Chemical Engineering Commons^™

Determination Of The Blend Level Of Mixtures Of Biodiesel With Mineral Diesel Fuel Using Near Infrared Spectroscopy, J.G. Pacheco Filho, M.F. Pimentel, L. Stragevitch, L .S. G. Teixeira, G. M.G. Ribeiro, R. S. Cruz

Bioenergy - I: From Concept to Commercial Processes

No abstract provided.

Increasing The Yield Of Fuel Ethanol From Barley With Beta-Glucanases And Beta-Glucosidases, Kevin B. Hicks, David B. Johnston, Arland T. Hotchkiss, Jr.

Bioenergy - I: From Concept to Commercial Processes

No abstract provided.

Enhancement Of Cellulose Saccharification Kinetics Using An Ionic Liquid, Ananth Dadi, Sasidhar Varanasi, Constance Schall

Bioenergy - I: From Concept to Commercial Processes

No abstract provided.

Imperative Of National Savings: A Case For Adoption Of Appropriate Benchmark Price For Crude Oil., Moses F. Otu

Bullion

Budgeting involves the design of plans that aligns expected financial resources and expenditure to accomplish specific national goals and objectives. It is in this regard that this paper provides a simple framework for deriving an acceptable bench-mark price for crude oil for budgeting purposes. This is aimed at enabling the elimination of subjectivity in budgeting process and promote understanding between all the stakeholders in order to fast track the process of passage of the appropriation bill. Following a brief introduction, the paper examines the need for national saving fund and constitutional provisions for national savings. Section three focuses on the …

Liquid Phase Mixing In Trayed Bubble Column Reactors, Javier Alvaré, Muthanna H. Al-Dahhan

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Compartmentalization of Conventional Bubble Columns by Perforated Trays Constitutes a Very Effective Method to Reduce the Liquid Back mixing. the Effect of Tray Design and Operating Conditions on the overall Liquid Mixing Was Studied in a Bench-Scale Trayed Bubble Column. the Extent of Liquid Back mixing in the Column Was Investigated in Light of Liquid-Phase Tracer Response Experiments. in Average, a Three-Fold Reduction in the Liquid Back mixing Was Achieved in the Trayed Column as Compared to the Column Without the Trays. Moreover, the Tray Open Area and the Superficial Liquid Velocity Were Found to Have the Strongest Effects …

Graphitized Carbon Foam With Phase Change Material, Angelinda D. Fedden

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the transient heating and cooling responses of graphitized carbon foam infiltrated with phase change material (PCM). The carbon foam provides rapid heat transfer throughout the PCM volume, while the PCM stores the heat for later removal. The foam/PCM system was heated with a copper heating block, and then cooled with a liquid-cooled heat removal block. Infiltrating the foam with PCM significantly increased the length of time before the system reached maximum temperature. The temperature response of the foam/PCM system was consistent over multiple cycles of heating and cooling. A high density foam had a faster heating and …

Cycle Performance Of A Pulse Detonation Engine With Supercritical Fuel Injection, Timothy M. Helfrich

Theses and Dissertations

Pulse detonation engines (PDE) rely on rapid ignition and formation of detonation waves. Because hydrocarbon fuels are composed typically of long carbon chains that must be reduced in the combustion process, it would be beneficial to create such reduction prior to injection of fuel into the engine. This study focused on PDE operation enhancements using dual detonation tube, concentric-counter-flow heat exchangers to elevate the fuel temperature up to supercritical temperatures. Variation of several operating parameters included fuel type (JP-8, JP-7, JP-10, RP-1, JP-900, and S-8), ignition delay, frequency, internal spiral length, and purge fraction. To quantify the performance, four key …

Electrocatalytic Oxidation Of Glucose On Nano Pt/C Electrode, Cui-Lian Chen, Xiao-Lan Wei, Pei Kang Shen

Journal of Electrochemistry

Nano Pt/C electrocatalysts were prepared by intermittent microwave heating method.The electrooxidation of glucose on smooth Pt and～Pt/C electrodes has been studied and compared.The results showed that the electrochemical properties on nano Pt/C were improved due to the reduction of the overpotential and the increase in the kinetic rate.The surface area would be significantly increased when the particle size of the catalyst was reduced to nano-scale,resulting in the increase in the activity.The enhancement in the resistance to poisoning could be explained that the oxygen-containing species are easier to react with poisoning species on nano Pt/C and re-active the electrode.

