Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Pre-Methylation Of Lignin To Improve Storage Stability Of Oil Produced By Solvent Liquefaction, Jae-Young Kim, Parinaz Hafezi-Sefat, Sarah D. Cady, Ryan G. Smith, Robert C. Brown

Sarah Cady

In this study, we methylated hydroxyl groups (phenolic hydroxyl: Phe-OH and aliphatic hydroxyl: Aliph-OH) in soda lignin (SL) prior to solvent liquefaction to improve storage stability of the resulting oil. We investigated two methylating reagents, dimethyl sulfate (DMS) and dimethyl carbonate (DMC), for selective Phe-OH and total hydroxyl group (Phe-OH and Aliph-OH) blocking. Samples of SL, DMS-SL, and DMC-SL were depolymerized into oils under supercritical ethanol (350 °C). Both methylated lignins produced higher amounts of oils and smaller amounts of char compared to untreated SL due to suppressed charring reactions. Oil produced from SL had relatively higher functional group contents …

Thermal Removal Of Carbon Dioxide From The Atmosphere: Energy Requirements And Scaling Issues, Ted Von Hippel

Ted von Hippel

I conduct a systems-level study of direct air capture of CO2 using techniques from thermal physics. This system relies on a combination of an efficient heat exchanger, radiative cooling, and refrigeration, all at industrial scale and operated in environments at low ambient temperatures. While technological developments will be required for such a system to operate efficiently, those developments rest on a long history of refrigeration expertise and technology, and they can be developed and tested at modest scale. I estimate that the energy required to remove CO2 via this approach is comparable to direct air capture by other techniques. The …

Call For Abstracts - Resrb 2019, July 8-9, Wrocław, Poland, Wojciech M. Budzianowski

Wojciech Budzianowski

No abstract provided.

Recent Approaches In Designing Bioadhesive Materials Inspired By Mussel Adhesive Protein, Pegah Kord Forooshani, Bruce P. Lee

Bruce Lee

Marine mussels secret protein-based adhesives, which enable them to anchor to various surfaces in a saline, intertidal zone. Mussel foot proteins (Mfps) contain a large abundance of a unique, catecholic amino acid, Dopa, in their protein sequences. Catechol offers robust and durable adhe-sion to various substrate surfaces and contributes to the curing of the adhesive plaques. In this article, we review the unique features and the key functionalities of Mfps, catechol chemistry, and strategies for preparing catechol-functionalized poly- mers. Specifically, we reviewed recent findings on the contributions of various features of Mfps on interfacial binding, which include coacervate formation, surface …

A Microreactor System For Measuring Size Selectivity In Porous Wo3 Sensor Materials, Meng Lu

Meng Lu

Our interest in studying reactions catalyzed by high surface area W03 powders is based on their potential application as the active material in sensors for low level (ppb) detection of flammable or toxic gases. A series of porous W03 powders with both meso- and micro-porosity have been synthesized by Waghe and Tripp. Preliminary results of the response of sensors fabricated from these materials indicated the possibility of size selectivity on the molecular scale. To provide support for the hypothesis of size selectivity and understand the reaction kinetics of alcohols over the new porous W03 powders for sensor applications, we have …

High Rate Detection Of Volatile Products Using Differential Electrochemical Mass Spectrometry: Combining An Electrode-Coated Membrane With Hydrodynamic Flow In A Wall-Tube Configuration, Subramanian Venkatachalam, Robert J. Angelici, L. Keith Woo, Andrew C. Hillier

Andrew C. Hillier

We present an experimental system that combines differential electrochemical mass spectrometry with hydrodynamic flow consisting of an impinging jet in a wall-tube configuration. This assembly allows simultaneous detection of electrochemical signals along with monitoring of dissolved gas species using differential electrochemical mass spectrometry under well-defined hydrodynamic conditions and over a wide range of mass transfer rates. The working electrode is deposited directly onto a thin, hydrophobic membrane, which also serves as the inlet to the mass spectrometer. This inlet provides extremely rapid mass detection as well as a high flux of products from the electrode surface into the mass spectrometer. …

Removal Of Chlorine From Chlorine-Nitrogen Mixture In A Film Of Liquid Water, Sarwan S. Sandhu

Sarwan S. Sandhu

In industry there are many examples of absorption of a gas with or without chemical reaction in the liquid phase. In physical absorption, a particular gaseous component is removed from a gas mixture due to its larger solubility in the liquid phase solvent. The removal of butane and pentane from a refinery gas mixture by a heavy oil in the liquid phase is an example of physical absorption. In absorption with chemical reaction, the gaseous component to be removed transfers across the gas-liquid interface due to a difference in the bulk chemical potentials or concentrations in the two phases. The …

