Other Chemical Engineering Commons^™

Preparation And Characterization Of Reactive Composites Combining Boron With Mixed Oxides, Purvam Mehulkumar Gandhi

Theses

Thirteen liquids have been explored as Process Control Agents (PCAs) for high-energy mechanical milling of two metal oxide powders, CuO and Bi₂O₃, with the practical purpose to reduce the sizes of powder particles and refine their crystal structure. Multiple liquid properties have been considered to analyze their effect on evolution of both particle and crystallite sizes during milling for each oxide. Experimental data were analyzed using the δ-AICc (Akaike Information criterion) correlation function applied to linear relations between liquid properties and powder characteristics. Multiple linear correlation models were ranked based on the highest log-likelihood and the …

Waste Engine Oil Regeneration With Bentonite From The Navbahor Deposit, Azimova Shodiyakhon, Arslanov Sharafutdin, Turakhujayev Saidakbar, Azimov Dilmurod

CHEMISTRY AND CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

The aim of the study was the regeneration of used oils. The change in the conditions for the regeneration of used engine oil as a result of adsorptive cleaning with alkaline earth clay from the Navbakhor deposit has been studied. The carried-out regeneration allows almost completely removing mechanical impurities, moisture from the waste oil and helps to clarify it. The optimal conditions for regeneration have been established. The removal of secondary products formed during the use of engine oil while retaining the main components that determine the serviceability of the product has been established. By means of IR spectroscopy, as …

Flow Patterns, Velocity Distributions And Mixing Time In Stirred Tank Reactor Under A Range Of Operating Conditions, Nor Haslina Abdullah

Student Works (2020-2029)

The present work employed a two-dimensional Particle Imaging Velocimetry (PIV) technique to determine the flow patterns and velocity distributions of a down-pumping pitched-blade turbine (4PB) and a Rushton turbine (RT) in a flat-bottom fully baffled stirred vessel (T=0.155m) using distilled water and glycerin as liquids. Fluid velocities increased as the impeller speed increased from 50rpm to 300rpm for both fluids and the RT impeller reached a maximum value of velocity of 1.42m/s at the blade tip. The 4PB had higher velocity compared to RT in glycerin, but RT had higher velocity than 4PB in distilled water. In water, radial flow …

Clearance Of Solid Household Waste With The Reception Of Alternative Types Of Energy Carriers, Rakhmatullayev F, Turabdhanov S

Technical science and innovation

The research is devoted to improving the technology of obtaining alternative types of energy carriers by applying methods of pyrolysis of unclaimed types of solid domestic wastes of biological origin, which also allow solving the tasks of improving the ecological situation in the places of formation. The practical value and relevance of this research lies in the development of advanced technology for obtaining alternative fuels. The proposed pyrolysis unit allows producing gaseous and liquid hydrocarbons in a continuous cycle. In the atmosphere of the gasifying agent (air, oxygen, water vapor, carbon dioxide or their mixture), the gasification process is primarily …

Adsorption And Reconfiguration Of Amphiphiles At Silica-Water Interfaces: Role Of Electrostatic Interactions, Van Der Waals Forces And Hydrogen Bonds, Yao Wu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The ability to explore and predict metastable structures of hybrid self-assemblies is of central importance for the next generation of advanced materials with novel properties. As compared to their thermodynamically stable forms, the kinetically stabilized materials show improved functionality potentially over their stable counterparts. The self-assembly processes usually originate from weak intermolecular interactions, involving a dynamic competition between attractive and repulsive interactions. These weak forces, including van der Waals (vdW), electrostatic interaction and the hydrogen bonding (H-bonding), can be tuned by external stimuli, e.g., confinement, temperature and ionization, and consequently driving hybrid materials into different configurations. It is challenging to …

Fractionation And Characterization Of Extracted Lignin From Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch Using Synthesized Deep Eutectic Solvents, Tan Yee Tong

Student Works (2020-2029)

