Materials Science and Engineering Commons^™

Quantifying Multidimensional Effects Of Physicochemical Parameters On Pfas Adsorption Using A Hybrid Response Surface Methodology-Machine Learning Approach, Harsh V. Patel, Jazmin Green, John Park, Stephanie Luster-Teasley Pass, Renzun Zhao

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination has posed a significant environmental and public health challenge due to their ubiquitous nature. Adsorption has emerged as a promising remediation technique, yet optimizing adsorption efficiency remains complex due to the diverse physicochemical properties of PFAS and the wide range of adsorbent materials. Traditional modeling approaches, such as response surface methodology (RSM), struggled to capture nonlinear interactions, while standalone machine learning (ML) models required extensive datasets. This study addressed these limitations by developing hybrid RSM-ML models to improve the prediction and optimization of PFAS adsorption. A comprehensive dataset was constructed using experimental adsorption data, …

Mxene-Based Materials For Enhanced Water Quality: Advances In Remediation Strategies, Ali Mohammad Amani, Milad Abbasi, Atena Najdian, Farzaneh Mohamadpour, Seyed Reza Kasaee, Hesam Kamyab, Shreeshivadasan Chelliapan, Mostafa Shafiee, Lobat Tayebi, Ahmad Vaez, Atefeh Najafian, Ehsan Vafa, Sareh Mosleh-Shirazi

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Two-dimensional MXenes are promising candidates for water treatment because of their large surface area (e.g., exceeding 1000 m²/g for certain structures), high electrical conductivity (e.g., >1000 S/m), hydrophilicity, and chemical stability. Their strong sorption selectivity and effective reduction capacity, exemplified by heavy metal adsorption efficiencies exceeding 95 % in several studies, coupled with facile surface modification, make them suitable for removing diverse contaminants. Applications include the removal of heavy metals (e.g., achieving >90 % removal of Pb(II)), dye removal (e.g., demonstrating >80 % removal of methylene blue), and radioactive waste elimination. Furthermore, 3D MXene architecture exhibit enhanced performance in antibacterial …

Removal Capabilities Of Zeolite And Zero Valent Iron With High-Level Waste Tank Radionuclides And Metals: Cesium, Strontium And Chromium, Colette R. Towles

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

High level nuclear waste (HLW) has been disposed for temporary storage in underground steel tanks at the Department of Energy Nuclear sites. For example, at the Hanford Site, WA, and Savannah River Site (SRS), SC, HLW account for eighty-eight million gallons (Mgal) and 450 million Curies (MCi) of radioactivity. In the early nuclear activity at Hanford, the waste was discharged to single-shell steel tanks, and the lack of secondary containment allowed leaks, contaminating soil and groundwater. Despite tremendous efforts to stabilize the liquid waste at nuclear sites, treatment is complex, costly, and time-consuming; therefore, HLW may have to be stored …

Refining Chlorosulfonation Methods For The Synthesis Of A Perfluoroalkyl Arylsulfonimide (Pfsi) Monomer, Ainsley P. Foster, Benjamin Varney, Hua Mei

Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

Proton-exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells are sources of energy that are clean, quiet, and highly responsive to changes in power needs, making them promising for use in automobiles and other portable power devices. The electrolyte of a PEM cell–the layer responsible for conductivity–is a polymer membrane, commonly consisting of perfluoroalkyl sulfonic acid (PFSA) polymers. Perfluoroalkyl arylsulfonimide (PFSI) polymers are expected to improve the efficiency of PEM fuel cells through optimal stability and proton conductivity. The trifluovinylether (TFVE) aryl perfluorosulfonamide monomer is a new PFSI monomer proposed to fulfill these benefits once polymerized. A six-step synthesis route was initially designed to …

Investigation Of Temperature, Solution Strength, And Applied Stress Effects On Cation Exchange Processes In Different Geosynthetic Clay Liner Products, Kendra Fuller

Master's Theses

An extensive laboratory test program was conducted to analyze and compare the cation exchange processes in three different varieties of sodium bentonite (Na-B) geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) over increased conditioning durations up to 32 days and investigate the effects of temperature, solution strength, and applied stress. The goal of this test program was to establish whether the variables of temperature, solution strength, and applied stress improved or degraded the engineering properties of GCLs in laboratory testing and municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill applications. The GCLs were conditioned in liquids of increasing ionic strength, using deionized water and 2, 50, and …

Chemical Recycling Of Bio-Based Polyurethane Foams: Evaluating Bio-Based Glycols In Comparison To Petroleum-Based Glycols, Anirudh Thorbole Mr.

