Chemical Engineering Commons^™

Diffusion Of A Salt In An Aqueous Media, Aldaly Pineda Hernandez

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Diffusion is defined as the net transfer of a molecule from a high concentration region to a low concentration region. The concept of diffusion is used in a very important process called "desalination." Desalination is a separation process used to reduce the salt content dissolved in brackish water to make it suitable for human consumption, irrigation, and industrial use.

In desalination plants, it is important to monitor the constantly changing salt content of water, partly due to the diffusive effect. The main purpose of this experiment was to study the diffusion of NaCl in water at two NaCl concentrations. The …

Phonon Thermodynamics Of Bcc Zirconium With Machine Learning, Vanessa Judith Meraz

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

First principles-based simulations have allowed us to explore emerging phenomena in a variety of systems. Its steadfast practicality has led to an increase in molecular and materials design ranging from drug discovery to planetary formation. However ubiquitous in its field, one of its biggest drawbacks is its computational cost, notably so in molecular dynamics simulations. To counter this setback, there have been many leading efforts in machine learning methods, whether it be in algorithms or network architectures. Our contribution uses an active learning algorithm paired with a tensor field network, e3nn. By steadily feeding new data points to our model, …

Extractive Membranes For The Detection And Screening Of Waterborne Plutonium, James Foster

All Dissertations

The development of rapid screening tools for special nuclear materials remains a crucial focus for nonproliferation efforts. Traditional approaches for the analysis of trace-level Pu isotopes in water requires tedious and time-consuming sample preparation steps that do not lend well to expeditious screening. Therefore, a novel analytical method that combines both Pu concentration and source preparation into a single detection system would make for an invaluable tool for nuclear security applications. Extractive membranes absorbers can help to fulfill this role as they are capable of concentrating Pu to detectable limits while subsequently serving as alpha spectrometry sample sources. In Chapter …

Development Of Porous Solid Acid Catalysts For Lignocellulose And Plastic Upcycling., Mohammad Shahinur Rahaman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

My goal is to develop chemical processes for transforming waste to solve environmental problems and enhance sustainability. Environmental problems such as pollution and massive amounts of waste are the main drivers that stimulate my research ideas. I focused on creating novel, efficient catalytic processes for converting polymeric waste "feedstocks" into high-value chemicals by integrating my expertise in catalysis, materials science, and synthetic chemistry to develop porous solid catalytic materials. During my Ph.D., I focused on two polymeric feedstocks, lignocellulose, and discarded plastic.

Early in my Ph.D. journey, I focused on catalytic upcycling of lignocellulose. Lignocellulosic biomass is cost-effective, abundant, and …

Materials And Interfaces For Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Production And Utilization., Alexander Jiya Gupta

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mass industrialization over the last few centuries has created a global economy which is dependent upon fossil fuels to satisfy an exponentially increasing demand for energy. Aside from the possible depletion of this finite resource, the combustion of fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere which cause the global temperature to rise – a phenomenon which has already begun to create geologic and geopolitical instability and shows no signs of abatement. One proposed method to rid humanity of its dependence on fossil fuels is to use green hydrogen as an energy carrier. In this scheme, excess electricity from a …

Establishing Pteridine Metabolism In A Progressive Isogenic Breast Cancer Cell Model – Part Ii, Lindsey Rasmussen, Zachary Foulks, Jiandong Wu, Casey Burton, Honglan Shi

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Introduction: Determining the biological significance of pteridines in cancer development and progression remains an important step in understanding the altered levels of urinary pteridines seen in certain cancers. Our companion study revealed that several folate-derived pteridines and lumazines correlated with tumorigenicity in an isogenic, progressive breast cancer cell model, providing direct evidence for the tumorigenic origin of pteridines. Objectives: This study sought to elucidate the pteridine biosynthetic pathway in a progressive breast cancer model via direct pteridine dosing to determine how pteridine metabolism changes with tumorigenicity. Methods: First, MCF10AT breast cancer cells were dosed individually with 15 pteridines to determine …

Membrane Bioreactor For Enhanced Enzymatic Hydrolysis Of Cellulose, Saleha Abdullah Al-Mardeai

Dissertations

With the rising environmental concerns related to fossil fuels utilization and the depletion of these resources, interest in bioethanol from lignocellulosic waste as an alternative, sustainable energy source has been increasing. Date palm waste is considered a good feedstock for bioethanol production, especially in countries of large date palm plantations, such as the United Arab Emirates.