Deep eutectic solvent (DES), a new generation green solvent has been introduced as an alternative pretreatment solvent due to its ability for lignocellulosic biomass fractionation and lignin extraction. Numerous types of compounds can be adopted as DES constituents, which has resulted in abundant variation of DES with varying properties. Selection of the suitable chemical compound category is therefore essential for optimum DES performance. However, investigation on the performance comparison between the different DES categories is lacking. In addition, despite its widely acknowledged effectiveness in biomass fractionation, the properties of DES-fractionated biopolymers, especially lignin are not well understood. Hence, this project …

Optimization Of Nitrate Removal From Aqueous Solution By Acid-Activated Rice Straw Supported Nano Zero-Valent Iron Using Response Surface Methodology, Dalia A. Ali Eng, Nagwa Mahmoud Al-Mansi Prof, Mohamed Amin Sadek Prof., Ahmad Wafiq Abolnasr Dr.

Chemical Engineering

Rice straw is one of the most common agricultural wastes due to its large production amounts. Energy valorization of rice straw is a technology used for nitrate removal as the produced ashes used to generate the adsorbent by means of an alkali dissolution followed by acid precipitation. The novelty of the proposed process is that the production of the nano zero-valent iron supported acid-activated rice straw (AARS-nZVI) adsorbent is carried out without the energy valorization process but, through an acid activation for rice straw followed by precipitation of nZVI particles on its surface. The new adsorbent synthesis, characterization and application …

Interactions Between Control And Process Design Under Economic Model Predictive Control, Henrique Oyama, Helen Durand

Chemical Engineering and Materials Science Faculty Research Publications

conomic model predictive control (EMPC) is a model-based control scheme that integrates process control and economic optimization, which can potentially allow for time-varying operating policies to maximize economic performance. The manner in which an EMPC operates a process to optimize economics depends on the process dynamics, which are fixed by the process design. This raises the question of how process and EMPC designs interact. Works which have addressed process and control design interactions for steady-state operation have sought to simultaneously develop process designs and control law parameters to find the most profitable way to operate a process that is able …

Investigation Of Various Techniques For Controlled Void Formation In Fiberglass/Epoxy Composites, Donald A. Klosterman, Charles Browning, Issa Hakim, Kyle Lach

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

The effect of porosity in composite materials has been studied for years due to its deleterious effects on mechanical properties, especially matrix dominated properties. Currently there is an increasing use of composites in infrastructure worldwide, for example bridge components, residential and building structures, marine structures such as piers and docks, and large industrial chemical tanks. Most of these applications use fiberglass composites. Unfortunately, most of the published literature has focused on carbon fiber composites, in which fiber diameter and gas-fiber interactions are different than fiberglass composites. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to revisit the effect of porosity but specifically …

Aqueous Redox Flow Batteries With Boron Doped Diamond As An Electrode., Alex M. Bates

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As the interest and implementation of renewable energy accelerates, so does that of grid energy storage. It is widely believed that a cost-effective energy storage technology will bring about the proliferation of renewable energy. Redox flow battery (RFB) technology represents a promising solution to cost-effective grid energy storage. Compared to other technologies, RFBs have a long lifetime, high efficiency, are non-flammable, significantly reduce cost, and separately scale power and energy. The separation of power and energy enables increased energy capacity by simply adding electrolyte volume. Of the challenges facing RFB technology, one readily apparent is the cost of the active …

Comparative Analysis Of Simulation Models Of The Production Of Ethylbenzene, Osariemen Imafidon

Honors Theses

Process Engineering is all about making sure a raw material can become the desired product with as little variation as possible, while achieving the customer's specifications. Many equipment used for chemical processes cannot be physically inspected during operation at steady state, hence, the need for simulation software. The objective of this study was to compare the results of three different simulation packages to evaluate their efficacy within process design.