The Effect Of Solution Concentration On Properties Of Ru-Ti-Ir Oxide Anode Coatings, Ke Wang, Yan Han, Jun-Tao Wang, Xiao-Ling Zhang, Yu-Pu Sun

Journal of Electrochemistry

The anode coatings of Ru-Ti-Ir oxide with various solution concentrations were prepared by thermal decomposition.The scanning electron microscope(SEM),energy dispersive X-ray detector(EDX),X-ray diffraction(XRD),accelerated life,polarization curve,cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance.spectroscopy(EIS)tests were carried out.The results showed that there was an obvious effect of solution concentrations on the morphology of the coatings,but little effect on polarization of chlorine evolution.Voltammetric charges and double layer capacitances of anode coatings had a tendency to fall down firstly then increase afterwards as the solution concentration increased.

Electrochemical Reduction Behavior Of Benzaldehyde In The Ionic Liquids, Ning Zhao, Wen-Ju Dong, Qi-Zeng Shi

Journal of Electrochemistry

In this paper, the electrochemical reduction of benzaldehyde was investigated in C₄MIMBF₄, C₆MIMBF₄  and C₈MIMBF₄ ionic liquids by cyclic linear sweep voltammetry,cyclic square-wave voltammetry and chronocoulometry.Benzaldehyde exhibits two successive one-electron irreversible reduction(E_P1=-1.39 V, E_P2=1.69 V) with GC electrode in C₄MIMBF₄, the voltammetric data for benzaldehyde give diffusion coefficients of 1.5*10^-8cm²/s and 1.3*10⁸cm²/s. There is one current peak in C₆MIMBF₄  and C₈MIMBF₄ ionic liquids due to their stronger alkalinity …

Oxygen Enrichment Effect Of Ceo2 To The Cathode Performance Of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell, Xiang-Li Hou, Hong-Feng Xu, Jian-Hua Dong, Xin Sun

Journal of Electrochemistry

CeO₂ was added to Pt/C catalyst in the cathode of PEMFC by both sol and impregnation methods.The samples were evaluated by TEM,cyclic voltammogram techniques and proton exchange membrane fuel cell performance test.The addition of CeO₂ obviously improved the performance of PEMFC and represented a notable function of oxygen enrichment in the cathode side.But with the addition of CeO₂,part of the catalyst surface was covered and led to the performance drop of the PEMFC.The best content of CeO₂ is 1% when it is added by impregnation method and 3% when it is added by sol method.

Degradation Of Aniline Wastewater By Electro-Heterogeneous Catalysis Reactor, Wei-Li Liu, Ai-Li Zhang, Ji-Ti Zhou, Bao-Jun Jia, Qun-Li Zhu

Journal of Electrochemistry

The treatment of aniline wastewater was investigated using novel electro-heterogeneous catalysis reactor.The effects of applied cell voltage,electrolysis lime,pH value and the electrolyte on electrolysis were investigated.The experimental results show that the reactor with a cell voltage of 30 V,an electrolysis time of 1 h,pH value of 7 and a salinity of 800 mg/L can achieve the best removal efficiency on aniline,which is more efficient than the sole electrochemical reactor.