Optimizing Compressed Air Storage For Energy Efficiency, Brian Abels, J. Kelly Kissock

J. Kelly Kissock

Compressed air storage is an important, but often misunderstood, component of compressed air systems. This paper discusses methods to properly size compressed air storage in load-unload systems to avoid short cycling and reduce system energy use. First, key equations relating storage, pressure, and compressed air flow are derived using fundamental thermodynamic relations. Next, these relations are used to calculate the relation between volume of storage and cycle time in load-unload compressors. It is shown that cycle time is minimized when compressed air demand is 50% of compressor capacity. The effect of pressure drop between compressor system and storage on cycle …

C.V. - Wojciech Budzianowski, Wojciech M. Budzianowski

Wojciech Budzianowski

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Renewable Energy And Sustainable Development (Resd) Group, Wojciech M. Budzianowski

Wojciech Budzianowski

No abstract provided.

Peridynamic Modeling Of Ruptures In Biomembranes, Michael Taylor, Irep Gözen, Samir Patel, Aldo Jesorka, Katia Bertoldi

Michael Taylor

We simulate the formation of spontaneous ruptures in supported phospholipid double bilayer membranes, using peridynamic modeling. Experiments performed on spreading double bilayers typically show two distinct kinds of ruptures, floral and fractal, which form spontaneously in the distal (upper) bilayer at late stages of double bilayer formation on high energy substrates. It is, however, currently unresolved which factors govern the occurrence of either rupture type. Variations in the distance between the two bilayers, and the occurrence of interconnections (“pinning sites”) are suspected of contributing to the process. Our new simulations indicate that the pinned regions which form, presumably due to …

Procesy Cieplne I Aparaty (Lab), Wojciech M. Budzianowski

Wojciech Budzianowski

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Inżynieria Chemiczna Lab., Wojciech M. Budzianowski

Wojciech Budzianowski

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Controlling Microbial Contamination During Hydrolysis Of Afex-Pretreated Corn Stover And Switchgrass: Effects On Hydrolysate Composition, Microbial Response And Fermentation, Jose Serate, Dan Xie, Edward Pohlmann, Charles Donald Jr., Mahboubeh Shabani, Li Hinchman, Alan Higbee, Mick Mcgee, Alex La Reau, Grace E. Klinger, Sheena Li, Chad L. Myers, Charles Boone, Donna M. Bates, Dave Cavalier, Dustin Eilert, Lawrence G. Oates, Gregg Sanford, Trey K. Sato, Bruce Dale, Robert Landrick, Jeff Piotrowski, Rebecca G. Gong, Yaoping Zhang

Rebecca Ong

Improvement Of Mechanical Properties And Water Stability Of Vegetable Protein Based Plastics, Gowrishankar Srinivasan

Gowrishankar Srinivasan

Bio-renewable bio-degradable plastics are a potential solution to the growing problems of pollution caused by petroleum plastics and dependency on foreign nations for petroleum resources. One possible feed stock for these materials are vegetable proteins, especially from soy bean and corn. These proteins have relatively high molecular weights and have the potential of being processed with standard polymer processing technologies. But some issues that need to be addressed are their water instability (soy protein) and inferior mechanical properties as compared to petroleum derived plastics. In this study, soy protein isolates (SPI) and zein protein was processed with various additives and …

Improvement Of Mechanical Properties And Water Stability Of Vegetable Protein Based Plastics, Gowrishankar Srinivasan

Gowrishankar Srinivasan

Bio-renewable bio-degradable plastics are a potential solution to the growing problems of pollution caused by petroleum plastics and dependency on foreign nations for petroleum resources. One possible feed stock for these materials are vegetable proteins, especially from soy bean and corn. These proteins have relatively high molecular weights and have the potential of being processed with standard polymer processing technologies. But some issues that need to be addressed are their water instability (soy protein) and inferior mechanical properties as compared to petroleum derived plastics. In this study, soy protein isolates (SPI) and zein protein was processed with various additives and …

Applications Of High Throughput (Combinatorial) Methodologies To Electronic, Magnetic, Optical, And Energy-Related Materials, Martin L. Green, Ichiro Takeuchi, Jason R. Hattrick-Simpers