This study focused on the economic analysis of the production of Ethylbenzene using various models. The base case variables were inputted into each model to simulate the calculations for a fully …

Ultrasound-Assisted Post-Pyrolysis Magnetization Of Microporous Biochar For Effective Removal Of Heavy Metals, Ronish Shrestha

Honors Theses

Low cost and efficient adsorption of heavy metals from wastewater and thorough removal of adsorbent after water treatment have become the two essential needs for the commercial use of any adsorbent. Biochar (BC), the solid byproduct of pyrolysis with microporous carbonaceous structure, has been increasingly recognized as an efficient adsorbent for a vast number of pollutants. Magnetization, though eases the separation and reuse of BC, significantly reduces its adsorption capacity to a comparatively much higher extent. In this study, a hybrid post-pyrolysis magnetization was developed which sustained and even significantly increased the adsorption capacity of biochar. The process included i) …

Solution To Exide Technologies Inbatec Inefficiency, Reagan Gilker, Mary Fairley, Spencer Christain, Shixuan Hou, Covenson Latouche

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The inefficiency of the battery charging time in Inbatec Units 1 and 2 in the Exide Technologies Fort Smith was initially investigated by a student team in Fall 2019, and the investigation was continued into Spring 2020. The Exide Technologies facility in Fort Smith, Arkansas utilizes 13 Inbatec units to charge the lead-acid batteries.

The Inbatec systems circulate the sulfuric acid solution through a cooling tower to maintain to optimal charging temperature. Previous analysis of the charging process for Inbatec Units 1 and 2 show the cooling tower have the capacity to quickly remove the excess heat in the sulfuric …

Removal Of Fluoride From Mine Water Via Adsorption For Land-Applied Soil Amendment, Adrian Damian, Kevin Le, Mary Johnson, Ethan Phan, Courtney Golman, Michelle Dopp, Jacqueline Payne

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The process of mining minerals and elements from ores and rocks creates acid rock drainage (ARD). This drainage is water that contains heavy metals and minerals that can be dangerous for human consumption or damaging to the environment. The mining industry has employed various water treatment methods to prevent these metals and minerals from being discharged into water sources such as ponds, lakes, and streams. Currently, the most used treatment process in the mining industry is a cost-effective highdensity sludge (HDS) process. This method reduces the concentration of metals and elements with the use of lime/limestone. However, the concentration of …

Removal Of Fluoride From Mine Water Via Adsorption For Land-Applied Soil Amendment, Michelle Dopp, Kevin Le, Ethan Phan, Mary Johnson, Jacqueline Payne, Adrian Damian, Courtney Golman

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The Moo Pig Sooie’s researched, designed, and economically analyzed a full-scale adsorption column system to be applied in mining processes that leave high amounts of fluoride in their effluent. This system was designed to remove fluoride from water saturated with calcium sulfate, as calcium sulfate is present in high amounts in certain mining processes. Currently, high density sludge (HDS) is commonly employed to reduce fluoride concentrations, but due to solubility limits the sludge treatment cannot lower fluoride below 10 mg/L (ppm). The current enforceable EPA standard for discharged water is at 4 mg/L (ppm), although mining companies anticipate that this …

Quantifying Air Pollution At The Stamford Transportation Center, Brianna Mancuso, Kristina Wagstrom

Honors Scholar Theses

There is a need to analyze particulate matter concentrations at the Stamford Transportation Center according to the Western Connecticut Coalition of Governments. Stamford has recently undergone rapid urbanization and large scale construction resulting in traffic congestion. Congested traffic areas in urban centers are key contributors to poor air quality. Therefore, there is a need to analyze the pollution concentrations at the bus stops near the station. Every day, hundreds of shuttles and cars idle around the Transportation Center. Thousands of passengers wait at nearby bus stops every day and can potentially be exposed to high amounts of vehicle produced pollution …

Pollution Prevention Via Recovery Of Cerium (Iv) Oxide In Optics Company, Eugene Park, William Gallagher, Sydor Optics, Flint Creek Resources

Articles

Pollution prevention methods were applied at an optics manufacturer in an effort to improve recovery of a valuable polishing component, cerium oxide (ceria), 77% of which was lost to dragout and sewer discharge. Centrifugation and microfiltratiion were evaluated to develop a process that would increase recovery of used ceria, which would then be sent back to the ceria supplier for reclamation and reuse. Full-scale implementation included a high-speed centrifuge that operates continuously with a microfiltration system through recirculation in a single process tank. Sydor Optics has improved ceria recovery from 23% to 48%, saving thousands of dollars annually.

