Chemical Engineering Commons^™

Design Of A Full-Scale Plant For Plastic Pyrolysis, Hannah Sargent

Honors Theses

With over thirty million tons of plastic accumulating in the United States every year, the need for an environmentally safe means of disposal is increasing. Only ten percent of this plastic is recycled while the majority is disposed of via landfill. With recent advances in pyrolysis research, a permanent solution is presented. By creating a pyrolysis plant, not only could billions of pounds of plastic be prevented from contributing to landfills, but also be converted to oil resulting in an environmentally beneficial and lucrative solution to plastic waste.

Melamine Derivatives As Highly Flame Retardant Additives For Bio-Based Rigid Polyurethane Foams, Niloofar Arastehnejad

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

MELAMINE DERIVATIVES AS HIGHLY FLAME RETARDANT ADDITIVES FOR BIO-BASED RIGID POLYURETHANE FOAMS

Rigid foams, which are mainly used in construction, refrigerators, automotive industries are one of the important types of polyurethanes with great potential in insulation and energy efficiency. Unfortunately, rigid polyurethane foams are highly flammable and catch fire in a short amount of time as well as spread the flame quickly. Hence, rigid foams are considered hazardous materials due to life-threatening situations and environmental issues.

To counter that, nitrogen-based compounds as non-halogenated flame retardants are an effective, low-cost, and eco-friendly option. It has been shown that melamine derivates as …

Controlling The Orientation Of Fluorescent Dyes Using External Electric Fields, Henry J. Kantrow

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Graphical Design And Analysis Of Mass Exchange Networks Using Composition Driving Forces, Nessren Mohamed Farrag, Dina Ahmed Kamel, Ayat Ossama Ghallab, Mamdouh Ayad Gadalla, Mai Kamal Fouad

Chemical Engineering

Pinch analysis is a methodology for minimizing energy and mass consumption in different industries. It has been widely applied for more efficient processes. This study presents a new graphical-approach to analyze and design Mass Integration (MI) and exchange networks that follows Pinch principles to guarantee maximum mass recovery with minimum losses. This technique uses the composition driving forces in network representation as it rules the mass transfer between streams. The proposed approach can be applied on both existing mass networks as well as new ones. This graphical representation a visual descriptive design tool to describe and explain the details of …

A Barker Type Approach For Measuring And Interpreting Vle Of Polymer Mixed Solvent Systems, Vaishali Jain

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The environment around us has a great impact on human health. A polluted environment can adversely impact human health and cause diseases like cancer, skin diseases, breathing problems and many more and hence altering the quality of life. Hence it is very important to develop sensors that can efficiently detect these harmful substances from environment. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are carbon-based chemical substances that are volatile even at ambient temperature and pressure conditions which enter the atmosphere through industrial processes, building materials, etc.

Acoustic wave devices can detect very low concentrations (ppm, ppb) of organic compounds in the environment. A …

Effect Of Humic Acid On Co2-Wettability In Sandstone Formation, Mujahid Ali, Faisal Ur Rahman Awan, Muhammad Ali, Ahmed Al-Yaseri, Muhammad Arif, Mónica Sánchez-Román, Alireza Keshavarz, Stefan Iglauer

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Hypothesis: Millions of tons of CO2 are stored in CO2 geological storage (CGS) formations (depleted oil reservoirs and deep saline aquifers) every year. These CGS formations naturally contain small concentrations of water-soluble organic components in particular humic acid (HA), which may drastically affect the rock wettability - a significant factor determining storage capacities and containment security. Hence, it is essential to characterise the effect of humic acid concentration on CO2-wettability and its associated impact on storage capacity.

Experimental: To achieve this, we measured advancing and receding contact angles at reservoir conditions using the pendant drop tilted plate method for various …

Anomaly-Handling In Lyapunov-Based Economic Model Predictive Control Via Empirical Models, Helen Durand

Chemical Engineering and Materials Science Faculty Research Publications

A question that faces data-driven autonomous systems is verification that they will perform in a safe manner despite changes in the environment on which they act over time or incomplete knowledge of the system model. This work analyzes closed-loop stability of nonlinear systems under Lyapunov-based economic model predictive control (LEMPC) with data-driven models in the case where it is desirable to have the ability to detect when the data-driven model is or becomes insufficiently accurate for maintaining the closed-loop state in an expected region of state-space. Implications of the results for false sensor measurement cyberattacks seeking to impact the fidelity …

