Other Chemical Engineering Commons^™

Analysis And Control Of Aluminum Concentration In Groundwater: Mathematical Modelling And Laboratory Study, Daria Popugaeva

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The remediation of metal-contaminated natural water bodies is prioritized due to metals toxicity, non-biodegradable properties, and accumulative behaviours leading to the increased incidence of adverse health effects. Current investigation is driven by the existing problem of elevated aluminum concentrations in the groundwater of Khibiny alkaline massif (Kola Peninsula). The prohibitive aluminum level exceeding the accepted standard of 0.20 mg L⁻¹ is described as a serious health concern when the groundwater used for the local water supply. The results of comprehensive field data analysis based on chemometric methods applied to the available monitoring data including 12 groundwater quality parameters are …

Extraction Of Astaxanthin From H. Pluvialis Using Deep Eutectic Solvents, Roya Barzegar

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Haematococcus pluvialis (H. pluvialis) is one of the main sources of astaxanthin, a high value carotenoid and a strong antioxidant. Astaxanthin extraction is hindered by the thick cell wall of H. pluvialis which is composed of sporopollenin. Mechanical cell disruption methods, high cost and energy-consuming, are required to enhance astaxanthin extraction. This study employed a novel technology using deep eutectic solvents (DESs) to demonstrate the possibility of direct extraction of astaxanthin without a disruption step. It was established that 68% of astaxanthin can be extracted from intact H. pluvialis cells using choline chloride-glycerol (ChCl-G) mixture with 12.5% (v/v ) water …

Immediate Release Ginseng Chewable Tablets And Sustained Release Amino Acid Pellets Based On Dry Powder Coating Technology Platform, Xiangwei Kong

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Based on the dry powder coating technology platform, this study aimed to develop immediate release ginseng chewable tablets using the electrostatic powder coating technique and sustained release amino acid pellets using the plasticizer powder coating technique. For the immediate release ginseng chewable tablets, the content and types of tableting materials, as well as coating materials, coating temperature, curing time and coating level, were optimized. For the sustained release amino acid pellets, coating level and curing time on, as well as the composition of ethyl cellulose (EC), were optimized. In summary, those laboratory studies provided new opportunities for additional potential commercial …

Hydrodynamics Of A Gas-Driven Gas-Liquid-Solid Spouted Bed, Jia Meng

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

A novel cylindrical gas-driven gas-liquid-solid spouted bed was developed in this project, which has a high potential to be used for a biological wastewater treatment process. Solids motion, flow regimes, and regime transitions in this system were studied. With increasing gas velocity, four regimes were identified, including: fixed bed, semi spouted bed, full spouted bed and internal circulating fluidized bed. The respective gas velocities for the transitions between the four regimes were experimentally identified and termed as minimum spouting velocity, full spouting velocity and minimum circulating velocity. A new “basketing” method was adopted to measure the minimum spouting velocity while …

Bubble Dynamics And Dense Phase Composition In 2-D Binary Gas-Solid Fluidized Bed, Tianzi Bai

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Gas-solid bubbling fluidized bed with binary particles is a potential candidate for performing the dry coal beneficiation process due to its advantages such as the ability to adjust separation density and the elimination of process water. A two-dimensional (2D) fluidized bed was used to study bubble dynamics and dense phase composition distribution in order to gain some fundamental understanding of this system. Digital image analysis (DIA) was employed to measure bubble diameter, bubble rise velocity, bed expansion and particle composition distribution. Magnetite and sand particles as pure and binary mixtures were used in the fluidized bed. Bubble diameter and bubble …

Numerical Investigations Of Bubble Column Equipped With Vertical Internals In Different Arrangements, Tuntun Gaurav

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Bubble columns are multiphase contactors with wide applications in industrial processes. Often they are equipped with longitudinal tube bundles to facilitate heat exchange. Studying effects of these internals on column hydrodynamics is vital for the design of these internals. Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) simulations provide an understanding of the complex two-phase flow enabling the study of the effects of the internals on the column hydrodynamics. In the present work, an Eulerian-Eulerian based two-fluid model (TFM) coupled with a population balance model (PBM) is used to simulate the gas-liquid two-phase flows in bubble columns. The models studied were validated using experimental …

