

Theses

The reaction mechanism of dichloromethane reaction (DCM) with atomic hydrogen in a flow reactor at room temper¬ature (300 K) and low pressure (2.1 - 2.7 torr), argon bath gas, has been developed in this research to analyze the above reaction system. The important addition reactions of radicals (or atoms) to olefins and the radical/radical (atom/radical) combination reactions have been analyzed using the bimolecular version of the Quantum-Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel (QRRK) theory.

The detailed reaction mechanism satisfactorily fits the experimental data for the reagent (DCM) conversion from previous experimental over a initial ratio (atomic hydrogen to dichloromethane) range of 6.8 to 40. The …

Process Modelling Of The Nitration Of Toluene, Nitin K. Shah

Theses

The thesis on the process modelling of the nitration process focuses specifically on the product separation of the nitrated aromatic material from the reactor and - wash section of the process. Included in the text is an overview of the main process steps associated with the production of para and ortho-nitrotoluene. The critical issues concerning the reaction of nitric acid and toluene were summerized, and resulted in this subject being deferred for future work.

The separation of the isomers into pure components is an important. part of the MNT process because of the close high boiling points of the isomeric …

Agitation Requirements For Complete Drawdown Of Floating Solids In Stirred Tanks, Joseph Philemon Mmbaga

Theses

The agitation requirements for complete drawdown of floating solids in mechanically agitated tank vessels has been studied both theoretically and experimentally.

A semi-theoretical equation has been derived on the basis of Kolmogoroff's theory of isotropic turbulence to determine the minimum impeller speed required for drawdown. The equation contains one adjustable parameter which has been found to be a function of the impeller type and position in the tank vessel.

The equation was tested using various vessels and impeller configurations. The solid phase consisted of high density polyethylene (density = 897kg/m³), low density polyethylene (density = 840kg/m³) …

Thermal Decomposition Of Chlorobenzene Reaction With Hydrogen And Oxygen Mixture In An Atmosphere, Chun-Chen Yang

Theses

The thermal reactions of chlorobenzene in hydrogen and oxygen mixtures were studied in tubular flow reactors at 1 atmosphere total pressure. Experiments were carried out in flow reactors of varied diameter for determining effects of different surface to volume ratios. Residence times ranged from 0.03 to 2.5 seconds and temperature was varied over a range of 560 - 660 °C. The 02/H2 ratios ranged from 1% to 5%.

It was found that the conversion of chlorobenzene in hydrogen and oxygen mixtures increased with both temperature and residence time. The oxidation of chlorobenzene also occurred more rapidly when oxygen concentraction was …

Recirculation Flow Bioreactor For The Synthesis Of Nitroxide And N-Oxide Pharmaceuticals, Douglas Lischick

Theses

An investigation of the properties of calcium alginate immobilized hog liver microsomes, rich in FAD-containing mixed function oxidase, was performed. Studies involving catalyst storage, immobilization of cofactors within the matrix, and alginate gel concentration were performed using a 1.8 ml mixed flow micro assay reactor. A recirculation flow reactor was designed and used for the biochemical production of 2,2,4,4-tetramethyl-1,3-oxazolidine-l-oxyl, a potentially useful MRI contrast agent.

The activity of the immobilized microsomes was found to increase over time when stored in CaCl₂ or in buffer at 4-8°C. The increase in activity is a result of the removal of inherent inhibitors …

The Kinetics Of Degradation Of 1,2-Dichloroethane, 1,1,1-Trichloroethane And 1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane In A Photoreactor Using Ozone, Hydrogen-Peroxide And Ultraviolet Radiation, Yuan-Shen Li

Theses

The experiments to oxidize the refractory chemicals, 1,2- Dichloroethane, 1,1,1-Trichlotoethane and 1,1,2,2- Tetrachloroethane using Ozone, Hydrogen Peroxide and Ultraviolet Radiation have been conducted in a ss-304 photoreactor. The reaction kinetic models have been proposed and through the experiments we demonstrate that these models for these compounds perfectly. Analysis is done by gas chromatograph for the substrate concentration and the gas/liquid mass transfer coefficients are calculated. The reaction late constants are determined by use of the Rosenbrock Hillclimb Optimization Algorithm in conjunction with the Fourth-Order Runge- Kutta method on a digital computer. By comparing the effects of O₃,O_{3 …}

Mathematical Model Of A Continuous Sterilization System For Fermentation Media Containing Suspended Solids, Mark A. Leskowicz

Theses

A mathematical model has been developed for a continuous sterilization system where the role of suspended solids on the overall degree of sterilization achieved is taken into account. Evaluation of a "typical" commercial continuous sterilization system showed the role of suspended solids to have little effect on the overall sterilization obtained. For continuous sterilization systems operating in a total residence time of less than one minute, the role of solids may become important and should be evaluated.

A Study Of The Effect Of Some Inhibitors On The Corrosion Rates Of Austenitic Stainless Steels In Sulfuric Acid, Shang-Yinn Chiou

Theses

Four sulfur-containing and three nitrogen-containing organic compounds have been tested as inhibitors for four different austenitic stainless steels-SS304, S5316, SS317L, and SS41O-in 10-50 weight% sulfuric acid solutions respectively. Results confirmed that the sulfur-containing compounds were more effective than the nitrogen-containing compounds. The effect of sodium iodide additions on the behaviours of two of the nitrogen-containing compounds was also studied. The synergistic effect caused by the 1 ion was essential for nitrogen-containing compounds as inhibitors in sulfuric acid solution.