High Temperature Polymer Electrolytes For Hydrogen Fuel Cells And Electrochemical Pumps, Gokul Venugopalan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Hydrogen fuel cell and separation technologies such as proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) and electrochemical hydrogen pump (ECHP) offer a profound advantage in the transition to a low-carbon economy. An imperative hitch in hydrogen fuel cells and ECHP technology has been the electrocatalyst poisoning by carbon monoxide (CO) and other contaminants in the reactant mixture. By operating, hydrogen fuel cells and ECHPs at high temperatures (>200 °C), the effect of CO adsorption on the electrocatalyst surface could be curtailed. The high-temperature operation of devices necessitates a proton exchange membrane (PEM) to operate under anhydrous conditions.

In this work, …

Evaluation Of Vertical And Horizontal Wells For Utilization In Carbon Sequestration, Michael R. Bohnet

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Hybrid Lattice Boltzmann Agglomeration Method For Modeling Transport Phenomena In Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells, P. Satjaritanun, F. C. Cetinbas, S. Hirano, I. V. Zenyuk, R. K. Ahluwalia, Sirivatch Shimpalee

Faculty Publications

The Hybrid Lattice Boltzmann Agglomeration Method (HLBAM) was employed to model transport phenomena and electrochemical kinetics in the catalyst layer of a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). This work showed the advantages of using a direct modeling-based HLBAM approach, which incorporates the detailed structure of catalyst layers from X-ray computed tomography as well as local transport variables related characteristics and effective properties from the hybrid catalyst microstructure. The local transport variables and effective properties from the hybrid catalyst model were used to simulate the electrochemical kinetics inside the detailed structure of the catalyst layer. HLBAM can predict the distribution …

Influence Of Bulk And Surface Interactions From Thick, Porous, Soil-Based Substrates On The Spreading Behavior Of Different Viscosity Oils, Firoz Ahmed, Brenda Hutton-Prager

Faculty and Student Publications

Crude oils and motor oils are commonly identified in oil spills on land. Controlling and understanding their flow both across and into land is of paramount importance to minimize spread and subsequent damage to the ecosystem. Spreading kinetics and surface energy studies were conducted with these oils over several realistic soil-based matrixes, consisting of topsoil (silt-dominant), sand, clay, and moisture. Spreading area through a 1.3 cm deep matrix was reduced with increased moisture content, densely packed matrixes, and higher viscosity oils. Initial contact angle (CA) measurements for all oils was typically lower on clay matrixes due to its sheet-like structure …

Relationship Between Thermal Conductivity And Free Electrons In Metal, Yansong Liu

Senior Theses

An experiment was designed and conducted to explore the relationship between thermal conductivity with free electrons in metal. In the experiment, copper, iron, aluminum, and titanium rods with close diameters were used to carry out the experiment. Each rod was heated up by a heat unit at one end while cooled on the other end with a heat sink to maintain a steady state. DC current was applied to rods in the direction along, as well as against, the heat flow. Thermal conductivities were measured in these two situations for each rod. Results showed electrons do dominate thermal flow inside …

Improving The Intellectual And Social Development Of Children With Autism: Design Of A Training Center For Autism, Hasti Jalalian

Makara Journal of Technology

Research on the relationship between the role of architecture and the psychology of children with autism, which indicates that appropriate environments for these children can have a significant effect on their healthcare process, has been recently conducted. However, statistics show that autism spectrum disorders are pervasive, and its extent in Iran has been increasing. Moreover, centers that are specifically designed for children with autism are limited, and paradigms are made without considering the mood of these children. Given the role of architecture in designing a suitable space for these children, an investigation that can identify the specific requirements of these …

Analysis Of The Interfacial Reaction Between Bulk Metallic Glass Coated Copper, Nickel, And Titanium With Lead-Free Solders, Andromeda Dwi Laksono, Yee-Wen Yen, Rifqi Aulia Tanjung, Teodoro A. Amatosa, Ruki Harwahyu