In the lignocellulose to bioethanol process, the enzymatic hydrolysis of celluloses to produce simple sugars that can be converted to bioethanol by fermentation is the most challenging step, and enhancing it is essential for efficient and feasible operation. Enzyme inhibition by the products is …

Desalination Waste Revitalization Using Carbon Capture: Process Optimization Using Machine Learning, Ahmed Mohamed Elsayed

Theses

Over the next five to ten years, desalination will play an ever-important role in our society. Developing nations will look at desalination from the point of water scarcity, while developed nations will consider the perspective of the Water-Energy-Food nexus. With current technology, for every liter of freshwater produced, one and a half liters is thrown away as waste. This body of research proposes to employ chemical precipitation in ammoniated brine solutions, that have reasonably high ionic concentrations. CO2 absorption in Bubble Column Reactors can reduce sodium ions by precipitating NaHCO3. Also, the absorbed CO2 can reduce chloride ions and induce …

Koh-Based Modified Solvay Process: Optimization And Kinetics Studies, Aya Abdel-Hamid Mourad

Dissertations

While desalination of seawater is important for meeting the water demand, the technology produces large volumes of reject brine and CO₂, causing environmental pollution. Solvay process (based on ammonia, NH₃) and modified Solvay process (based on calcium oxide, CaO) try to manage these wastes. However, more attention is needed to overcome different limitations of these processes such as, alkaline solubility, operating temperature, maintaining high pH value, and low sodium (Na⁺) removal efficiency, which does not exceed 35%. The aim of this work is to introduce an alternative alkaline, namely potassium hydroxide (KOH) and investigate …

Integration Of Dynamic Growth Modeling And Hydrodynamics In An Internal-Loop Split Photobioreactor, Laith S. Sabri, Aastha Ojha, Abbas J. Sultan, Muthanna H. Aldahhan

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this study, new high-quality experimental data for culturing green microalgae Scenedesmus in tubular and cylindrical split airlift photobioreactors were obtained under different operating conditions. The obtained experimental data of culturing microalgae Scenedesmus in a tubular photobioreactor were used for determining the kinetic parameters of the photosynthetic reaction. On the other hand, the culturing of green microalgae in a split airlift photobioreactor was used to measure the microalgae cell trajectory using an advanced radioactive particle tracking (RPT) technique. The obtained results in terms of kinetic parameters of the photosynthetic reaction and microalgae cell trajectory were integrated for the first time …

Comprehensive Evaluation Of Self-Healing Polyampholyte Gel Particles For The Severe Leakoff Control Of Drilling Fluids, Lili Yang, Chunlin Xie, Tian Ao, Kaixiao Cui, Guancheng Jiang, Baojun Bai, Yongwei Zhang, Jun Yang, Xingxing Wang, Weiguo Tian

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Lost circulation has been a serious problem to be solved in many drilling practices during oil, gas and geothermal well drillings. Many materials have been developed and evaluated for the purpose. However, their performance to plug severe leakoff is very limited. Herein, an injectable self-healing hydrogel based on polyampholyte with sulfonated and quaternary ammonium functionalities (P(MPTC-co-NaSS)) was developed and comprehensively evaluated to prevent the severe loss of fluids to formation. By incorporating cation-π (π is for aromatic residues) interaction, the hydrogel shown self-healing property and robustness in severe environment (temperature, salt) by comparison with other hydrogels merely consisting of cation-anion …

A Compact Natural Gas Pyrolysis Reactor For Hydrogen Fueling Stations, Andrew Richard Earls

Theses and Dissertations

With the increasing amount of greenhouse gases causing more natural disasters and sea level rise, there is a clear need for a global energy transition to less polluting fuels. A possible solution to this problem is converting a portion of the transportation sector fuel to hydrogen. In this thesis, the issues associated with such a transition are discussed and reasonable solutions are proposed. Numerous methods of hydrogen production are explored and compared on the basis of electricity consumption and CO2 emission. A plant size of 1250 kg liq. H2/day is chosen based on California regulated hydrogen refueling credits (HRI) that …

Surface-Functionalized Chemiresistive Films That Exploit H-Bonding, Cation-Pi, And Metal-Halide Interactions., Prasadanie Karunarathna Adhihetty