Jason R. Hattrick-Simpers

High throughput (combinatorial) materials science methodology is a relatively new research paradigm that offers the promise of rapid and efficient materials screening, optimization, and discovery. The paradigm started in the pharmaceutical industry but was rapidly adopted to accelerate materials research in a wide variety of areas. High throughput experiments are characterized by synthesis of a “library” sample that contains the materials variation of interest (typically composition), and rapid and localized measurement schemes that result in massive data sets. Because the data are collected at the same time on the same “library” sample, they can be highly uniform with respect to …

Combinatorial Investigation Of Magnetostriction In Fe-Fa And Fe-Ga-Al, Jason R. Hattrick-Simpers, Dwight Hunter, Corneliu M. Craciunescu, Kyu Sung Jang, Makoto Murakami, James Cullen, Manfred Wuttig, Ichiro Takeuchi, Samuel E. Lofland, Leonid Bendersky, Noble Woo, Robert Bruce Vandover, Toshiya Takahashi, Yasubumi Furuya

Jason R. Hattrick-Simpers

A high-throughput high-sensitivity optical technique for measuringmagnetostriction of thin-film composition-spread samples has been developed. It determines the magnetostriction by measuring the induced deflection of micromachined cantilever unimorph samples. Magnetostrictionmeasurements have been performed on as-deposited Fe–Ga and Fe–Ga–Al thin-film composition spreads. The thin-film Fe–Ga spreads display a similar compositional variation of magnetostriction as bulk. A previously undiscovered peak in magnetostriction at low Ga content was also observed and attributed to a maximum in the magnetocrystalline anisotropy. Magnetostrictive mapping of the Fe–Ga–Al ternary system reveals the possibility of substituting up to 8at.%Al in Fe₇₀Ga₃₀ without significant degradation of magnetostriction.

Demonstration Of Magnetoelectric Scanning Probe Microscopy, Jason R. Hattrick-Simpers, Liyang Dai, Manfred Wuttig, Ichiro Takeuchi, Eckhard Quandt

Jason R. Hattrick-Simpers

A near-field room temperature scanning magnetic probe microscope has been developed using a laminated magnetoelectric sensor. The simple trilayer longitudinal-transverse mode sensor, fabricated using Metglas as the magnetostrictive layer and polyvinylidene fluoride as the piezoelectric layer, shows an ac field sensitivity of 467±3μV∕O_e in the measured frequency range of 200Hz–8kHz. The microscope was used to image a 2mm diameter ring carrying an ac current as low as 10⁻⁵A. ac fields as small as 3×10⁻¹⁰T have been detected.

Nonlinear State-Dependent Impulsive System In Fed-Batch Culture And Its Optimal Control, Bangyu Shen, Xiaojing Wang, Chongyang Liu

Chongyang Liu

In this paper, a nonlinear impulsive controlled system, in which the volume of feeding is taken as the control function, is proposed to formulate the fed-batch fermentation process.In the system, both impulsive moments and jumps size of state are state-dependent. Some important properties of the system are investigated. To maximize the concentration of target product at the terminal time, an optimal control model involving the nonlinear state-dependent impulsive controlled system is presented.The optimal control problem is subject to the continuous state inequality constraint and the control constraint. The existence of optimal control is also obtained. In order to derive the …

Performance Evaluation Of Natural Iron-Rich Sandy Soil As A Low-Cost Adsorbent For Removal Of Lead From Water, Yee Sern Ng, Bhaskar Sen Gupta, Mohd Ali Hashim

Ng Yee-Sern

Technical feasibility of natural iron-rich sandy soil as a low-cost adsorbent for removal of lead from water was investigated . The soil, which had an iron content of 3,719 mg/kg, was collected from Hulu Langat, Malaysia, and was used for adsorption studies without any surface modification through chemical treatment. The effects of pH, solution: soil ratio and initial lead concentration on the adsorption efficiency were studied using response surface methodology based on Box–Behnken experimental design. The results showed that pH of the solution had the highest impact on the adsorption efficiency whereby adsorption efficiency of 97% could be achieved at …

Inżynieria Chemiczna Ćw., Wojciech M. Budzianowski

Wojciech Budzianowski

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Tematyka Prac Doktorskich, Wojciech M. Budzianowski

Wojciech Budzianowski

No abstract provided.

Zespół Energii Odnawialnej I Zrównoważonego Rozwoju (Eozr), Wojciech M. Budzianowski

Wojciech Budzianowski

No abstract provided.