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

The paradigm shift towards bio-based polyurethane foams (bio-PUF) has significantly increased post-consumer waste. To address this issue, this research represents a novel approach to enhance sustainable development in the recycling industry by replacing traditional petroleum-based glycols with sustainable bio-based alternatives. This study explores the glycolysis of bio-PUF using bio-based SG-522 glycol and polyethylene glycol (PEG) for comparison. The findings from this research as outlined, reveal no significant differences in depolymerization time between the two glycols, achieving proper depolymerization and high recovery yields of over 95% after solvent purification. Comprehensive FT-IR and NMR analyses confirmed the successful degradation of bio-PUF and …

Investigating The Impact Of Secondary Activation Time On The Adsorption Properties Of Activated Biochar For Arsenic Removal From Wastewater, Achyuth Bharadwaj Rayarao

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

Biochar, a naturally occurring and renewable carbon material, becomes porous through activation. Activated biochar is an ideal candidate for use as an adsorbent. The objective of this study is to investigate whether activated biochar derived from Colorado soft pine serves as a better adsorbent and demonstrates enhanced adsorption capabilities after undergoing secondary physical activation at various activation times. The effect of secondary action time on physical adsorption properties drawn from the analysis of isotherm plots, surface areas and pore size patterns were examined by using a physisorption analyzer. Chemical structures were identified using both ultimate and proximate analyses, while porosity …

Free And Forced Vibrations Of Elastically Restrained Cantilever With Lumped Oscillator, Alireza Babaei, Johné Parker, Paria Moshaver

Earth and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications

The efficiency assessment of cantilever-based energy harvesters relies on vibrational analysis, which necessitates modi- fications aimed at enhancing efficiency. These modifications involve manipulating the fundamental frequency to lower values and encompassing a wider range of resonances within a specified bandwidth. Consequently, this paper introduces an original analytical-numerical exploration into the vibratory response of a cantilever with a novel boundary condi- tion involving an elastically restrained oscillator-spring arrangement. At the microbeam’s tip, an oscillator is elastically confined by a linear spring, resulting in a novel set of coupled governing equations and a distinct shearing boundary condition. Microbeam equations is derived from …

Boron-Doped Diamond As A Resilient Electrode Material In Molten Salts, Hannah Katherine Patenaude

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Molten salt chemistry has a range of applications within nuclear technology, including for the Molten Salt Reactors (MSRs) and pyroprocessing to recover valuable actinides for energy and national security needs. However, the high-temperature, corrosive nature of molten salts makes them particularly challenging to deploy on an industrial scale and study in benchtop measurements. Material accountability and corrosion monitoring of MSR fuels are essential components to the successful deployment of MSRs, and electroanalytical techniques like cyclic voltammetry (CV) and spectroelectrochemistry (SEC) can provide a wealth of information to describe salt systems in situ. To perform such measurements, it is imperative to …

Effects Of Hemp Fibers On The Mechanical Performance Of Concrete, Hamida Baassou

Masters Theses

The construction industry is known to be globally the number one contributor to greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and energy consumption. The purpose of this study is to examine the potential use of hemp as a concrete reinforcement, its mechanical properties and strength, its environmental and socio-economic advantages, and its limitations. To examine the mechanical performance of hemp fiber, 54 specimens will be tested for compressive, tensile, and flexural strength. This was done in two parts. In the first part hemp fibers in two different ratios (0.5v% and 1v%), and two different treatments (water and 5% sodium hydroxide) were added to …

