Chemical Engineering Commons^™

Electrodeposition Of Tin Using Tin(Ii) Methanesulfonate From Mixture Of Ionic Liquid And Methane Sulfonic Acid., Yang Kok Kee

Student Works (2010-2019)

The electrodeposition of tin from Tin(II) Methane Sulfonate (MSA) with varying concentration in air and water stable 1-butyl-1-methyl-pyrrolidinium trifluoromethanesulfonate, (BMPOTF) ionic liquid at room temperature was studied. Cyclic Voltammetry served to characterize the electrochemical behavior of tin reduction and oxidation. The diffusion coefficient of stannous ions in the mixture of BMPOTF ionic liquid and MSA based electrolyte obtained via Randles-Sevcik and Cottrell equation was 2 × 10-7 cm2/s. Electroplating on copper panel was conducted under different current densities to determine BMPOTF based tin plating solution current efficiency. Mixture of BMPOTF and MSA based tin plating solution gave current efficiency as …

Effect Of Selected Physical And Chemical Parameters On Crystal Violet Decolorization By Immobilized Laccase., Nur Atiqah Ismail

Student Works (2010-2019)

Synthetic dyes are used for coloration of various materials like textiles, leather and food. Wastewater from dyeing industries constitutes a threat to the environment as many synthetic dyes are often toxic, mutagenic and carcinogenic. Besides, light absorption is hindered by the dyes run-off creating problems to photosynthetic aquatic plants and algae. Biodegradation of waste dyestuff with enzymes provides a viable alternative compared to the often expensive physical/chemical methods. Laccase from Trametes versicolor was chosen in this study as it exhibits low substrate specificity and high ability to oxidize many pollutants which suggested its potential in wastewater treatment and bioremediation. The …

Optimization Of Parameters And Study Of Kinetics In Lactulose Production By Lactose Isomerization Using Strong Basic Anion Exchange Resin, Arvind Nanduri

Masters Theses

"In this work, an experimental design was employed to investigate the effects of different operating conditions on the isomerization of lactose to lactulose by using strong basic anion exchange resin (AMBERLITE-IRA 402). Temperature, resin/lactose mass ratio and pH were considered to be the three factors affecting the conversion of lactose. Box-Behnken design was then used to optimize the operating conditions for maximum response and also to study the various interaction and main effects of the factors. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) of the experimental data showed a high correlation coefficient R² (0.99) and a low root mean square error (2.84) …

Fabrication Of A Memory Device Using Polyaniline Nanofibers And Gold Nanoparticles, Krunal R. Waghela

Masters Theses

"Fabrication of a memory device using one-step/one-pot synthesis for making a PANI (polyaniline)/Au nanocomposite is reported. Although various devices with horizontal and vertical electrode structures were made, the basic structure used consisted of a PANI/Au thin film sandwiched between two electrodes. The ratio of the current in the OFF state to the current in the ON state was seen to be as high as 5000. These devices showed a bistable behavior, which is typical of memory devices. The PANI/Au nanocomposite thin film was constructed right on the electrode using microfabrication techniques with ultraviolet irradiation. The fabrication techniques discussed in this …

Enhanced Photorefractivity In A Polymeric Composite Photosensitized With Modified Carbon Nanotubes, Naveen Kumar Lingam

Masters Theses

"This work involves the photosensitization of photorefractive polymeric composites through the inclusion of multiwalled and singlewalled carbon nanotubes grafted to poly(N-vinyl carbazole). The photorefractive nature of the holograms gratings was established using two-beam-coupling, yielding two-beam-coupling gain coefficients approaching 80 cm⁻¹. Degenerate-four-wave-mixing experiments exhibited diffraction efficiencies as high as 60% as well as over-modulation voltages as low as ~ 40 V/µm. These notable figures of merit indicate that the grafting of the various carbon nanotubes to the poly(N-vinyl carbazole) polymer resulted in enhanced photorefractive performance. The mechanism responsible for this enhancement in photorefractive performance is investigated using a variety of experimental …

Biodiesel Production Using Supercritical Methanol, Dhaval Nitin Modi

Masters Theses

"The catalyst-free transesterification of oil (triglycerides) in supercritical methanol at a temperature and pressure above 239⁰C and 8.1MPa, respectively, provides a new way of producing biodiesel. High reaction temperature and pressure help to accelerate the transesterification because the supercritical methanol becomes non-polar and has enhanced contact with oil. The supercritical transesterification of soybean oil was carried out in a 170 ml volume high-pressure batch reactor. The pressure within the batch reactor was self-generated from heating the contents since no pumps were used. Transesterification of soybean oil with supercritical methanol readily produced biodiesel. Since the supercritical transesterification is carried out without …