Comparison Of Pretreatment Methods For The Production Of Ethanol, Emily Schulte

Honors Theses

Bioethanol provides a great alternative to regular ethanol sources because it uses secondary substrates that are byproducts of other industries, rather than substrates that compete with food products. The technology is available for industrial bioethanol production, but the production costs just aren’t competitive enough with traditional ethanol production. The goal of this project was not to prepare a proposal for a bio-ethanol plant with all of the associated costs and financial calculations, but rather to provide a direct comparison of two pretreatment methods to highlight which factors could make one method less costly than the other. Pretreatment is a critical …

Paper Recycling Fiber Recapture, Abigail Cortright

Honors Theses

The goal of the Yoda Chemical Company Paper Recycling Fiber Recapture project and subsequent report was to identify and recommend plant optimization opportunities associated with the potential recovery of five waste streams. Additionally, an analysis of the upgrade’s design was completed in order to determine the economic viability of fiber recapture. Beginning the analysis, the five waste streams were identified and analyzed. The waste streams include the top liner, back liner, and filler liner primary cleaner rejects on the K1 machine, the common rejects from under the K3 paper machine, and the tertiary cleaner rejects from stock preparation.

Two different …

Development Of A Flexible Printed Paper-Based Battery, Justone Crosby

Honors Theses

Market demand for flexible electronics continues to grow, which, in turn, increases the demand for flexible energy storage devices. There are several types of energy storage devices available, including the alkaline (Zn-MnO₂) battery, which is the subject of this project. This project's objective was to develop a flexible, printed paper-based battery, which may be a sustainable solution to the increasing market demand. This device is low-cost and can be manufactured commercially using a scalable process.

The proposed device is an alkaline flexible cell, whose components can be printed onto paper. This alkaline system includes a zinc-based negative electrode …

Tunable Luminescence Of Rare Earth Doped Nanophosphors Via Adaptive Optical Properties Of Transition Metals, Pragathi Darapaneni

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Over the past decades, the development of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to produce a wide range of wavelengths has revolutionized the solid-state lighting industry due to their higher energy efficiency and operational lifetimes. These LEDs employ rare earth (RE) doped phosphors due to their stable emission wavelengths which can be amplified when sensitized by other RE dopants (Yb, Ce) or shell layer passivation. However, there has been a push to replace the RE elements in LEDs due to increased socioeconomic issues. One proposed alternative, transition metal (TM) dopants, is typically avoided due to their susceptibility to the local crystal environment resulting …

Enhancing Chemical Sensing With Seira And Silicon Carbide Gratings, Autumn Bruncz, Thomas Folland, Joshua Caldwell, Marko Tadjer

Research Horizons Day Posters

No abstract provided.

Dlvo Interactions Of Janus Ellipsoids With A Planar Surface, Kailian Davis

Research Horizons Day Posters

No abstract provided.

Features Of Hydration Process, Structure Formation And Curing Processes Of Mono And Polymineral Cement In The Presence Of Additives Of Solid Waste Of Soda Production, Nargis Shamadinova, Gulnora Abdukadirovna Tokhtakhunova Phd, Temur Azimovich Atakuziev, Shakhnoza Saidanvarovna Rakhimjanova

Chemical Technology, Control and Management

The influence of the additive of solid waste of soda production (SWSP) on the content of -C₂S and C₃S in cement studied. It was found that SWSP affects the density of the aluminum-containing minerals C₃A and C₄AF, in addition, in the presence of gypsum, their plasticizing properties improved. The introduction of SWSP additives during grinding of clinker intensifies the grinding process and made it possible to obtain a more plastic cement. It was proved that SWSP with CaCl₂ content can be used as an additive to concrete and cement mortars - …

Impact Of Team Formation Approach On Teamwork Effectiveness And Performance In An Upper-Level Undergraduate Chemical Engineering Laboratory Course, Erick S. Vasquez, Matthew J. Dewitt, Zachary J. West, Michael J. Elsass