Mechanisms Of Dendritic Shorting In Lithium Metal Batteries With Li7la3zr2o12 Solid Electrolytes, Lukas Karapin-Springorum

Pomona Senior Theses

Energy storage will play a crucial role in efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions from human activity. Lithium metal batteries using solid electrolytes like Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂ have higher energy density than lithium-ion batteries, which may enable a more rapid and complete electrification of transportation. However, lithium metal batteries suffer from undesirable short-circuiting when metallic lithium deposits connect the two electrodes. It has been debated whether these lithium dendrites generally grow directionally from the anode or are generated by the reduction of lithium ions inside the solid electrolyte, …

Reducing Food Scarcity: The Benefits Of Urban Farming, S.A. Claudell, Emilio Mejia

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Urban farming can enhance the lives of communities and help reduce food scarcity. This paper presents a conceptual prototype of an efficient urban farming community that can be scaled for a single apartment building or an entire community across all global geoeconomics regions, including densely populated cities and rural, developing towns and communities. When deployed in coordination with smart crop choices, local farm support, and efficient transportation then the result isn’t just sustainability, but also increasing fresh produce accessibility, optimizing nutritional value, eliminating the use of ‘forever chemicals’, reducing transportation costs, and fostering global environmental benefits.

Imagine Doris, who is …

Radiation Exposure Calibration Of The Al2o3:C With Radium-226 And Cesium-137 Using The Osl Method, Selma Tepeli Aydin

All Theses

Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dosimetry was utilized to calibrate Al₂O₃:C powder dosimeters, available commercially as the nanoDot® from Landauer Inc., and compare the dosimeter response to radium-226 (²²⁶Ra) and cesium-137 (¹³⁷Cs). The signal from the OSL was quantified using a microSTARii^® OSL reader also produced by Landauer Inc. Dose-response curves were developed for ²²⁶Ra and ¹³⁷Cs experiments (5 dosimeters each) at thirteen absorbed doses. Individual dosimeter response was tracked by serial number. Linear regression analysis was performed to determine if there were significant differences between the intercepts of the …

Alca: Comparing Icelandic Aluminum Emissions To The World Through Statistical Reasoning And Programming-Based Predictive Tools, Markus Sujansky

Iceland: Climate Change and The Arctic

Aluminum production is a process that is heavily reliant on large amounts of available

energy, and therefore lends itself to locations where energy production is abundant. Iceland, as a global leader in Geothermal and Hydropower energy, has experienced an industrial boom in the past 20-30 years, quickly becoming a top 10 worldwide aluminum producer. However, although the three main companies that operate their smelting processes in the country are powered by clean energy, they still import raw materials from all over the world, with source locations ranging from Brazil to Australia. In order to find out if the long distance …

Integrating Sensor Development, Risk Assessment, And Community Engagement To Support Environmental Justice In The Rural Community Of El Tiple, Colombia, David Bahamon Pinzon

All Dissertations

In Colombia, ethnic communities have traditionally been responsible stewards of natural resources. They recognize the importance of these resources for their livelihood, as well as their ancestral and cultural heritage. El Tiple, a rural Afro-Colombian community, has been affected by the incursion of private corporations that promoted the expansion of sugarcane monocrops in their territory. Since the introduction of the monoculture industry, local freshwater sources have been depleted due to intensive water use for irrigation of the sugarcane crops. Additionally, the intensive usage of agrochemicals has been linked with loss of native flora, damages to family farms, and pollution of …

Characterization Of Mechanically Recycled Polylactic Acid (Pla) Filament For 3d-Printing By Evaluating Mechanical, Thermal, And Chemical Properties And Process Performance, Mahsa Shabani Samghabady

All Theses

Polylactic acid (PLA) is a biopolymer made from renewable resources such as sugar and corn. PLA filament is a popular material used in Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D-printing. While this material has many advantages, all the failed parts, support structures, rafts, nozzle tests, and the many prototype iterations during the 3D-printing process contribute to the plastic pollution and release of greenhouse gases. Although PLA is biodegradable, it can take years to degrade in landfills. Instead of throwing away PLA waste and buying new filaments, PLA can be recycled. Amongst the different recycling technologies, mechanical recycling is the most environmentally friendly. …