Strength Evaluation And Transportation Behavior Of Preformed Particle Gel Using Screens And Tubes, Rajesh Sarma Challa

Masters Theses

"This research included a series of experiments, using screen models to evaluate the strength of swollen gel particles. It also includes the study of PPG propagation and extrusion behavior through tubes of various internal diameters. The effect of the particle gel swelling ratio (depending on brine concentration), flow rate; and mesh size on the gel injection pressure and injectivity were studied. The results show that gel injection pressure depends primarily on the swelling ratio and the mesh size. However, the injection pressure does not increase significantly with injection rates, behavior consistent with the real-time injection pressure and injection rate change …

In-Plane Thermal Conductivity Modeling Of Carbon Filled Liquid Crystal Polymer Based Resins, Tayloria N. G. Adams

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

Adding conductive carbon fillers to insulating thermoplastic resins increases composite electrical and thermal conductivity. Often, as much of a single type of carbon filler is added to achieve the desired conductivity, while still allowing the material to be molded into a bipolar plate for a fuel cell. In this study, varying amounts of three different carbons (carbon black, synthetic graphite particles, and carbon fiber) were added to Vectra A950RX Liquid Crystal Polymer. The in-plane thermal conductivity of the resulting single filler composites were tested. The results showed that adding synthetic graphite particles caused the largest increase in the in-plane thermal …

Targeted Polymeric Biomaterials For The Prevention Of Post Surgical Adhesions, John M. Medley

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Despite recent advances in surgical technique and the development of numerous therapeutic agents, the formation post surgical adhesions (PSA) continues to cause complications for many patients. In this research, we have employed a rational system to develop a novel treatment to address this clinical need. Based on an understanding of the biochemical events that lead to PSA formation, a series of targeted polymeric biomaterials was designed to interrupt the fibrin gel matrix propagation and suppress PSA formation.

Using group transfer polymerization, a series of well controlled block copolymers of polyacrylic acid and poly(ethylene glycol-methacrylate) based materials was synthesized. Subsequent functionalization …

Characterization Of Poly(Methyl Methacrylate Based Nanocomposites Enhanced With Carbon Nanotubes, Andrew Jonathan Placido

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

The viscoelastic relaxation dynamics of a series of poly(methyl methacrylate) [PMMA] based nanocomposites filled with carbon nanotubes have been studied using dynamic mechanical analysis and broadband dielectric spectroscopy. The networks were prepared using four methods: (i) melt mixing, (ii) solution processing, (iii) in-situ polymerization, and (iv) polymer grafting. Nanotube modifications included surface oxidation via acid exposure and surface functionalization for polymer grafting. The effect of variations in processing method and nanotube modification on glass transition temperature (T_g) and relaxation dynamics was investigated. The relaxation behavior of the nanocomposites was sensitive to processing method and nanotube functionalization. Nanotube loading …

Enhanced Pervaporation Using A Novel Pump Configuration, Donough Patrick Shanahan

Theses

The pervaporation process is investigated in this work under the guises of process design improvements and process performance. Several avenues of research were investigated.

The main aim of the project was to investigate the use of liquid ring vacuum pumps for permeate recovery at laboratory and industrial scales. Due to technical and economical issues, these pumps were deemed unsuitable. This analysis then had to be extended further. Previous work investigated the use of dry vacuum pump systems on a lab scale and this work was extended to industrial scale simulations. Results from the lab scale process particularly those relating to …

Enhanced Vacuum Drying Through Improved Solvent Recovery, Reduced Process Cycle Times And Prediction Of Drying Duration, Diana Patricia Mesa Delgado

Theses

Drying of pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals is often accomplished under vacuum conditions to enhance energy efficiency and to avoid overheating of thermo sensitive materials. This project aims to study vacuum drying operations to obtain a better understanding of this process so as to optimize drying performance. This project obtained industrial data collected from a range companies in Ireland.

Pharmaceutical companies started assessing processes and making changes to drying processes from 2004 onwards; these initiatives are due to economic pressures, environmental issues and the Process Analytical Technology (PAT) initiative launched by the FDA in 2004.