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The development of gas sensors for detection of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) has been of interest in the sensing field for decades. To date, the use of metal nanoparticle-based chemiresistors for trace VOC detection, particularly gold nanoparticle-based sensors, is of great interest due to their high chemical stability, ease of synthesis, unique optical properties, large surface to volume ratio, and high level of conductivity. Much effort has been devoted towards gold monolayer protected clusters (Au MPCs) as chemiresistors to detect harmful VOCs. The present thesis documents the results of our efforts to exploit the advantages of functionalized Au MPCs chemiresistors …

Optimizing Virus Prefiltration For Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing, Solomon Isu

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Virus filters are single-use devices that use a size-based separation process. In virus filters, contaminating virus particles are retained while the therapeutic molecules pass through the membrane pores. Virus filters are an essential component of the overall virus clearance strategy. Sections 1 and 2 of this dissertation provide an introduction and extensive review of monoclonal antibody (mAb) process development, where virus filtration is pivotal. In section 3, prefiltration studies were performed with an industrially relevant IgG1 type mAb using adsorptive and size-exclusion-based prefilters with different mechanisms of action. This mAb has an isoelectric point range of 7.1 to 8.0 and …

Engineering Lewis Acidic Materials For Biomass Conversion And Battery Applications., Md Anwar Hossain

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

My long-term goal is to develop catalytic systems to produce renewable energy for a sustainable society. The overall research objective of my dissertation is to advance understanding of Lewis acidic materials for (1) conversion of renewable lignin into phenolics and (2) enhanced cycling stability of lithium metal batteries to safely store renewable electricity from wind and solar, thereby laying the groundwork for our transition to a sustainable society. Petroleum is a conventional feedstock for current transportation fuels (gasoline, diesel, and jet fuels). However, petroleum is a finite resource and produces greenhouse gases (CO₂ and CH₄) upon processing, …

Structural, Charge Transport, Gas Sensing, Magnetic, Pseudocapacitive, And Electrocatalytic Properties Of Perovskite Oxides., Surendra Bahadur Karki

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Perovskites are functional materials with the general formula ABO₃ (A = alkali, alkaline earth or lanthanoid cations and B = transition metal or main group cations). These materials are marked by a variety of crystal structures and interesting properties such as colossal magnetoresistance, ferroelectricity, multiferroicity, superconductivity, pseudocapacitance, gas sensing, charge transport, and electrocatalytic properties. The formula of perovskite can be written as AA’BB’O₆, when there is ordering between two cations over A and B-sites. Such compounds are called double perovskite oxides. Some amount of oxygen could be lost from crystal structure without decomposition of the phase. Such …

Investigating The Effect Of Polymer Hydrogels On The Antimicrobial Properties Of Activated Carbon Through The Utilization Of Bacterial, Viral, And Parasitic Microorganisms, Zoe Gunter

Honors Theses

Activated carbon (AC) has long been utilized in biomedical applications due to its innate antimicrobial characteristics. However, little is understood about the mechanism of action that allows AC to prohibit the propagation of different pathogen species. To further ascertain these characteristics and how they affect the propagation of pathogens, procedures were designed with bacterial, viral, and parasitic agents which were utilized in conjunction with varying concentrations of polymer hydrogels to examine the antimicrobial efficacy of AC. The studies performed for this thesis were conducted employing coconut-based AC and Noveon^® AA-1 Polycarbophil USP or Carbopol^® 974P NF hydrogels which, …

Layered Epoxide-Amine/Boron Nitride/Graphene Nanocomposites For Enhanced Multifunctional Shielding, Alyssa J. Necaise

Honors Theses

The development of high-power electromagnetic wave sources in the modern era has the ability to interfere with aircraft electronics and cause localized heating – necessitating advanced materials for electromagnetic interference (EMI) and thermal shielding. Multifunctional nanoparticles dispersed within polymer matrices can combat these issues; however, the best way to combine thermally and electrically conductive species to maximize electromagnetic interference shielding and thermal shielding is undetermined. Multifunctional layered epoxide/amine nanocomposites were prepared from tetra and octafunctional epoxide monomers (TGDDM and SU-8), 4,4-DDS tetrafunctional amine curative, and 1 wt.% hexagonal boron nitride nanoplatelets and/or 1 wt.% graphene nanoplatelets to form monolayer and …

Control Strategy For Solar Energy-Saving Lamps For Optimized Energy Utilization And Sustainability Of Operation Durability: Indonesia Case, Burhanuddin Halimi, Agus Purwadi, Nana Heryana