Makara Journal of Technology

Bulk metallic glass (BMG) has good mechanical strength, high hardness, wear resistance, and corrosion resistance with promising application in various industries. However, for the industrial production of BMG, the main issue is how to overcome limitations of joining with other materials. The present study focuses on solder processing at low operating temperature to avoid exceeding the recrystallization temperature. A feasible joining process for BMG was developed using lead-free solders. The BMG surface is pre-plated with copper, nickel, or titanium as a wetting layer. The reaction temperature is set between the glass transition temperature of BMG and the melting point of …

Design Of Ac Microgrid Topology With Photovoltaic Uncertainties In A Rural Village, Vannak Vai

Makara Journal of Technology

Energy needs are increasing day by day, especially for developing countries, due to population growth and changing lifestyles. A suitable microgrid topology with renewable energy integration is considered to fulfill the people and society’s needs. This paper focuses on the design of AC microgrid topology for a nonelectrified village with the integration of PV uncertainties in both sitting and sizing. The development of an optimal algorithm based on the conductor use minimization and unbalanced load improvement is proposed. The shortest path is proposed to search for the minimum conductor use. Then, the algorithm for improving the unbalanced load with two …

Mean-Shift Object Tracking Algorithm With Systematic Sampling Technique, Yoanes Bandung, Aris Ardiansyah

Makara Journal of Technology

Mean shift is a fast object tracking algorithm that only considers pixels in an object area, hence its relatively small computational load. This algorithm is suitable for use in real-time conditions in terms of execution time. The use of histograms causes this algorithm to be relatively resistant to rotation and changes in object size. However, its resistance to lighting changes is not optimal. This study aims to improve the performance of the algorithm under lighting changes and reduce its processing time. The proposed technique involves the use of sampling techniques to reduce the number of iterations, optimization of candidate search …

Analysis Of Correlation And Mapping Of Chlorophyll-A Concentrations And Sea Surface Temperatures In Coastal Areas Based On Terra Modis Satellite Image Data, Hendrata Wibisana, Bangun Muljo Sukotjo, Umboro Lasminto

Makara Journal of Technology

Ecosystems in aquatic environments are distinct from ecosystems on land. Changes that occur in ecosystems in aquatic environments affect the lives of biota in these waters, including the fish used as a food source in fishing communities in coastal areas. This study aims to determine the role of remote sensing in mapping and analyzing the relationship between the parameters of sea surface temperature and chlorophyll-a concentrations on the coast. The correlation of sea surface temperature with chlorophyll-a concentrations is modeled via linear regression. An analysis of variance test is performed to establish the suitability of the temperature data for the …

Hydrothermal Synthesis And Structural Investigation Of A Crystalline Uranyl Borosilicate, Kristen A. Pace, Vladislav V. Klepov, Mark D. Smith, Travis Williams, Gregory Morrison, Jochen A. Lauterbach, Scott T. Misture, Hans Conrad Zur Loye

Faculty Publications

The relevance of multidimensional and porous crystalline materials to nuclear waste reme-diation and storage applications has motivated exploratory research focused on materials discovery of compounds, such as actinide mixed-oxoanion phases, which exhibit rich structural chemistry. The novel phase K1.8 Na1.2 [(UO2)BSi4 O12 ] has been synthesized using hydrothermal methods, rep-resenting the first example of a uranyl borosilicate. The three-dimensional structure crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Cmce with lattice parameters a = 15.5471(19) Å, b = 14.3403(17) Å, c = 11.7315(15) Å, and V = 2615.5(6) Å3, and is composed of UO6 octahedra linked by [BSi4 O12 ]5− chains to …

Degradative Processes Of Commercial And Next-Generation Lithium-Ion Battery Materials, Benjamin Ng

Theses and Dissertations

The work embodied in this thesis bridges the gap between modern and next-generation Li-ion batteries (LIBs). First, a detailed study of the complex interfacial interactions (e.g. electrode/electrolyte, particle/particle, particle/solid-electrolyte interphase) in existing LIBs (graphite anode, Li(Ni_0.5Mn_0.3Co_0.2)O_2 cathode) are investigated and then used to develop strategies for safer, more energy-dense, and more durable electrode materials (i.e. tailored hybrid materials). The first portion of this thesis focuses heavily on decoupling the complex thermodynamics, reaction kinetics, and mass transport properties in commercially available LIBs. This thesis includes a detailed investigation into the operating parameter space for LIBs, including temperature (-30^oC to +52^oC), state-of-charge …