Development And Characterization Of Lead & Lead-Free Perovskite Solar Cell Materials, Rubaiya Murshed

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In recent years, perovskite photovoltaic technology has offered enormous viability and dimensionality in solar cell research. As a light-harvesting active layer, Perovskite generated remarkable development in device efficiency of 25.7% for the single-junction solar cell, and over 33% for the perovskite/silicon tandem solar cell. Also, perovskite-perovskite tandem solar cell (also called all-perovskite tandem solar cell) shows great potential in device performance and achieved a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 26.4%. Transitioning photovoltaic technology from the laboratory to commercial products, high PCE, low cost, long lifetime, and low toxicity are some of the critical factors to consider during material selection. Pb-halide …

Fungi In Flux | Designing Regenerative Materials And Products With Mycelium, Arvind Bhallamudi

Masters Theses

As the world grapples with the escalating crisis of climate threats and environmental degradation, this research delves into the synergistic potential of design and biology, developing safe and sustainable materials for applications in prototyping, furniture and interior design. Harnessing the power of a unique organism - fungi, the study proposes an accessible, efficient, and resilient material resource system. It utilizes local waste streams and mycelium (the vegetative part of fungi) to grow functional structures. An experimental and small-scale protocol is modeled by testing bio-fabrication and bio-printing methods. The composites' performance qualities and characteristics are evaluated through mechanical testing and a …

Exploring The Potential Of Pavegen’S Kinetic Energy Generating Floor For Sustainable Energy Solutions: A Proposal For Cal Poly Slo, Brandon J. Cuneo

Construction Management

This paper proposes the installation of Pavegen's kinetic energy generating floors at Cal Poly’s campus as a sustainable energy solution. Pavegen has developed a pioneering technology that converts footsteps into clean and renewable energy. The versatility of these floors is demonstrated through successful implementations in various settings, such as transportation hubs and public spaces, generating power from foot traffic. Collaborations with Schneider Electric, installation at Dupont Circle, and integration at Heathrow Airport showcase the potential for sustainable urban infrastructure. This paper outlines research conducted on Pavegen and similar solutions, including communication with company representatives and examining proposed installation locations at …

Metastability And Degradation In Cu(In,Ga)Se2 Thin-Film Solar Cells, Mohsen Jahandardoost

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)2 or CIGS is a thin-film semiconductor that has shown a device efficiency of 23.35% and 24.2% for single-junction and perovskite/CIGS tandem solar cells, respectively. CIGS offers promising properties such as tunable bandgap and ease of processing making them great candidates for thin-film tandem devices. However, knowledge of the effect of material defects, buffer materials, and post-deposition treatment (PDT) on degradation and metastability behavior in these devices is not well understood.In this dissertation, metastability and long-term degradation of CIGS thin-film solar cells have been investigated under combinatorial stress factors of heat, light, and voltage bias to systematically understand the effect …

Development Of A Biobased Carbon Adsorbent For Treating Emerging Contaminants In Recycled Water On The International Space Station, Savanna Vacek, Madeline Carroll, Gabson Baguma

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

The International Space Station (ISS) operates as a closed system. Water is recycled from humidity and urine and held in a wastewater tank; part of the Water Processing Assembly (WPA). Potable treated water is used indirectly in the Sabatier Reactor.The Sabatier Reactor is a key component in the Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS). Three main functions of ECLSS: water recovery, air revitalization, and oxygen generation Sabatier Reactor recently failed due to contamination of DMSO2, dimethyl sulfone, and DMSD, dimethylsilanediol. DMSO2 and DMSD are emerging contaminants that are not removed by the media used in the WPA due to …

Precious Plastics - Plastic Brick Machine Fabrication, Timothy Ukaobasi Kanu, Evi Paraskevi Troulis

