Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Method Development For A Chemical And Biological Analysis Of Glucocorticoids In Wastewater, Maria Carmen Lozano

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Glucocorticoids are a class of steroid hormones that can either be produced synthetically or naturally by the adrenal glands. The synthetic glucocorticoids are highly prescribed in the United States for their anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive properties to treat a variety of ailments and diseases; however, these have been implicated in a number of adverse human conditions such as obesity, metabolic syndrome, immune-suppression, delayed puberty, adrenal insufficiency and Cushing Syndrome, among others. Ongoing research has shown that synthetic and natural hormones are transported to aquatic environments via mammalian excretion or wastewater effluent, and as a result, the release of glucocorticoids into the …

Determinants Of Neighborhood Exposure To Extreme Heat: A Spatial Examination Of El Paso And Juárez, 2010, Faraj Mohamad Aboargob

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Numerous studies have been conducted on the modification of local weather by the urban environment. In studying urban environmental effects on the urban heat island (UHI), researchers have investigated influences such as land use, vegetation density, topography, population density, and neighborhood socioeconomic status. Many studies have used data collected from field observations, while other studies relied solely on computer modeling. This Dissertation research used a spatial analysis approach, which has been less widely employed, to investigate neighborhood level biophysical, built environmental and socio-demographic determinants of the El Paso and Juárez UHI. The research utilized inexpensive data obtained from US and …

Synthetic Asphaltene As A Novel Dye In Dye Sensitized Solar Cells Dsscs, Hassan Sharif

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation approves the possibility of the first time use of synthetic asphaltene as new dye in dye sensitized solar cells. In which the conversion efficiency of synthetic asphaltene DSSC has improved up to 2.0 %. Synthetic asphaltene sample was prepared from the starting material as in literature and applied for various solar cell parameters of TiO2 based dyesensitized solar cell DSSC. DSSCs were fabricated using the synthetic asphaltene as dye. Different variables and parameters were carried out to test the photovoltaic performance of the cells, these parameters include open-circuit voltage, short-circuit current; fill factor. The first result was obtained …

An Evaluation Of The Cerro Process As An Efficient Ro Concentrate Management System, Guillermo Guadalupe Delgado

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Concentrate Enhanced Recovery Reverse Osmosis (CERRO) Process is a new method to treat RO concentrate and brackish water with high concentrations of silica and calcium sulfate. Prior investigations have shown that the CERRO process can treat this kind of water without fouling or scaling the membranes, but the main factors that allow the system to operate in such conditions were not studied. The research presented here is an evaluation of the CERRO process as an efficient RO concentrate management system. The parameters of operation of the system were evaluated and improved. The precipitation of calcium sulfate was identified as …

Urban Impact Of Dissolved Metals In The Paso Del Norte Segment Of The Rio Grande, Sumayeh Ahmad Freiwan

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Paso del Norte segment of the Rio Grande experiences two seasons per year; the (wet) irrigation season and the (dry) non-irrigation season. The goal of this study was to improve the understanding of occurrence and contribution of dissolved metals in this region during the non-irrigation season. The objectives of this study were to (1) evaluate the impact of anthropogenic sources of metals on the Rio Grande water quality during the non-irrigation season, and (2) estimate the metal loads carried by the flow to the downstream region of El Paso. In order to evaluate the surface water quality of the …

Geochemical Characterization Of Mineral Dust Sources In The Chihuahuan Desert And Southern High Plains Regions, Porfirio Peinado

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Chihuahuan Desert (northern Chihuahua, southern New Mexico, and far west Texas) and the southern High Plains (west Texas and eastern New Mexico) regions have been identified as one of the most persistent dust producing regions of North America. Regional-scale dust storms have been observed by satellite imagery to identify sources of dust, resulting in collection and examination of physical soil samples to better understand the source signatures (geochemical characteristics) of dust origins in these two regions.

The soil characteristics were examined through several techniques: Particle Size Distribution, X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES), and Total …

Purification Of Sodium Sulfate By Crystallization, Perla Teresita Torres

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Sodium sulfate can be recovered from a dilute solution by concentrating it by conventional water treatment techniques like reverse osmosis and electrodialysis; however, those processes also concentrate impurities like arsenic. The sodium sulfate would have commercial use if it can be recovered in an arsenic-free form. This study demonstrated that sodium sulfate could be separated from impurities using slow cooling crystallization in a novel apparatus developed and designed during the experimentation. This device is called a heat exchanger crystallizer and allows slow cooling crystallization in order to grow pure crystals of sodium sulfate decahydrate. Crystals grown in the heat exchanger …

Recovering Magnesium Hydroxide And Sodium Chloride From Zero Discharge Desalination Concentrate Streams, Alemayehu Asfaw Yetayew

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

UTEP and Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies have been demonstrating and commercializing the Zero Discharge Desalination (ZDD) technology as part of a three year project sponsored by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. ZDD is able to achieve up to 98% recovery by desalinating brackish groundwater. ZDD is typically comprised of a reverse osmosis (RO) or nanofiltration (NF) system and a unique variation of electrodialysis called electrodialysis metathesis (EDM). The ZDD technology increases the yield of fresh water from water supplies that contain enough CaSO4 to cause precipitation problems when the water is treated with RO or NF alone. The EDM …