Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Cost Analysis Of Adsorption Based Air Capture Of Co2, Mona Muzammil, Muzammil Arshad, Muazzam Arshad

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Carbon dioxide (CO2) capture and conversion to value added products, such as chemicals, polymers, and carbon-based fuels represents a promising approach to transform a potential threat to the environment into a value-added product for long term sustainability. Emerging Carbon Capture Technologies: Towards a Sustainable Future provides a multidisciplinary view of the research that is being carried out in this field, covering materials and processes for CO2 capture and utilization and including a broad discussion of the impact of novel technologies in carbon capture on the energy landscape, society and climate. Of interest to students, researchers and professionals in industries related …

Investigations Involving Mononuclear And Dinuclear Transition Metal Catalysts For Photochemical Carbon Dioxide Reduction, Ansu Edwards

Honors Theses

There is currently a global energy crisis, which is in desperate need of solutions. New energy sources are required that will not pollute as much as our longstanding reliance on nonrenewable fossil fuels as an energy source. This pollution involves large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions, predominantly carbon dioxide (CO₂), that contribute to environmental problems such as climate change. In this context, a fairly recent research direction to address this problem is the development of transition metal catalysts that can convert CO₂ into reduced carbon products that can serve as chemical fuels. This work focuses on the …

Evaluation Of The Mechanisms And Effectiveness Of Nano-Hydroxides, Wood And Dairy Manure-Derived Biochars To Remove Fluoride And Heavy Metals From Water, Anna Rose Wallace, Wenjie Sun Dr, Chunming Su Dr

Civil and Environmental Engineering Theses and Dissertations

The development of effective treatment processes for the removal contaminants, such as fluoride and heavy metals, from polluted water have been urgently needed due to serious environmental health and safety concerns. In this dissertation, a variety of materials including various (hydro)oxide nanomaterials, biochars and surface modified biochar were studied to evaluate their effectiveness and mechanism on removing fluoride or mixed heavy metals from water.

In the Chapter 2, this study investigated the adsorptive removal of fluoride from water using various (hydro)oxide nanomaterials, focusing on ferrihydrite, hydroxyapatite (HAP) and brucite, which have the potential to be used as sorbents for surface …

Temporal And Spatial Variability Of Carbonate Chemistry In A Tillamook Bay Tributary: Tracing Acidification From The River To The Bay, Abigail Ernest-Beck

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Coastal acidification from rising atmospheric carbon dioxide can be exacerbated by local factors such as land inputs of inorganic carbon and nutrients. In Tillamook Bay, OR, the possibility of local factors enhancing acidification and impacting oyster aquaculture in the bay is a concern due to extensive agriculture in the watershed. The US EPA has been monitoring water conditions in Tillamook Bay tributaries since the summer of 2016, and preliminary findings showed increased dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) downstream of agricultural areas. To determine the causes of elevated DIC, changes attributed to land-based inputs must be distinguished from natural temporal variability and …

Groundwater Hydrogeolgy And Hydrochemistry Of Karst Springs In The Eastern Peninsula Of Fort Hood Military Installation, William Scribner Welles

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The eastern peninsula of Fort Hood Military Installation is underlain by a complex karst spring network. These springs are a primary water source in a protected habitat for endangered songbirds, which has only recently begun to be fully investigated. These Fredericksburg Group springs express both epigenetic and hypogenetic karst signatures. The study area is part of a paleo reef trend, a hydraulically disconnected segment of the northern section of the Edwards Aquifer. This study utilized standard ion index values, repeated measures, and principal component analyses on the chemical profiles of six perennial springs to classify spring water sources and their …

Molecular Fossils From Phytoplankton Reveal Secular Pco2 Trend Over The Phanerozoic, Caitlyn R. Witkowski, Johan W. H. Weijers, Brian S. Blais, Stefan Schouten, Jaap S. Sinninghe Damsté