Makara Journal of Technology

To solve the electrification ratio issue, the Indonesian government has promoted the use of solar energy-saving lamps. This study proposes a control strategy that adopts current reference time-based profiling for solar energy-saving lamps. For optimal energy consumption, the current reference profile is determined according to users’ daily energy requirements. From the aspect of user comfort, a gradual step reference profile is also introduced to provide a subtle change in lighting intensity level. The proposed control strategy can minimize energy consumption and optimize the operation durability of the system. The concept is verified by simulating four scenarios, the results of which …

Mechanical Behavior Of Clay Soil Stabilized With Fly Ash And Bottom Ash, Soewignjo Agus Nugroho, Azra Zulnasari, Ferry Fatnanta, Andius Dasa Putra

Makara Journal of Technology

Soil is one of the most important aspects of an infrastructure given its functions of receiving and holding structural loads. However, not all soils have good physical and mechanical properties. To overcome those conditions, stabilization of the soil is practiced to meet the technical requirements. This study aims to determine the behavior of high plasticity clay stabilized with lime, fly ash, and bottom ash. These additives can be used as a stabilizing agent to increase soil strength. The percentage of additives varied from 5%–25% then mixed with clay and were tested through the (Unconfined Compression Strength (UCS) test. The UCS …

Enhancement Of Biogas Production Through Solid-State Anaerobic Co-Digestion Of Food Waste And Corn Cobs, Lukhi Mulia Shitophyta, Anisa Salsabila, Firanita Angraini Putri, Siti Jamilatun

Makara Journal of Technology

Although biogas has been primarily produced through liquid anaerobic digestion, this method leads to the floating and stratification of fibers and non-homogeneous mixing, which can reduce the biogas yield. Alternatively, biogas can be produced by the solid-state anaerobic digestion (SS-AD) of organic material with a high solid content, such as corn cobs. We investigated the co-digestion of food waste and corn cobs as a biomass feedstock for SS-AD in biogas production. We measured the effects of the total solid (TS) content, percentage of food waste, and reduction in volatile solids (VS), from which we determined its appropriate kinetic model. We …

Adjusting The Alloying Degree Of Pt3Zn To Improve Acid Oxygen Reduction Activity And Stability, Tian-En Zhang, Ya-Ni Yan, Jun-Ming Zhang, Xi-Ming Qu, Yan-Rong Li, Yan-Xia Jiang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is a new type of energy device, a relatively excellent way to achieve carbon neutrality. However, due to the relatively slow reaction rate of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) at the cathode, platinum (Pt) is the key material of the cathode catalyst. However, Pt is a kind of noble metal, and its high cost restricts the PEMFC commercialization process. At present, the main approach is to combine transition metals with Pt to prepare Pt-based alloys and to reduce the use of Pt. Pt-based alloys are excellent catalysts for ORR, improving both the activity and stability, …

Tuning The Physicochemical, Structural, And Antimicrobial Attributes Of Whey-Based Poly (L-Lactic Acid) (Plla) Films By Chitosan Nanoparticles, Farhad Garavand, Milad Rouhi, Shima Jafarzadeh, Diako Khodaei, Ilaria Cacciotti, Masoumeh Zargar, Seyed Hadi Razavi

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Recently, the research and innovation to produce raw materials from microbial processes has gained much attention due to their economic and environmental impacts. Lactic acid is a very important microbial product due to its wide application in the food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and chemical industries. In the current study, poly (L-lactic acid) (PLLA) was produced by the ring opening polymerization (ROP) technique of L-lactic acid recovered from whey fermentation, and was used for the production of nanocomposites films reinforced with chitosan nanoparticles (CNPs) (average diameter ca. 100–200 nm). Three different CNPs concentrations, namely 1, 3, and 5% w/w, were tested, and …

Preparation Of Pt@Basrtio3 Nanostructure And Its Properties Towards Photoelectrochemical Ammonia Synthesis, Jing Zhang, Rui-Xia Guo, Jian-Jun Fu, Shi-Bin Yin, Pei-Kang Shen, Xin-Yi Zhang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Ammonia is an important industrial raw material and a potential green energy. Using renewable energy to convert nitrogen into ammonia under ambient condition is an attractive method. However, the development of efficient photoelectrochemical ammonia synthesis catalysts remains a challenge. Perovskite such as BaSrTiO₃ (BST) is a good photocatalytic material. However, BST is active under ultraviolet light and has a high recombination rate of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. By dispersing precious metals, it can effectively regulate the absorption of sunlight by BST. In this work, we used a two-step method to prepare BST. The H₂PtCl₆·6H₂O …