Architectural Engineering

The goal of this research is to determine the structural parameters of the recycled plastic polypropylene when molded into bricks resembling CMU blocks. To accomplish this, three mechanisms had to be assembled: the shredder, the injector, and the 1x1 mold. A tensile and compression test were to be performed on the plastic brick, and the values would be used to compare the tensile and compressive strength of PP plastic bricks, as well as their modulus of elasticity and stress vs. Strain performance. These values would be analyzed to determine whether it would be feasible to build an entire plastic wall. …

The Living Breakwaters Pdr Efforts Econcrete Resource Analysis, Guianina Ferrari, Shervon Stephens, Calvin O. Walters Jr.

Publications and Research

On October 29, 2012, Superstorm Sandy impacted 443,000 people and caused nearly $19 billion (about $58 per person in the US) worth of damage within New York City. As part of the New York City infrastructure reparation plan, the Living Breakwaters project in Tottenville addressed coastal resilience, allocating $100M of public funds to a series of artificial breakwaters by the southwest coast of Staten Island. Each breakwater is constructed and designed to mitigate water flow in storm events. ECOncrete, a primary element of the breakwater, is a specialty cast cementitious product that is marine organism-friendly that encourages biocalcification and photosynthesis. …

Building Structures From Mycelium, Noah M. Brown

Physics

The purpose of this project was to develop a method for creating bricks from mycelium and agricultural waste. The bulk of the research happened in two parts, the first part being a period in which different substrates, strains, and methods were used build the bricks. This research took place in San Luis Obispo and was aided by a group of students in PSC392 under Dr. Pete Schwartz in early 2022. After developing a method for constructing these bricks, the research was moved to St. Thomas, Jamaica, in collaboration with an ecovillage called The Source Farm from July to September. The …

Developing Positive Thermal Coefficient (Ptc) Heaters For Solar Electric Cooking, Katarina Ivana Brekalo, Andrew Shepherd

Physics

Positive Thermal Coefficients, PTCs, are materials that abruptly change in resistance in response to changes in temperature. The purpose of this experiment is to explore the viability of using the switching type ceramic PTC thermistor as a replacement for current resistive heaters. These types of PTCs have a nonlinear change in resistance with increases in temperature. This device will be used as a temperature-controlling heating element intended to power an Insulated Solar Electric Cooker (ISEC). The ISEC is designed to cook meals throughout the day for impacted communities as an alternative cooking method that doesn’t require biofuel as an energy …

Influence Of Defects On In-Plane Dynamic Properties Of Hexagonal Ligament Chiral Structures, Ning An, Xunwen Su, Dongmei Zhu, Mileta M. Tomovic

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Although the six-ligament chiral structure has many unique properties, due to its special structure, the stress concentration is prone to defects. In addition, additive manufacturing is also prone to defects. This paper studies the effect of defects, which is helpful for the better application of the six-ligament chiral structure. Several new six-ligament chiral structures with random and concentrated defects were designed to explore the effects of the defects on the in-plane dynamic properties. The structures were studied with the finite element ANSYS/LSDYNA numerical simulation and experimental methods. According to the defect-free six-ligament chiral structures exhibiting different deformation modes at different …

Removal Of Selenium And Heavy Metals From Coal Combustion Residuals Wastewater Using Surface Modified Iron Based Media, Madan Tandukar, Alex Korff, Andrew Vincent, Chris Hardin

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

No abstract provided.

Ecological Risk Assessment For Coal Combustion Residuals And Herrington Lake Adjacent To The Kentucky Utilities E.W. Brown Generating Station, Mary Sorensen, Alex Smith, Mark Nielsen

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

No abstract provided.

Epri Research On Groundwater-Surface Water Interactions Near Coal Combustion Product Sites, Bruce Hensel, Jeff Thomas, Tim Towey, Anthony Aufdenkampe

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

No abstract provided.

Cqa - A Common Sense Approach At Becoming The Mvp On Your Next Project, James Price, Michael Fisher, John Metcalf

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

No abstract provided.