Science and Technology Department Faculty Journal Articles

Past changes in the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide (PCO2) have had a major impact on earth system dynamics; yet, reconstructing secular trends of past PCO2 remains a prevalent challenge in paleoclimate studies. The current long-term PCO2reconstructions rely largely on the compilation of many different proxies, often with discrepancies among proxies, particularly for periods older than 100 million years (Ma). Here, we reconstructed Phanerozoic PCO2 from a single proxy: the stable carbon isotopic fractionation associated with photosynthesis (Ɛp) that increases as PCO2 increases. This concept has been widely applied to alkenones, but here, we …

Air Pollution [Liberal Arts: Math And Science/Natural Science], Ian Alberts

Open Educational Resources

This assignment was designed for students in the pathways introductory chemistry class and the first year seminar and aligns with the Inquiry and Problem Solving core competency. In this context, there is a focus on “framing the issues” (identifies and/or addresses questions and problems), “evidence gathering” (assembles, reviews and synthesizes evidence from several diverse sources), “evidence” (analyze the data to address the questions posed) and “conclusions” (critical thinking, reflect on the outcomes, draw conclusions and generate new knowledge). There is also a Global Learning component based on comparing data collected locally with corresponding data from other locations or countries. The …

Making Soap Green, Asia Sweet

Thinking Matters Symposium Archive

The One Gallon Soap Company (OGSC) recycles partially used bar soap from local Portland hotels and repurposes it as liquid hand soap. The preliminary formulations originally prepared by the OGSC produced a smooth, homogeneous liquid soap with good foaming action. However, over short and often variable time periods, the soap would separate into two layers: a watery bottom layer with little foaming action and an oily top layer. The OGSC asked the USM Chemistry Department to investigate the formulation process in an effort to provide a more stable product – one that would maintain a constant consistency over several months.

Development Of Bifunctional Thiourea Catalysts For Effective Direct Amidation Reactions, Alex Guzman

Summer Research

This research synthesized and analyzed novel catalysts that can effectively form amides. An amide is a chemical group commonly found in many pharmaceuticals and biochemicals, such as proteins. In fact, about 30% of pharmaceuticals contain an amide, and the formation of amides leads to corrosive and toxic by-products which are especially problematic on the large industrial scale. Green Chemistry has proven to be a critical tool in providing innovative solutions by making the industrial production of chemicals more sustainable and safe. The pharmaceutical industry has some of the most inefficient reactions in the chemical industry mainly due to the complexity …

Characterization Of S-Swcnt/Pf-Pd Dispersions And Networks, Tamara N. El-Hayek Ms., Jeffrey Blackburn, Andrew Ferguson, Tammy Pheuphong

STAR Program Research Presentations

Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (SWCNTs) are being investigated for their use in a wide variety of renewable energy applications. Their unique physical properties contribute to desirable traits such as a high carrier mobility, strong optical absorption and tunable electronic band gap. Unfortunately, due to variability in certain parameters, SWCNTs are limited in their application. The major drawback is that SWCNTs are variable in size and type and typical synthetic methods are not selective. As a result, selective methods must be developed in order to sort these tubes and extract those which are desirable for a particular application. Though there are several …

Bioavailability And Transformation Of Silver Nanoparticles In The Freshwater Environment, Seth W. Brittle

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

The proliferation of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in consumer products and industrial applications has generated many environmental concerns since the chemistry of silver changes at the nanoscale and the very properties that make them desirable – their unique reactivity – may pose environmental risks. This dissertation addresses these concerns from three different angles. First, freshwater crayfish is demonstrated as a potential benthic indicator of Ag pollution since Ag accumulation depends on the form of Ag. The uptake and distribution of Ag (from AgNPs or Ag+) in tissue samples were measured by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The hepatopancreas (1.5-17.4 …