Impact Of Trace Element Ions And Fe2+ On Anaerobic Food Waste Digestion, Andisheh Yazdanpanah

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In Canada, about $31 billion worth of food is wasted annually. This amount of food waste (FW) ends up in landfills where it is naturally broken down by bacteria and releases methane to the atmosphere, a powerful greenhouse gas (GHG) which is 21 times more harmful to the environment than carbon dioxide (CO₂). This process can also be done in a controlled environment at wastewater treatment plants, in a process known as anaerobic digestion (AD). Diverting food waste from landfills to wastewater treatment facilities allows for the capture of the methane, which can be used as an energy …

Corrosion Scale Characteristics And Lead Oxide Dissolution In Chloraminated Water, Daoping Guo

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The presence of lead in drinking water is a common issue for utilities where lead pipes are used as service lines in drinking water distribution systems. Dissolved lead concentrations have been linked to the destabilization of stratified lead corrosion scales formed at the inner walls of lead pipe used as drinking water service lines. To develop a framework for lead dissolution control, it is necessary to fully describe the characteristics of the surface layer of the lead corrosion scale in direct contact with drinking water. In the first part of this thesis, a thorough lead corrosion scale characterization is carried …

The Production Of Pyrolytic Biochar For Addition In Value-Added Composite Material, Douglas Matthew Cuthbertson

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Pyrolytic biochar has recently gained attention for its potential value as a carbon sequestering by-product that can be used in industrial applications. While biochar is typically targeted for soil amendment applications, higher value applications such as addition in consumer products and building materials needs to be investigated.

In this study, biochar is produced from three different Canadian feedstocks using three different pyrolysis methods. The biochar is characterized to determine the effects that feedstock selection and pyrolysis conditions has on biochar properties. The biochar is also incorporated into concrete at varying concentrations to create a lightweight and sustainable material. The effect …

Adaption Of Catechol And Reversible Addition-Fragmentation Chain-Transfer (Raft) Chemistries For Water-Based Applications, Olabode Oyeneye

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Incorporating the binding chemistry of catechol functionality with RAFT chemistry offers a facile and simplified approach for developing a suite of new 2D and 3D hybrid materials with tailored morphologies. Leveraging both chemistries by synthesizing catechol-end functionalized RAFT agents and catechol-containing monomeric species for RAFT (co)polymerization, this dissertation examined a new series of advanced materials that were designed for water-based applications including model flocculants, thermoresponsive hydrogels, adsorbents and underwater adhesives.

To prepare the RAFT agents, novel trithiocarbonates with several catechol end R groups (as postpolymerization anchors) were synthesized that differ in their carbonyl α-substituents (Dopa-CTAs). These materials were evaluated for …

Fabrication And Modification Of Titania Nanotube Arrays For Harvesting Solar Energy And Drug Delivery Applications, Ahmed El Ruby Abdel Rahman Mohamed

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The fast diminishing of fossil fuels in the near future, as well as the global warming caused by increasing greenhouse gases have motivated the urgent quest to develop advanced materials as cost-effective photoanodes for solar light harvesting and many other photocatalytic applications. Recently, titania nanotube arrays (TNTAs) fabricated by anodization process has attracted great interest due to their excellent properties such as: high surface area, vertically oriented, highly organized, one-dimensional, nanotubular structure, photoactivity, chemical stability and biocompatibility. This unique combination of excellent properties makes TNTAs an excellent photoanode for solar light harvesting. However, the relatively wide band gap energy of …

Study Of Motion Of Agglomerates Through A Fluidized Bed, Muhammad Owais Iqbal Bhatti

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Formation of agglomerates in Fluid Cokers^TM can cause operating problems, such as excessive shed fouling, which can lead to premature unit shut down. Better understanding of how agglomerates move through a fluidized bed can help improve the design and operation of Fluid Cokers^TM and minimize the risk of agglomerates reaching regions where they cause problems.