Experimental Study Of Hollow-Core Slab Containing Waste Pet Bottles, Mulia Orientilize, Josia Irwan Rastandi, R. M. Dimas Aries C., Marsha Niken P., Krisna Adi S.S., Abimantrana Abimantrana

Makara Journal of Technology

This study investigated the utilization of plastic-waste concrete as an effort to reduce urban waste problems. The waste plastic bottles were utilized to form the hollows of the hollow-core slabs (HCSs). The bottles were made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). As a part of green research to reuse waste material, shredded PET was also added to the concrete mixture to improve the HCS strength. The cast-in-site HCS could be constructed without any difficulties. Three parameters were investigated: the effects of void content, shredded PET content, and steel-fiber (SF) content on the HCS ultimate bending capacity (Mu). Fifteen specimens were tested under …

Corrosion Rate Prediction In Frp-Concrete Repair, Mohammad A. Khawaja

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Research has proven that wrapping structural elements with fiber-reinforced polymers (FRPs) slows down chloride-induced corrosion rate but does not stop it. Although FRP has been used for corrosion repair for over 40 years, predictive corrosion rate models for FRP-concrete systems are limited in literature. This dissertation presents an oxygen diffusion-based predictive framework to estimate corrosion rate in FRP-concrete systems.

The dissertation has three main components. First, a core framework that is referred to as Khawaja-Sen-Bhethanabotla (KSB) model. In the KSB model, statistical methods were used to extend experimental data on oxygen permeation coefficients. These data were for one and two …

Laboratory-Scale Research Of Non-Catalyzed Supercritical Alcohol Process For Continuous Biodiesel Production, Aso A. Hassan, Joseph D. Smith

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This work investigates the non-catalyzed supercritical methanol (SCM) process for continuous biodiesel production. The lab-scale setup was designed and used for biodiesel production in the temperature range of 520–650 K and 83–380 bar with an oil-to-methanol molar ratio ranging from 1:5 to 1:45. The experiments were performed in the coiled plug flow tubular reactor. The volumetric flow rate of the methanol/oil ranged from 0.1-10 mL/min. This work examines a new reactor technology involving preheating and pre-mixing of the methanol/oil mixture to reduce setup cost and increase biodiesel yield under the same reaction conditions. Work performed showed that FAME’s yield increased …

Gagrank: Software For Glycosaminoglycan Sequence Ranking Using A Bipartite Graph Model, John D. Hogan, Jiandong Wu, Joshua A. Klein, Cheng Lin, Luis Carvalho, Joseph Zaia

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Sulfated Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) Are Long, Linear Polysaccharide Chains that Are Typically Found as the Glycan Portion of Proteoglycans. These GAGs Are Characterized by Repeating Disaccharide Units with Variable Sulfation and Acetylation Patterns Along the Chain. GAG Length and Modification Patterns Have Profound Impacts on Growth Factor Signaling Mechanisms Central to Numerous Physiological Processes. Electron Activated Dissociation Tandem Mass Spectrometry is a Very Effective Technique for Assigning the Structures of GAG Saccharides; However, Manual Interpretation of the Resulting Complex Tandem Mass Spectra is a Difficult and Time-Consuming Process that Drives the Development of Computational Methods for Accurate and Efficient Sequencing. …

Polymer Microparticles For Encapsulation And Presentation Of Anti-Inflammatory Agents For Inflammatory Diseases, Christopher Isely

Theses and Dissertations

Inflammatory diseases have a huge economic impact on the healthcare system. Incidence of obesity and muscle atrophy, two high profile inflammatory diseases, continues to increase. Anti-inflammatory agents are potential therapeutics for these diseases. Resveratrol is a polyphenol that has anti-inflammatory effects; however, resveratrol suffers from low bioavailability and hasn’t had impressive clinical results when delivered orally. Mannose is a monosaccharide that also has anti-inflammatory effects, however, effects are highest when mannose is presented on the surface of a support the size of a bacteria. Incorporation of resveratrol and mannose into biodegradable polymer microparticles could be a feasible approach to overcome …

Discovery And Investigation Of Ammonia Decomposition Catalysts, Katherine Mccullough