Microbial Communities Of The Providence River, Jacqueline Kratch

Honors Projects in Science and Technology

The Providence River has been industrialized for over one-hundred years. Industries such as oil storage and metal recycling facilities have left high levels of pollutant metals, including lead (Pb), in the soil and water. The elevated Pb concentrations in these environments influence the selection of Pb resistance mechanisms in the bacterial community1. One mechanism of heavy metal resistance is the Pb efflux pump, consisting of proteins in the cell membrane that aid in the transport of Pb out of the cell2. In this study we investigated the co-occurrence of Pb efflux pumps and antibiotic efflux pumps in bacteria from Pb …

Restoration Of Headwater And Coastal Fens In The Lake Superior Basin Of Upper Michigan, James A. Bess

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

In 2009, research projects were initiated at Michigan Technological University to develop restoration techniques for headwater fens and coastal wetlands in the southern Lake Superior Basin in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The primary focus of these was to quantify the efficacy of using locally collected seeds as a technique for wetland restoration. Two primary sites were selected, the Sleeper Lake Fen complex in Luce County and the Portage Waterway-Keweenaw Bay region of Lake Superior in Baraga and Houghton Counties. At the Sleeper Lake site, a combination of heavy machinery, seeding and mulch application was used to restore a 1.6 km ditch …

Acquisition Of An Electrochemical System Instrument For The Development Of Sensors, Elmer-Rico E. Mojico

Cornerstone 1 Reports : Expansion and Enhancements of the Thinkfinity Platform

No abstract provided.

Cyclic Voltammetric And Square Wave Anodic Stripping Voltammetric Analysis Of Lead And Cadmium Utilizing The Novel Titanium Dioxide/ Zirconium Dioxide/ Tween 80 Carbon Paste Composite Electrode, Phuong Khanh Quoc Nguyen

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Heavy metals, particularly Lead (Pb) and Cadmium (Cd), had been long identified as hazardous pollutants in the environment. Joining the continuous effort to alleviate this dilemma, a new electro-chemical sensor has been developed to assess the level of Pb and Cd in aqueous environment. The current work describes the utilization of two different electro-analytical techniques, cyclic voltammetry (CV) and square wave anodic stripping voltammetry (SWASV), in conjunction with the novel Titanium Dioxide/ Zirconium Dioxide/ Tween 80 (TiO2/ ZrO2/ Tween 80) carbon paste composite electrode to qualitatively and quantitatively analyze Pb and Cd. In this dissertation, along with a comprehensive literature …

Analysis Of Biodiesel Quality Using Reversed Phase High-Performance Liquid Chromatography, Kellyann M. Murphy

Pomona Senior Theses

The alternative fuel biodiesel is produced from the transesterification of vegetable oils or animal fat to fatty acid methyl esters. Pomona has a reactor on campus that can be used to run this reaction and produce biodiesel. The use of biodiesel has been found to lower air pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions, but can be potentially harmful to the engines if it contains impurities. This paper proposes a method using high-performance liquid chromatography to test the quality of biodiesel. This method utilizes instrumentation and materials that are available in Pomona College's Chemistry Department, requires very little sample preparation, and is …

Surficial Redistribution Of Fallout 131iodine In A Small Temperate Catchment, Joshua D. Landis, Nathan T. Hamm, Carl E. Renshaw, W. Brian Dade, Francis J. Magilligan, John D. Gartner

Dartmouth Scholarship

Isotopes of iodine play significant environmental roles, including a limiting micronutrient (¹²⁷I), an acute radiotoxin (¹³¹I), and a geochemical tracer (¹²⁹I). But the cycling of iodine through terrestrial ecosystems is poorly understood, due to its complex environmental chemistry and low natural abundance. To better understand iodine transport and fate in a terrestrial ecosystem, we traced fallout ¹³¹iodine throughout a small temperate catchment following contamination by the 11 March 2011 failure of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power facility. We find that radioiodine fallout is actively and efficiently scavenged by the soil system, where it …

Ethanol From The Field To The Pump, Cameron Heiser

Natural Sciences Student Research Presentations

This poster describes the use of dry mill and wet mill processes to produce ethanol.