Vacuum drying has been used in …

Effect Of Fluorination On Partitioning Behavior And Bilayer Self Assembly, Vivian Aramide Ojogun

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Fluorinated systems are defined by unique properties that offer advantages in drug delivery, material synthesis and industrial applications. In comparison to their hydrocarbon counterparts, the design of fluorinated solutes for tailored applications is limited by the inability to predict the effect of fluorination on phase behavior. This work examines and interprets the influence of fluorination on the phase behavior of fluorinated solutes and surfactants, with emphasis on their impact on vesicle bilayers.

Thermodynamic partitioning of functionalized series of fluorinated and hydrocarbon nicotinate prodrugs fashioned to promote solubility in a fluorocarbon solvent (perfluorooctyl bromide; PFOB) is measured. Predictive approaches are also …

Evaluation Of Two Novel Aluminum-Free, Zinc-Based Glass Polyalkenoate Cements As Alternatives To Pmma Bone Cement For Use In Vertebroplasty And Balloon Kyphoplasty, Gladius Lewis, Mark R. Towler, Daniel Boyd, Matthew J. German, Anthony W. Wren, Owen M. Clarkin, Andrew Yates

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Vertebroplasty (VP) and balloon kyphoplasty (BKP) are now widely used for treating patients in whom the pain due to vertebral compression fractures is severe and has proved to be refractory to conservative treatment. These procedures involve percutaneous delivery of a bolus of an injectable bone cement either directly to the fractured vertebral body, VB (VP) or to a void created in it by an inflatable bone tamp (BKP). Thus, the cement is a vital component of both procedures. In the vast majority of VPs and BKPs, a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) bone cement is used. This material has many shortcomings, notably …

A Microfluidic Method To Measure Diffusion In Hydrogels, Andrew Lee Litzenberger

Master’s Theses

A novel microfluidic method is proposed for studying diffusion of small molecules in a hydrogel. Microfluidic devices were prepared with semi-permeable microchannels defined by crosslinked poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). Uptake of dye molecules from aqueous solutions flowing through the microchannels was observedoptically and diffusion of the dye into the hydrogel was quantified. To complement the diffusion measurements from the microfluidic studies, nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR) characterization of the diffusion of dye in the PEG hydrogels was performed. The diffusion of small molecules in a hydrogel is relevant to applications such asdrug delivery and modeling transport for tissue-engineering applications. The diffusion of small …

Solid-State Compatibilization Of Immiscible Polymer Blends: Cryogenic Milling And Solid-State Shear Pulverization, Marc Frederick Henry

Master’s Theses

The blending of common polymers allows for the rapid and facile synthesis of new materials with highly tunable properties at a fraction of the costs of new monomer development and synthesis. Most blends of polymers, however, are completely immiscible and separate into distinct phases with minimal phase interaction, severelydegrading the performance of the material. Cross-phase interactions and property enhancement can be achieved with these blends through reactive processing or compatibilizer addition. A new class of blend compatibilization relies on the mechanochemical reactions between polymer chains via solid-state, high energy processing. Two contrasting mechanochemical processing techniques are explored in this thesis: …

A General Approach Towards The Synthesis Of Amido-Functionalized Biodegradable Polyesters, Joseph Russell

Master’s Theses

The thesis presented here describes methodologies to produce pendant group functionalized polyesters from amido-functionalized α-hydroxy acids. The synthetic methods used to produce the functionalized α-hydroxy acids are compatible with a wide array of functional groups, making this technique highly versatile. The synthesis of functionalized polyesters was investigated to develop polymers with properties that may improve the capabilities of existing biodegradable polyesters for applications in controlled release pharmaceuticals. Chemically modified a-hydroxy acids were synthesized by reacting glyoxylic acid with a primary or secondary amide. To demonstrate the utility of this reaction, fourstructurally dissimilar amide substituents were examined including 2-pyrrolidione, benzamide, acetamide …

An Experimental Study Of Surfactant Enhanced Waterflooding, Paulina Metili Mwangi

LSU Master's Theses

Surfactants have a variety of applications in the petroleum industry due to their remarkable ability to lower the oil-water interfacial tension and alter wettability. However, surfactant adsorption on rock surfaces has severely crippled this means of improving oil recovery due to the high cost associated with the large quantities of surfactant needed. A previous experimental study by Ayirala (2002) reported the development of mixed wettability using a nonionic surfactant. At this mixed-wet state he was able to recover about 94% of the original oil in place. The underlying motivation of this study was to achieve such high recoveries without using …