Theses and Dissertations

Liquid ammonia can be used as a hydrogen transportation and generation source for use in PEM fuel cells. Current Ru catalysts for ammonia decomposition contain high loadings of Ru and require reaction temperatures at or above 550°C to attain equilibrium conversion. For on-site hydrogen generation, it is of interest to combine hydrogen generation from ammonia decomposition directly with PEM fuel cells. For this occur, operating temperatures need to be considerably lowered and effluent concentrations of ammonia need to be minimized to avoid poisoning of the membrane. Therefore, it is of interest to develop a low-cost catalyst that exhibits high activity …

Mitigating Corrosion And Enhancing Energy Density Of Zinc-Based Anodes In Primary And Secondary Aqueous Batteries, Ehsan Faegh

Theses and Dissertations

Today Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are the most-emphasized battery technology among the many different battery systems in the market. However, due to their high cost (especially for electric vehicle applications), flammability and toxicity, the development of inexpensive and safer alternative battery chemistries has been the focus of a significant amount of recent research. Among various battery chemistries, Aluminum-based (Al-based) and Zinc-based (Zn-based) batteries have been touted as promising options to compete with Li-ion batteries. However, the practical realization of Al battery chemistries has been difficult over a long period of time (170 years) due to a number of fundamental and intrinsic …

Hydrothermal Synthesis And Structural Investigation Of A Crystalline Uranyl Borosilicate, Kristen A. Pace, Vladislav V. Klepov, Mark D. Smith, Travis Williams, Gregory Morrison, Jochen A. Lauterbach, Scott T. Misture, Hans Conrad Zur Loye

Faculty Publications

The relevance of multidimensional and porous crystalline materials to nuclear waste reme-diation and storage applications has motivated exploratory research focused on materials discovery of compounds, such as actinide mixed-oxoanion phases, which exhibit rich structural chemistry. The novel phase K1.8 Na1.2 [(UO2)BSi4 O12 ] has been synthesized using hydrothermal methods, rep-resenting the first example of a uranyl borosilicate. The three-dimensional structure crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Cmce with lattice parameters a = 15.5471(19) Å, b = 14.3403(17) Å, c = 11.7315(15) Å, and V = 2615.5(6) Å3, and is composed of UO6 octahedra linked by [BSi4 O12 ]5− chains to …

Electrodeposition Study Of Alloys For Solar Energy, Corrosion Resistance, And Battery Applications, Thaier Tawfeek Alawadh

Theses

Copper-Zinc-Tin sulphide (CZTS) compound is one of the alloys, which has significantly caught the attention of a considerable number of researchers since the beginning of the century. Consequently, academic laboratories started investigating the alloy in-depth with its various combination due to its valuable applications with high potential usage. The CZTS alloy has a high tendency to replace the current copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) thin-film solar cell system due to scarcity of CIGS components, and toxic manufacturing procedures compared to CZTS. Nevertheless, CZTS is a new studied compound with exceptionally low photovoltaic empirical efficiency and an inadequate understanding of its …

Conversion Of Lignocellulose Biomass From Date Palm Waste To High Value Chemicals, Emmanuel Galiwango

Dissertations

Lignocellulose biomass has gained growing popularity because of its low cost of production compared to food crops, it solves problems of food and energy security, can grow in various climates and land, and it is CO₂ neutral. Date palm trees produce large amounts of fibrous wastes that are good sources of lignocellulose. There are over 40 million date palm trees in UAE and most of their lignocellulosic wastes (i.e., leaves, surface fibers, bunches, etc.) are currently used for low value applications such as compost or electric generation. However, the lignocellulosic components of this waste stream have the potential to …

Numerical Study Of A Buckling Restrained Brace (Brb) In Steel Structures And Comparison With A Convergent Ordinary Brace (Ocb) Under Static And Dynamic Loading, Fatemeh Habibpour

Makara Journal of Technology

Bulk metallic glass (BMG) has good mechanical strength, high hardness, wear resistance, and corrosion resistance with promising application in various industries. However, for the industrial production of BMG, the main issue is how to overcome limitations of joining with other materials. The present study focuses on solder processing at low operating temperature to avoid exceeding the recrystallization temperature. A feasible joining process for BMG was developed using lead-free solders. The BMG surface is pre-plated with copper, nickel, or titanium as a wetting layer. The reaction temperature is set between the glass transition temperature of BMG and the melting point of …