A Plastic-Based Thick-Film Li-Ion Microbattery For Autonomous Microsensors, Qian Lin

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation describes the development of a high-power, plastic-based, thick-film lithium-ion microbattery for use in a hybrid micropower system for autonomous microsensors. A composite porous electrode structure and a liquid state electrolyte were implemented in the microbatteries to achieve the high power capability and energy density. The use of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) was found to significantly reduce the measured resistance of the cathodes that use LiAl0.14Mn1.86O4 as active materials, increase active material accessibility, and improve the cycling and power performance without the need of compression. Optimized uncompressed macro cathodes were capable of delivering power densities greater than 50 mW/cm2, …

The Comet Assay To Determine The Mode Of Cell Death For The Ultrasonic Delivery Of Doxorubicin To Human Leukemia (Hl-60 Cells) From Pluronic P105 Micelles, Ghaleb A. Husseini, Kim L. O'Neill, William G. Pitt

Faculty Publications

This notes examines the mode of cell death of HL-60 cells exposed to 70 kHz and 1.3 W/cm2 in the presence of 1% Pluronic P105 and 1.67 μg/ml doxorubicin (Dox). The cells were ultrasonicated for 30, 60 and 120 minutes. They were then lysed, electrophorised, stained using propidium iodide, and their DNA profile captured using a fluorescent microscope. The gradual DNA damage observed and the comet tails captured after 1 and 2 hours of insonation suggest that the mode of cell killing is apoptosis.

Wagging The Contact Line: Transverse And Longitudinal Waves, S. Saritha, Partho Neogi

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Kinetics of wetting has been explored where the contact line not only sees a steady spreading but also has longitudinal or transverse oscillations imposed on it. The latter case is realized when spreading takes place over a rough surface. The effects of the imposed motion are small, which seem to be due to low spreading rates and small dynamic contact angles used in this study. However, a singularity is seen in viscous dissipation during the movement on the model rough surface, which is interpreted here as an instability that is similar to Haines' jumps and stick-slip phenomena, with possible entrainment …

Transition From Unilamellar To Bilameller Vesicles Induced By An Amphiphilic Biopolymer, Jae-Ho Lee, Vivek Argarwal, Arijit Bose, Gregory F. Payne, Srinivasa R. Raghavan

Chemical, Biomolecular, and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

We report some unusual structural transitions upon the addition of an amphiphilic biopolymer to unilamellar surfactant vesicles. The polymer is a hydrophobically modified chitosan and it embeds its hydrophobes in vesicle bilayers. We study vesicle-polymer mixtures using small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) and cryotransmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM). When low amounts of the polymer are added to unilamellar vesicles of ca. 120 nm diameter, the vesicle size decreases by about 50%. Upon further addition of polymer, lamellar peaks are observed in the SANS spectra at high scattering vectors. We show that these spectra correspond to a co-existence of unilamellar and bilamellar vesicles. …

Discover Magazine - Cyborg Bacteria, Ravi F. Saraf, Vikas Berry

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: News Releases

In a society that has goldplated everything from hubcaps to teeth, it was perhaps inevitable that someone would find a way to add some bling to bacteria.

Phase Distribution In An Upflow Monolith Reactor Using Computed Tomography, M. (Muthanna) H. Al-Dahhan, A. Kemoun, A. R. Cartolano

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Computed Tomography (CT) is Known to Be a Viable Technique for Determining Flow Maldistribution in Two-Phase Flow through Packed Beds. in This Study, Gamma Ray Computed Tomography Has Been Used to Quantify the Flow Distribution in a Monolith Catalytic Bed, with Water as the Liquid Phase and Air as the Gas Phase, Flowing Co-Currently Upward. the Flow Conditions Were Selected to Bracket Some Commercially Viable Operating Conditions for Such Reactors. in the Monolith Core Region, Fairly Uniform Flow Distribution Has Been Obtained for All the Flow Conditions Used. This Distribution is Quantified using the Standard Deviation of the Holdup Distribution. …