Experimental Study On Single Cement Fracture Exposed To Co2 Saturated Brine Under Dynamic Conditions, Tevfik Yalcinkaya

LSU Master's Theses

Carbon capture and storage is one of the technologies that could help reduce CO2 concentration in the atmosphere while contributing to cutback of Greenhouse Gas emissions. Depleted oil and gas fields are favorable targets for CO2 storage because existing wells can be readily used as injection wells. However, a number of abandoned wells also serve as gateway to the reservoir which should be considered in the context of effective Carbon capture and storage. Wellbore cement is a very essential element in wellbore systems that serve as a barrier between different zones in the subsurface. The fractures inside wellbore cement sheath, …

Surfactant-Induced Flow Behavior Effects In Gas Condensate Reservoirs, Bikash Deep. Saikia

LSU Master's Theses

Natural gas, which accounts for a quarter of world’s energy, has been a major energy source because of its abundance and less impact on environment. With explorations at higher depth, pressure and temperature, the share of gas condensate reservoirs to global gas production is increasing. A unique production challenge associated with these reservoirs is the condensate blockage problem, which is the buildup of condensate liquid saturation around wellbore as a result of drawdown below dew point pressure. Mitigation of this problem requires in depth understanding of the multiphase flow of liquid and gas. Surfactants are well known in the literature …

A Simulation Study Of Factors That Affect Pressure Control During Kick Circulation In Managed Pressure Drilling Operations, Jose Eduardo Eduardo Chirinos

LSU Master's Theses

An university-industry consortium has been studying alternative well control procedures to be used for kicks taken during managed pressure drilling (MPD) operations using the constant bottom hole pressure (CBHP) method. The CBHP method of MPD allows more precise control of wellbore pressure than conventional drilling. MPD surface equipment allows more alternatives for controlling a kick and may support faster detection of kicks and losses which can reduce the severity of a well control event. Nevertheless, the elimination of well control incidents cannot be guaranteed, and the uncertainty in downhole drilling margins are not reduced by adopting MPD methods. The primary …

Desulfurization And Tar Removal From Gasifier Effluents Using Mixed Rare Earth Oxides, Sumana Adusumilli

LSU Master's Theses

Biomass gasification is a promising source of fuels. However, hydrogen sulphide, tars and other by-products must be removed from the raw gas because they deactivate downstream reforming and water gas shift catalysts. The goal of this project is to find the best REO combination for simultaneous tar cracking and desulfurization of gasifier effluents and to find the sorbents that are stable at high operating temperatures of gasifiers. Simultaneous tar cracking and H2S removal from a simulated gasifier effluent was tested using different rare earth mixed oxide (REO) catalysts/sorbents based on Ce/LaOx, Ce/La/MOx and Ce/La/M2Ox/Al2O3 where M is a transition metal …

Optimization Of Inductively Coupled Plasma Dry Etching For Planar Waveguide Fabrication., Lim Weng Hong

Student Works (2010-2019)

Optimization of the Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) dry etching process parameters has been carried out. Seven main etching characteristics were considered in order to produce good etching quality. These characteristics are glass etching rates, selectivity of chromium to glass etching rate, channel side wall roughness, channel side wall vertical profile, channel cleanliness, critical dimension and resolution. Several ICP parameters that are affecting the etching characteristic were optimized in this work. These optimised ICP parameters obtained from this work are ICP power (880 W), bias power (45 W), operating chamber pressure (10 mtorr), reactant gas composition, reactant gas flow rate (35sccm …

Catalytic Oxidative Desulfurization Of A Model Diesel, Dongxing Liu

LSU Major Papers

An analysis of heterogeneous oxidation catalysts was performed to determine the activities and optimal operating conditions for the multiphase oxidative desulfurization (ODS) reactions, using a model diesel. Catalysts studied included well-characterized Pd on Al2O3 and activated carbon supports, and carbon-supported Mo2C and W2C, which were prepared by temperature programmed reaction. Several other typical oxidation catalysts were also examined. The model diesel consisted of ~1 wt% sulfur compounds (thiophene and dibenzothiophene) with appropriate amounts of aliphatic, alkylaromatic and N-heterocyclic compounds to simulate a raw number 2 diesel. With oxygen as the oxidant in ODS reactions of this model diesel (70-90ºC, 0.8-1.8 …