To identify key factors in agglomerates motion in a fluidized bed, a new two-dimensional (2D) Radioactive Particle Tracking (RPT) method was developed which tracks model agglomerates motion. In conjunction, a tribo-electric method was used to determine bubble flow distribution in the fluidized bed. …

Synthesis Of Vo2 Nanomaterials Using Green Solvents For Thermochromic Window Coatings, Hanna Qin

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Progress in the development of energy-efficient coatings has led to recent investigations of smart windows with the ability to control heat and light. Of particular interest for this dissertation is the fabrication of vanadium dioxide (VO₂) thermochromic nanomaterials using an environmentally friendly approach with good performance for optical switching. Tungsten (W) doped VO₂/GO (graphene oxide) hybrids were successfully prepared using a one-step hydrothermal method. At 2 at. % doping, VO₂ nanotubes were successfully synthesized with tunable phase transition temperatures (T_c) achieved as low as 42^oC. In addition, various experimental parameters including …

Crystal Engineering Of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients With Low Aqueous Solubility And Bioavailability, Jenna M. Skieneh

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Approximately 75% of new molecular entities approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the pharmaceutical industry are found to have poor aqueous solubility. This undesirable attribute leads to consequences such as higher doses required to reach therapeutic levels, greater vulnerability to food effects, lesser fraction absorbed in the small intestine and damage to the environment due to increased quantity of excretion. The addition of an excipient (i.e. a FDA approved inactive ingredient) to the molecular structure of an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) through intermolecular bonding is of growing interest because the properties of the API can …

Hydrodynamics In The Gas-Driven Inverse Liquid-Solid Fluidized Bed, Jiaqi Huang

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

A novel reactor named Gas-Driven Inverse Liquid-Solid Fluidized Bed (GDFB for short) was developed in this research. A vertical baffle divides the column into a riser and a downer. Inverse fluidization is driven by the gas and occurs in the downer, where hydrodynamics and their influencing factors were studied. In the solid-baffle system, four fluidization regimes were observed, including the packed bed, semi-fluidized bed, fully-fluidized bed, and circulating bed. Bed expansion ratio was higher for particles with a higher density and a smaller solids loading. Moreover, the average particle velocity was proportional to superficial gas velocity and higher for denser …

Performance Characterization Of Coagulation Pretreatment For Two Industrial Effluents, Jing Wan

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In this work, performances of coagulation and flocculation were tested for two different industrial effluents. Coagulation-Flocculation and activated carbon adsorption were applied for the remediation of oil sands process-affected water (OSPW), generated from oil sands operations in Alberta, Canada. OSPW is a complex mixture of suspended solids, various suspended and dissolved organic compounds. Alum and natural coagulant Opuntia ficus-indica (OFI) were used as the coagulants, and the process was optimized to improve the removal of turbidity and dissolved organic carbon (DOC). The maximum removal of 98% and 63% in turbidity and DOC from OSPW, respectively occurred at pH=6.32, with an …

Regeneration Potential Of Activated Petroleum Coke For Application In Oil Sands Process-Affected Water, Sreejon Das

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Cost effective regeneration of spent adsorbent is crucial for large scale application of adsorption as a viable separation process. While adsorption studies are abundant in literature, systematic and comprehensive regeneration studies are seldom reported in open literature. A proprietary activated carbon from petroleum coke was used for the removal of model naphthenic acids (NAs) and organic compounds from oil sands process-affected water (OSPW). A systematic and comprehensive study was conducted to regenerate the adsorbents. Methanol with aqueous NaOH (pH adjusted to around 12) was applied to regenerate the spent commercially available granular activated carbon (GAC) and activated petroleum-coke (APC). Optimization …

Preparation And Coating Of 5-Asa Pellets With A Novel Rotating Fluidized Bed, Shijia Guan

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Although Mesalazine (5-ASA) demonstrates huge popularity in treating inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) due to its local effect on intestinal and colonic mucosa, it still demands more accurate and effective delivery of 5-ASA. As pellets embrace various technological and therapeutic advantages over the single-unit dosage form, this study aims at developing and optimizing the drug-loading and coating processes of 5-ASA pellets with a novel rotating fluidized bed. Powder layering and powder coating techniques, which are the same in essence, were applied in the drug-loading and coating processes, respectively. Three different coatings of 5-ASA pellets were achieved, resulting in extended, delayed and …