Supercritical-Carbon Dioxide-Assisted Cyclic Deposition Of Metal Oxide And Metal Thin Films, Dipak Barua, Theodosia Gougousi, Erin D. Young, Gregory N. Parsons

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Thin films of aluminum oxide and palladium were deposited on silicon at low temperatures (70-120 °C) by a cyclic adsorption/reaction processes using supercritical CO₂ solvent. Precursors included Al(hfac)₃, Al(acac)₃, and Pd(hfac)₂, and aqueous H₂O₂, tert-butyl peracetate, and H₂ were used as the oxidants or reductants. For the precursors studied, growth proceeds through a multilayer precursor adsorption in each deposition cycle, and film thickness increased linearly with the number of growth cycles.

Phase Transitions Of Poly (L-Lactic Acid) In Bulk And In Solution, Jing Zhang

Dissertations

Poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) has been subject to intensive research in recent years because of its biodegradability. Applications of PLLA, such as porous tissue engineering scaffolds and excipients for controlled release, have been developed in the biomedical and pharmaceutical fields. The crystal structures and morphologies of this semicrystalline polyester are the underlying factors that determine the mechanical and degradation properties of PLLA.

A fundamental understanding of the development of crystal structures and morphologies during the phase transitions of PLLA in bulk and in solution is pursued in this dissertation. Synchrotron wide- and small-angle x-ray scattering (WAXS and SAXS) are adopted as …

Modification Of Clays With Ionic Liquids For Polymer Nanocomponents, Neung Hyun Kim

Theses

In attempts to prepare nanofillers with enhanced compatibility with a polymer matrix, cationic and anionic clays susceptible to exchange of their interlamellar ions with a variety of other cations or anions, were selected.

In order to treat cationic clay, montmorillonite, which contains sodium ions as interlayer ions, reagents having cations differing in size and structure included three ionic liquids ([EMIM]⁺ [Br]^-, [HXMIM]⁺ [Cl]^-, and [Epty]⁺ [BF4]^-). Results indicated that cationic exchange did occur from aqueous solution as confirmed by FTIR, EDX, WAXS, TGA, and elemental analysis. WAXS indicated a significant increase …

Engineering Opens Year With New Lab Celebrations

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: News Releases

The Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering hosted rt ribborx-cuttlng ceremony Jan. 6 to mark the lab's move from the first floor of Othmer HaIl to the basement.

Engineering Opens Year With New Lab Celebrations

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: News Releases

The Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony Jan. 6 to mark the lab's move from the first floor of Othmer Hall to the basement. The new lab is designed to mimic a factory so students can use equipment similar to that found in factories and research labs, said William Velander, chair of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. The lab features enhanced utility hookups necessary for chemical processing.

Fuel-Nox Formation During Low-Grade Fuel Combustion In A Swirling-Flow Burner, Chunyang Wu

Theses and Dissertations

Insufficient knowledge of fireside behavior in the near-burner region during biomass combustion is one of major factors preventing widespread use of this renewable fuel in pulverized coal power plants. The current research is aimed to investigate the impact of biomass cofiring on NO formation in the near-burner region through interpretation of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) predictions and data collected from a series of biomass tests in a pilot-scale (0.2 MW), swirling flow burner. Two-dimensional gas species mole fraction data were collected with state-of-theart instruments from nine experiments, composing one herbaceous biomass (straw), one woody biomass (sawdust), a low sulfur sub-bituminous …

Coupling Between Lysozyme And Trehalose Dynamics: Microscopic Insights From Molecular-Dynamics Simulations, Taner E. Dirama, Joseph E. Curtis, Gustavo A. Carri, Alexei P. Sokolov

College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering

We have carried out molecular-dynamics simulations on fully flexible all-atom models of the protein lysozyme immersed in trehalose, an effective biopreservative, with the purpose of exploring the nature and extent of the dynamical coupling between them. Our study shows a strong coupling over a wide range of temperatures. We found that the onset of anharmonic behavior was dictated by changes in the dynamics and relaxation processes in the trehalose glass. The physical origin of protein-trehalose coupling was traced to the hydrogen bonds formed at the interface between the protein and the solvent. Moreover, protein-solvent hydrogen bonding was found to control …