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

This study focuses on the impact of team formation approach on teamwork effectiveness and performance spanning three years of instruction of the chemical engineering unit operations laboratory, which is an upper-level undergraduate laboratory course. Team formation approaches changed each year, and assessment tools, including peer-assessment, academic performance, and course evaluations, were employed to evaluate team performance. Approaches included three cases: instructor-selected teams based on GPA with the objective of a similar cumulative average GPA for each team, student self-selected teams, and a combination of self-selected teams with instructor-selected teams for a final experiment. For the third case, new teams were …

Noble-Transition Alloy Absorbers For Near-Infrared Hot-Carrier Optoelectronics, Sara Karoline Figueiredo Stofela

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Optoelectronics is the field of technology concerned with the study and application of electronic devices that source, detect and control light. Here we focus on the optical communications field which relies on optical fiber systems to carry signals to their destinations operating in the near-infrared range. To improve the performance of current optical fiber systems, one of the paths is to develop better near-infrared photodetectors.

The current group of materials used for near-infrared photodetection relies in the III-V semiconductor family. Although their spectral photosensitivity correlates well with the near-infrared, response time performance and electronic circuit integration remain limited for this …

Development Of Novel Adsorbent For Industrial Waste Water Treatment, Islam M. Al-Akraa, Hassan M. Shehata Eng, Dalia A. Ali Eng., Hoda A. Elsawy Dr

Chemical Engineering

The main objective of this research project is to perform some experimental procedures to inform the ability of the novel adsorbent used in this project. The chemical modification of the adsorbent is the chemical oxidation of pure powder chitosan using some specific redox pairs which are potassium dichromate and sodium bisulphite. After preparing the modified chitosan, there are some parameters that must be discussed during the adsorption process. The first parameter is the time parameter, showing experimentally the optimum time for adsorption under certain conditions by collecting values of absorbance and concentration of thymol blue adsorbed after the process from …

Organophosphorus-Hydrazides As Potential Reactive Flame Retardants For Epoxy, Alexander B. Morgan, Vladimir Benin, Donald A. Klosterman, Abdulhamid Bin Sulayman, Mustafa Mukhtar, Mary L. Galaska

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

For structural composites used in vehicles and aircraft, flame retardant chemistries which enhance char formation and reduce heat release are preferred. Phosphorus-based and phosphorus–nitrogen flame retardants for epoxies have been well studied to date, but phosphorus hydrazides have not been studied for their flame-retardant potential in epoxy. These hydrazides offer some novel structures and they can potentially offer a combination of vapor and condensed phase flame retardant action. A series of eight compounds were systematically investigated in this study as reactive flame retardants in a bisphenol F epoxy/aliphatic amine resin system at a level of 2.5 wt% phosphorus. Results suggest …

Design Of Pigments For Use In “Cool” Coatings, Tyler Laughorn

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project was focused on the development and testing of several novel pigments that exhibit high NIR-reflectance and therefore show potential for use in “cool” coatings. A “cool” coating will reflect more solar radiation than other standard coatings, and so a coated structure would require less energy to keep cool. Four sets of pigments were synthesized: Co_1-xMg_xCr₂O₄ (teal), Co_0.25Mg_0.75Cr_2-yAl_yO₄ (blue), Ti_1-x-yNi_xSb_yO₂ (yellow), and Cr_2-xFe_xO₃ (black). NIR and TSR values were then measured …

Filtration Apparatus Design For Oil-Water Separation Using Membranes And Sponges, Alec Jerger

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

It can be difficult to separate water and oil emulsions through traditional filtration. Therefore, investigations of filtering using thermo-responsive (TR) polymers, in this case poly(vinyl methyl ether) (PVME), was conducted. It’s hypothesized that below its lower critical solution temperature (LCST), PVME has an affinity for water while oil substances do not. Above the LCST the opposite will be true. To verify this hypothesis, iterations of filtration designs were created to provide optimum control over the parameters to measure flow. The final optimized experimental apparatus was a Chromaflex glass column which was air tight and controlled all parameters besides fluid flow. …