Arsenite Oxidation By Pure Cultures Of Thiomonas Arsenivorans Strain B6 In Bioreactor Systems, Aniruddha Dastidar

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The removal of arsenic toxicity from water is accomplished by a preliminary preoxidative step transforming the most toxic form, arsenite (As (III)), to the least toxic form, arsenate (As (V)). The potential of As (III) oxidation to As (V) was initially investigated in batch reactors using the chemoautotrophic Thiomonas arsenivorans strain b6 under varying initial As (III) and cell concentrations and at optimal pH and temperature conditions (pH 6.0 and temperature 30°C). The strain b6 completely oxidized As (III) to As (V) during exponential growth phase for lower levels of As (III) concentrations (≤ 100 mg/L) but continued into stationary …

Retrofit Of Distillation Columns In Biodiesel Production Plants, Nghi Nguyen, Yaşar Demirel

Yaşar Demirel Publications

Column grand composite curves and the exergy loss profiles produced by the Column-Targeting Tool of the Aspen Plus simulator are used to assess the performance of the existing distillation columns, and reduce the costs of operation by appropriate retrofits in a biodiesel production plant. Effectiveness of the retrofits is assessed by means of thermodynamics and economic improvements. We have considered a biodiesel plant utilizing three distillation columns to purify biodiesel (fatty acid methyl ester) and byproduct glycerol as well as reduce the waste. The assessments of the base case simulation have indicated the need for modifications for the distillation columns. …

Nonequilibrium Thermodynamics Modeling Of Coupled Biochemical Cycles In Living Cells, Yaşar Demirel

Yaşar Demirel Publications

Living cells represent open, nonequilibrium, self organizing, and dissipative systems maintained with the continuous supply of outside and inside material, energy, and information flows. The energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate is utilized in biochemical cycles, transport processes, protein synthesis, reproduction, and performing other biological work. The processes in molecular and cellular biological systems are stochastic in nature with varying spatial and time scales, and bounded with conservation laws, kinetic laws, and thermodynamic constraints, which should be taken into account by any approach for modeling biological systems. In component biology, this review focuses on the modeling of enzyme kinetics …

Quantifying Individual Potential Contributions Of The Hybrid Sulfur Electrolyzer, John A. Staser, Maximilian B. Gorensek, John W. Weidner

Faculty Publications

The hybrid sulfur cycle has been investigated as a means to produce clean hydrogen efficiently on a large scale by first decomposing H₂SO₄ to SO₂, O₂, and H₂O and then electrochemically oxidizing SO₂ back to H₂SO₄ with the cogeneration of H₂. Thus far, it has been determined that the total cell potential for the hybrid sulfur electrolyzer is controlled mainly by water transport in the cell. Water is required at the anode to participate in the oxidation of SO₂ to H₂SO_{4 …}

An Efficient Electrochemical–Thermal Model For A Lithium-Ion Cell By Using The Proper Orthogonal Decomposition Method, Long Cai, Ralph E. White

Faculty Publications

The proper orthogonal decomposition method was applied to develop an efficient, reduced order electrochemical–thermal model for a lithium-ion cell. This model was validated for discharge simulations over a wide range of C rates and various cooling conditions of the cell. The reduced order model agrees well with the COMSOL model, a commercial finite element method solver, and requires times less computation time than the COMSOL model. The model predictions indicate that the discharge time or percent of capacity removed from the cell at an end of discharge voltage of 3.0 V depends on the rate of the discharge and heat …

Maximizing The Life Of A Lithium-Ion Cell By Optimization Of Charging Rates, Saeed Khaleghi Rahimian, Sean Rayman, Ralph E. White

Faculty Publications

Using a dynamic optimization method, the optimum charge currents as a function of cycle number during cycling for the lithium-ion cell are obtained. A single particle physics-based model, which includes capacity fade, was applied to simulate the cell performance under low earth-orbit (LEO) cycling conditions. Useful cell life is defined as the number of cycles before the end of discharge voltage drops below 3.0 V or the cell discharge capacity becomes less than 20% of the original discharge capacity. The simulated useful cell life can be increased by ∼29.28% by varying the charge current.