An Assessment Of Stable Hydrogen-Isotope Analysis Methods To Assign Geographic Origin To Migratory Red-Tailed Hawks (Buteo Jamaicensis), Carla Marie Ahlschwede

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Stable-hydrogen isotopes are becoming an increasingly popular method of studying migratory birds, though sample preparation methods may affect results. In this study I examined feathers from red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) to determine the relationship between measure of δD due to inter-feather variation or drying methods, assessed the accuracy of results by using two birds of known-origin and estimated possible natal origins of migratory red-tailed hawks. Two feathers per individual were taken from 81 wild hawks caught at Hitchcock Nature Center near Crescent IA and from 2 rescued red-tailed hawks, Raptor Recovery Nebraska near Eagle, NE. 119 of the …

Cellulose- And Xylan-Degrading Thermophilic Anaerobic Bacteria From Biocompost, M. V. Sizova, J. A. Izquierdo, N. S. Panikov, L. R. Lynd

Dartmouth Scholarship

Nine thermophilic cellulolytic clostridial isolates and four other noncellulolytic bacterial isolates were isolated from self-heated biocompost via preliminary enrichment culture on microcrystalline cellulose. All cellulolytic isolates grew vigorously on cellulose, with the formation of either ethanol and acetate or acetate and formate as principal fermentation products as well as lactate and glycerol as minor products. In addition, two out of nine cellulolytic strains were able to utilize xylan and pretreated wood with roughly the same efficiency as for cellulose. The major products of xylan fermentation were acetate and formate, with minor contributions of lactate and ethanol. Phylogenetic analyses of 16S …

Surge Of Green: A Sustainable Approach To Conductive Polymers, Bethany Masten

Undergraduate Review

No abstract provided.

Water Quality Assessment: A Hands-On Approach To Environmental Education, Tracy Lynn Royse

All Graduate Projects

A water quality assessment lab manual has been created to assist secondary educators using the HACH water quality testing kits. It consists of ten chemical tests, a geological survey and a biological assessment largely based upon Washington State University's lab format and the Walla Walla County Conservation District's water study protocol. The lab manual also contains safety guidelines, a scoring rubric and an action plan research project. The environmental approach to science education used in the lab manual meets the Essential Academic Learning Requirements adopted by the Washington State Commission on Student Learning as well as the National Science Education …

Modeling Longleaf Pine (Pinus Palustris Mill) Wood Properties Using Near Infrared Spectroscopy, Brian Kipling Via

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This research demonstrated model development for important wood properties using near infrared spectroscopy (NIR); it considered the effect of outside sources of error, and the ability of NIR to measure fiber morphology. Strength, stiffness, and density were successfully modeled from wood samples taken throughout 10 longleaf (Pinus palustris Mill) trees. Principal components and multiple linear regression were compared for performance in prediction of density, strength, and stiffness. I found both modeling techniques to yield similar prediction accuracies. However, I found that density could be estimated through Beer-Lambert’s law since the absorbance at all wavelengths increased with density. Also, 5 of …

Chemical And Toxicological Characterization Of Tidal Freshwater Areas In The James River, Virginia From Jamestown Island To Jordan Point, Morris H. Roberts Jr., Mary Ann Vogelbein, Mark A. Richards, Lou Seivard

Reports

No abstract provided.

Dew Chemistry, G. H. Wagner

Technical Reports

From July, 1989 to July 1990 a total of 98 dews and 9 frosts were collected at the University of Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, Fayetteville. The total water flux from dews and frosts per year is less than 2% of that from rains. Acid and nutrient fluxes are also much lower in dew. In the following series of ions the number in parenthesis gives the % of the yearly flux of the ion in dew compared to rain for an average year: H+ (0.08), Ca2+ (23), Mg2+(9), K+(20), Na+(5), NH+(12), Cl-(7), S02/4-(5) and N0-/3 (6). A typical dew has a …