Acoustofluidics For Simultaneous Nanoparticle-Based Drug Loading And Exosome Encapsulation, Zeyu Wang, Joseph Rich, Nanjing Hao, Yuyang Gu, Chuyi Chen, Shujie Yang, Peiran Zhang, Tony Jun Huang

Faculty Publications

Nanocarrier and exosome encapsulation has been found to significantly increase the efficacy of targeted drug delivery while also minimizing unwanted side effects. However, the development of exosome-encapsulated drug nanocarriers is limited by low drug loading efficiencies and/or complex, time-consuming drug loading processes. Herein, we have developed an acoustofluidic device that simultaneously performs both drug loading and exosome encapsulation. By synergistically leveraging the acoustic radiation force, acoustic microstreaming, and shear stresses in a rotating droplet, the concentration, and fusion of exosomes, drugs, and porous silica nanoparticles is achieved. The final product consists of drug-loaded silica nanocarriers that are encased within an …

Contact Angles Of A Brine On A Bituminous Coal In Compressed Hydrogen, Rossen Sedev, Hamed Akhondzadeh, Mujahid Ali, Alireza Keshavarz, Stefan Iglauer

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Hydrogen storage is a main issue in the establishment of a hydrogen economy. Geo-storage could be a viable solution if hydrogen could be injected into and withdrawn from suitable geological formations, reversibly and reliably. Rock wettability is a major factor as it affects injectivities, withdrawal rates, storage capacities, and containment security. We report here the contact angles of a brine on the surface of a bituminous coal in a pressurized hydrogen atmosphere. Under realistic geo-storage conditions the coal surface was weakly water-wet. Hydrogen pressure increased brine contact angles at 25°C but did not have an impact at 50 or 70°C. …

Koh Vs Deionized Water Operation In Anion Exchange Membrane Electrolyzers, Noor Ul Hassan, Yiwei Zheng, Paul A. Kohl, Mustain E. William

Faculty Publications

Anion exchange membrane water electrolyzers (AEMELs) have recently received significant attention due to their potential advantages over proton exchange membrane electrolyzers (PEMELs). However, some AEMELs feed an aqueous salt solution to the cell where PEMELs typically feed deionized (DI) water. DI water is preferred to keep the system and maintenance costs low. Because of this, many AEMEL researchers report performance both in the salt solution (typically KOH) and DI water. However, the methodology for switching between KOH and DI water is often poorly defined, and it is unclear what impact the residual salt has on cell performance after switching from …

The Aiche Student Design Competition: Modular Distributed Gas-To-Liquids (Gtl) Synthesis, Abigail Bozarth, Jason Mote, Revathi Panuganti, Fausat Isu

Honors Capstone Projects and Theses

No abstract provided.

Effective Parameters Controlling Sterol Transfer: A Time‑Resolved Small‑Angle Neutron Scattering Study, Ursula Perez-Salas, Lionel Porcar, Sumit Garg, Manuela A.A. Ayee-Leong, Irena Levitan

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

Though cholesterol is the most prevalent and essential sterol in mammalian cellular membranes, its precursors, post-synthesis cholesterol products, as well as its oxidized derivatives play many other important physiological roles. Using a non-invasive in situ technique, time-resolved small angle neutron scattering, we report on the rate of membrane desorption and corresponding activation energy for this process for a series of sterol precursors and post-synthesis cholesterol products that vary from cholesterol by the number and position of double bonds in B ring of cholesterol’s steroid core. In addition, we report on sterols that have oxidation modifications in ring A and ring …

Bio-Ionic Liquid Functionalized Hydrogels Towards Smart Tissue Regeneration, Vaishali Krishnadoss

Theses and Dissertations

A blend of scaffolds, biologically active molecules, and cells are required to assemble functional constructs to repair and regenerate damaged tissue or organ via tissue engineering. The scaffold supports cell growth and proliferation and acts as a medium for diverse cellular activities. Even though hydrogel's high-water content and flexible nature make it a pronounced applicant as a scaffold, they exhibit significant technical limitations such as the absence of cell-binding motifs, lack of oxygen, conductivity, adhesive properties, growth of cells in a 3-dimensional (3D) microenvironment. In this thesis, a novel material platform is evaluated and studied to address the concerns mentioned …