Electrochemically Active Biofilm Assisted Synthesis Of Ag@Ceo2 Nanocomposites For Antimicrobial Activity, Photocatalysis And Photoelectrodes, Mohammad Mansoob Khan Dr, S. A. Ansari, J. H. Lee, M. O. Ansari, J Lee, M. H. Cho

Dr. Mohammad Mansoob Khan

Ag@CeO2 nanocomposites were synthesized by a biogenic and green approach using electrochemically active biofilms (EABs) as a reducing tool. The as-synthesized Ag@CeO2 nanocomposites were characterized and used in antimicrobial, visible light photocatalytic and photoelectrode studies. The Ag@CeO2 nanocomposites showed effective and efficient bactericidal activities and survival test against Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The as-synthesized Ag@CeO2 nanocomposites also exhibited enhanced visible light photocatalytic degradation of 4-nitrophenol and methylene blue than pure CeO2. A photocatalytic investigation showed that the Ag@CeO2 nanocomposites possessed excellent visible light photocatalytic activities compared to pure CeO2. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and photocurrent measurements showed that the …

Au@Tio2 Nanocomposites For The Catalytic Degradation Of Methyl Orange And Methylene Blue: An Electron Relay Effect, Mohammad Mansoob Khan Dr, J. Lee, M. H. Cho

Dr. Mohammad Mansoob Khan

Au@TiO2 nanocomposites were used for the catalytic degradation of methyl orange and methylene blue by NaBH4. A detail pathway for step by step reduction, oxidation and complete mineralization of intermediates into the respective end-products was established by UV-vis spectroscopy, chemical oxygen demand, ion chromatography and cyclic voltammetry (CV). CV studies confirmed that the dyes were reduced and oxidized to the end-products by NaBH4 in the presence of Au@TiO2 nanocomposites and O2•, •OH and HO2• radicals generated in-situ. Results suggest that Au@TiO2 nanocomposites not only assist in the decolorization of dyes, but also promote their complete mineralization into harmless end-products.

Electrochemically Modulated Permeability Of Poly(Aniline) And Composite Poly(Aniline)−Poly(Styrenesulfonate) Membranes, D. L. Pile, Y. Zhang, Andrew C. Hillier

Andrew C. Hillier

The influence of oxidation state on the permeability of several probe molecules through conducting polymer membranes comprising composites of poly(aniline) and poly(styrenesulfonate) was examined in aqueous solution. Pure poly(aniline) membranes displayed a characteristic increase in permeability between reduced and half-oxidized states for neutrally charged phenol and negatively charged 4-hydroxybenzenesulfonate. In contrast, positively charged pyridine experienced decreased permeability through the membrane when poly(aniline) was switched from the reduced to the half-oxidized state. This behavior can be explained by a combination of oxidation-induced film swelling and the anion-exchange character of the positively charged membrane. The membrane composition was modified to include a …

Rapid And Reversible Generation Of A Microscale Ph Gradient Using Surface Electric Fields, Eric L. May, Andrew C. Hillier

Andrew C. Hillier

We report a method for the rapid and reversible generation of microscale pH gradients using a spatially varied electric field. A linear gradient in electrochemical potential is produced on an electrode surface consisting of a platinum catalyst layer on indium−tin oxide-coated glass by the application of two different potential values at spatially distinct surface locations. The resulting potential gradient drives the oxidation and reduction of water at different rates along the surface, as dictated by the local applied potential. A nonuniform distribution of pH in the neighboring solution results due to the variation in surface reaction rates. The extent and …

Scanning Electrochemical Mapping Of Spatially Localized Electrochemical Reactions Induced By Surface Potential Gradients, Shrisudersan Jayaraman, Erin L. May, Andrew C. Hillier

Andrew C. Hillier

The influence of a surface potential gradient on the location and extent of electrochemical reactions was examined using a scanning electrochemical microscope. A linear potential gradient was imposed on the surface of a platinum-coated indium tin oxide electrode by applying two different potential values at the edges of the electrode. The applied potentials were used to control the location and extent of several electrochemical reactions, including the oxidation of Ru(NH3)62+, the oxidation of H2, and the oxidation of H2 in the presence of adsorbed CO. Scanning electrochemical mapping of these reactions was achieved by probing the feedback current associated with …

Combinatorial Synthesis And Reactivity Screening Of Electro-Oxidation Catalyst Gradients, Shrisudersan Jayaraman, Andrew C. Hillier

Andrew C. Hillier

Combinatorial methods represent an appealing experimental method for the discovery of heterogeneous catalysts. One can efficiently identify candidate materials or sample vast regions of composition space using a combination f dense catalyst libraries and high-throughput reactivity screening techniques. This is particularly appealing for the discovery of novel catalysts for low temperature fuel cells where multi-component systems have shown improved performance.