The Effects Of Furfural On Biological Hydrogen Production In Batch And Microbial Electrolysis Cell, Hyeongu Yeo

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Furfural inhibits biohydrogen production and numerous studies has been carried out on detoxification of furfural to enhance biofuel production. Electrochemical detoxification of furfural is a new approach to remove furfural without the degradation of sugars. However, there is limited information on the effects of the degradation products of furfural on biohydrogen production in batch tests and the impact of furfural on anode-respiring bacteria (ARB) in microbial electrolysis cells (MECs). This study investigated the effect of furfural and its derivatives, furfuryl alcohol (FFA) and 2-furoic acid (FA), on biohydrogen production. The impact of furfural on hydrogen production in MECs was also …

Effect Of Local Bed Hydrodynamics On The Distribution Of Liquid In A Fluidized Bed, Lingchao Li

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In an industrial Fluid CokerTM, liquid bitumen is injected into a bed of hot coke particles through spray nozzles, grouped in several banks at different vertical positions. The main objective of this thesis is to determine whether significant improvements in liquid-solid contact could be achieved by optimizing the location of the spray nozzles. In the coker regions where bitumen is injected, the gas is a mixture of product vapors and steam. Steam introduced at different levels rises through the coker: the stripping steam is injected near the bottom, then the attrition steam above the stripper and finally the bitumen atomization …

Biohydrogen And Biomethane Production From Lignocellulosic Biomass, Chinaza Okeoghene Akobi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of furfural on mixed cultures during fermentative hydrogen production from lignocellulosic biomass. Small batch studies using synthetic lignocellulosic hydrolysate grown on mesophilic mixed cultures, revealed a threshold furfural concentration of greater than 1 g/L with enhancement to the yields (from the control) observed at 0.5 g/L furfural (at initial substrate-to–biomass (S°/X°) ratios of 0.5 and 1 gCOD/gVSS) and at both 0.5 g/L and 1 g/L furfural (at S°/X° of 2 and 4 gCOD/gVSS). This study was scaled-up from 200 mL to 11 L working volume batches, using half the …

Study On Developments Of Processes For Powder Coatings, Shan Gao

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Powder coating, which utilizes polymer resin based powder, is a relatively young technology for decorative and protective purposes. It was first developed in the early 1950s and gradually grew into automotive finishes. Compared to conventional liquid coating, powder coating is an environmentally friendly technology, given that there is no emission of harmful solvent throughout the entire operating process. It is also much more efficient, economical and energy saving as a result of the capability to reuse all the powder. However, there are still some problems in the powder coating process limiting its application. This thesis focused on studying some key …

Catalytic Conversion Of Fructose, Glucose And Industrial Grade Sugar Syrups To 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural, A Platform For Fuels And Chemicals, Sadra Souzanchi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) as a versatile and polyfunctional compound derived from dehydration of biomass has attracted increasing attentions in research over the past decades. HMF is an important intermediate and platform chemical, which can be converted into different useful chemicals as well as the promising biofuels. It can be obtained from acid-catalyzed dehydration of different C₆-based carbohydrates such as glucose, fructose, sucrose and cellulose.

In this thesis, a cost-effective process for catalytic conversion of simple sugars (particularly glucose and fructose) and industrial grade sugar syrups to HMF was studied in a novel biphasic continuous-flow tubular reactor using inexpensive heterogeneous …

Microwave And Ultrasound Assisted Zeolitization Of Coal Fly Ash, Syed Salman Raza Bukhari

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Coal fly ash (CFA) is a major bi-product of coal fired power plants and is a liability for coal power industry. Coal fly ash has been accumulating rapidly around the globe and has been known to be accident prone, resulting in $1.65 billion in clean-up costs and fines. Given the environmental damage CFA is capable of causing, it is a great interest for scientists to recycle this material. Utilization of novel energy such as microwave and ultrasound has been of research interest for the zeolitization of coal fly ash.