Dynamic Sulfur Tolerant Process And System With Inline Acid Gas-Selective Removal For Generating Hydrogen For Fuel Cells, Surjit Randhava, W. S. Winston Ho, Richard L. Kao, Elias H. Camara

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Patents

This invention relates to a sulfur tolerant, dynamic, compact, lightweight fuel process and system that is capable of converting sulfur bearing carbonaceous fuels to hydrogen rich gases suitable for fuel cells or chemical processing applications. The process and system is based on the AHR and WGS reactions, followed by cleanup of byproduct sulfur-containing gases and carbon oxides that would otherwise poison the fuel cell electrocatalyst. Advantageously, this is accomplished via an ASMS and a methanator or an AWMR. The process and system preferably uses a special sulfur tolerant catalysts and hardware designs that enable the conversion in an energy efficient …

Transgenic Non-Human Mammals Producing Fibrinogen In Their Milk, William H. Velander

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Patents

A transgenic, non-human mammalian animal is capable of expressing a heterologous gene for human or other recombinant physiologically functional fibrinogen holoprotein or individual subunit chain polypeptides thereof or a modified or fusion fibrinogen in mammary glands of the animals and secreting the expressed product into a body fluid. Methodology employing such a mammal yields recombinant physiologically functional fibrinogens, subunit chain polypeptides thereof, and modified or fusion fibrinogens.

High-Pressure Torsion-Induced Grain Growth In Electrodeposited Nanocrystalline Ni, X. Z. Liao, A. R. Kilmametov, R. Z. Valiev, Hongsheng Gao, Xiaodong Li, A. K. Mukherjee, J. F. Blingert, Y. T. Zhu

Faculty Publications

Deformation-induced grain growth has been reported in nanocrystalline (nc) materials under indentation and severe cyclic loading, but not under any other deformation mode. This raises an issue on critical conditions for grain growth in nc materials. This study investigates deformation-induced grain growth in electrodeposited nc Ni during high-pressure torsion (HPT). Our results indicate that high stress and severe plastic deformation are required for inducing grain growth, and the upper limit of grain size is determined by the deformation mode and parameters. Also, texture evolution suggests that grain-boundary-mediated mechanisms played a significant role in accommodating HPT strain.

The Microstructure And Grain Size Of Jet Electroplated Copper Films In Damascene Trench Features, Andrew Tzanavaras, Gregory Young, Stacy H. Gleixner

Faculty Publications

The brightening additive level and dc current density of electroplating baths are two parameters that affect the gap-filling capability and the degree of impurity incorporation in electroplated copper films. Additive incorporation can inhibit grain growth during the room temperature recrystallization process and therefore affect the final grain size. This investigation explores the grain size and microstructure of dc jet-electroplated copper films in 0.35 and 0.50μm Damascene trenches as a function of current density and brightening additive level after first receiving a high-temperature anneal. Unlike a previous study that explored these variables in blanket Cu films [ J. Electrochem. Soc. , …

Kinetic Characterization For Pretreatment Of Timber Varieties And Switchgrass Using Diluted Acid Hydrolysis, Shu Chiang Yat

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

In recent years, growing attention has been devoted to the use of lignocellulosic biomass as a feedstock to produce renewable carbohydrates as a source of energy products, including liquid alternatives to fossil fuels. The benefits of developing woody biomass to ethanol technology are to increase the long-term national energy security, reduce fossil energy consumption, lower greenhouse gas emissions, use renewable rather than depletable resources, and create local jobs. Currently, research is driven by the need to reduce the cost of biomass-ethanol production. One of the preferred methods is to thermochemically pretreat the biomass material and subsequently, enzymatically hydrolyze the pretreated …