This research produced zeolites from CFA utilizing microwave and ultrasound power. …

Fractionation Of Cornstalk Into Cellulose And Lignin For The Production Of Sodium Carboxymethyl Cellulose, Tao Shui

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis project aimed to fractionate cornstalk into cellulose and lignin, and utilize the crude cornstalk-derived cellulose for the production of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose and the lignin for the sybthesis of bio-based phenol-formaldehyde resole resins as wood adhesives. In this thesis work, cornstalk was efficiently fractionated into crude cellulose and crude lignin in mixed solvents of acetic acid, formic acid and water at a solid/agent ratio of 1:5 (g/mL) at 80-100 °C for 120-240 min. The best conditions for organosolv fractionation of cornstalk among the test conditions were determined as follows: mixed solvent of acetic acid/formic acid/water (3:6:1, v/v/v), HCl …

Passive Acoustic Emissions In A V-Blender, Allison Crouter

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The pharmaceutical manufacturing process consists of a number of batch steps; each step must be monitored and controlled to ensure quality standards are met. The development of process analytical technologies (PAT) can improve product monitoring with the aim of increasing efficiency, product quality and consistency and creating a better understanding of the manufacturing process.

This work investigates the feasibility of using passive acoustic emissions (PAE) to monitor particulates in a V-blender. An accelerometer was attached to the lid of a V-blender to measure vibrations from the tumbling solids. A wavelet filter removed the oscillations in the signals from the motion …

Bed Agglomeration Behavior In A Bubbling Fluidized-Bed Combustor, Ehsan Ghiasi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Agglomeration is a major operational problem during the combustion of biomass containing a high amount of alkali compounds. The agglomerate formation is mainly due to the presence of alkali elements in biomass ashes that form low-melting compounds in the combustion.

In the first part of this project, the critical amount of liquid that would lead to a severe agglomeration/de-fluidization was studied and determined in a lab scale bubbling fluidized bed (BFB) heated at elevated temperatures. To simulate the biomass ashes, various percentages of KCl and KCl-K₂SO₄ compounds at eutectic composition were mixed with silica sand as the …

Visible Light Driven Photocatalysis For Degradation Of Diclofenac, Noshin Hashim

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Diclofenac (DCF), a widely used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), is a commonly detected substance that readily accumulates in tissues of aquatic fish and poses a threat to wildlife and freshwater quality. Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) have been explored as an alternative method for complete mineralization of DCF as conventional treatment methods are inadequate for treatment of trace contaminants.

This study employs a semi-batch, swirl-flow, monolithic type photocatalytic reactor to determine intrinsic kinetic parameters of DCF mineralization, in an immobilized system under both UV and visible radiation. The goal of this work to determine true kinetics of DCF, after correcting for …

Treatment Of Landfill Waste, Leachate And Landfill Gas: Modelling/Simulation And Experimental Studies, Hecham M. Omar

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Landfilling has been relegated to containing waste and hoping for minimal environmental impact. However, landfills produce harmful leachate and landfill gas that require treatment. To speed up the landfill biodegradation process, aerating the landfill to promote aerobic biodegradation has been implemented successfully. However, the conversion from a traditional anaerobic landfill to an aerobic landfill is to this point, not well researched. A 3-dimensional dynamic mathematical model was developed that depicts the conversion of a landfill from an anaerobic to an aerobic operation. The results of the model (CO₂ volume fraction and temperature), agreed with data from published work. The …

Granulation Of Biochar For Soil Amendment, Breanna H. M. Bowden-Green

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Biochar has shown potential as a soil amendment, but is a fine powder that is difficult to handle and would be blown away if applied to soils without modifications. Wet drum granulation of cornstalk biochar using binder solutions of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose was initially investigated, establishing that biochar could be granulated into a form that would be easier to handle and apply effectively to the soil. Biochars from three different feedstocks were then tested along with three binder solutions. The biochar granules were free flowing and relatively strong with a significant yield between a size range of 1 to 4 mm. …