Chemistry Commons^™

Investigation Of Drinking Water/Beverage Contaminants Within The Beverage Industry, Elizabeth Hobbs

Theses

The impact of water resource quality has influenced the community worldwide. It is an on-going target for water suppliers to produce suitable drinking water and the beverage industry to provide suitable water for the production of beverages. This diligence will ensure the consumer is provided with a product safe for consumption. The research and analytical techniques explored in this thesis may be of benefit to the beverage industry for the monitoring of inorganic contaminants present in water and carbonated soft drinks. The occurrence of certain contaminants in drinking water has become a major issue in the water industry in recent …

Use Of Sweet Potato To Develop A Medium For Cultivation Of Lactic Acid Bacteria, Saeed A. Hayek

Dissertations

This study investigated the use of sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) as a basic component to develop a medium for cultivation of lactic acid bacteria (LAB). Extract from baked sweet potatoes was used to form a sweet potato medium (SPM). SPM was supplemented with 4 g/L of each nitrogen source (beef extract, yeast extract, and proteose peptone #3). Lactobacilli MRS was used as a control medium. Ten LAB strains were used to determine the suitability of SPM serving the growth of LAB. Our results showed no significant (p < 0.05) differences in the optical density, maximum specific growth rates, and bacterial populations between MRS and SPM. SPM also maintained higher pH values throughout the incubation period compared to that in MRS. The cost of SPM was 47% less than the cost of MRS. Further step was taken to determine the suitability of SPM serving LAB enzymatic activity. LAB strains growing in SPM showed relatively higher β-glucosidases, acid phosphatase, and phytase activities and lower a-glucosidase compared to that in MRS. Strains of L. reuteri showed the …

Determination Of The Effects Of Zno And Ceo2 Nanoparticles In Mesquite (Prosopis Juliflora) And Soybean (Glycine Max): Synchrotron And Spectroscopic Approaches, Jose Angel Hernandez Viezcas

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The rapid growth of nanotechnology is exposing the environment to abnormal concentrations of engineered nanoparticles (NPs). There is concern about the unknown consequences of NPs on the environment and human health. This Dissertation has relied significantly on Synchrotron and other spectroscopic techniques to give insights on the effects, speciation and distribution of two metal oxide nanoparticles (ZnO, CeO2) on two plant species (Mesquite and Soybean). We evaluated the effects of ZnO (10 nm) and CeO2 (8 nm) NPs on a plant species native to the semi-arid regions of North America, Mesquite (Prosopis juliflora velutina). Mesquite plants grown in hydroponic culture …

Role Of Extractable And Residual Organic Matter Fractions On Sorption Of Phenanthrene In Sediments, Yulong Zhang, Yong Ran, Jingdong Mao

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Two sediments were demineralized and sequentially fractionated into extracted fractions [free lipid (FL), bound lipid (BL) and lignin (LG)] and residual fractions [free lipid free (FLF), bound lipid free (BLF) and lignin free (LGF)]. The sorption isotherms of phenanthrene (Phen) were examined to evaluate the importance of various fractions on sorption. A lignin extraction procedure was for the first time applied to separate the lignin or degraded lignin fraction from sediment organic matter (SOM). The extracted LG was similar to model lignin in terms of elemental ratios and sorption behavior. FL and LG fractions were quite important, as their contents …

Harmonized Dataset Of Ozone Profiles From Satellite Limb And Occultation Measurements, V. F. Sofieva, N. Rahpoe, J. Tamminen, E. Kyrölä, N. Kalakoski, M. Weber, A. Rozanov, C. Von Savigny, A Laeng, T. Von Clarmann, P. Bernath, R. J. Hargreaves

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

In this paper, we present a HARMonized dataset of OZone profiles (HARMOZ) based on limb and occultation measurements from Envisat (GOMOS, MIPAS and SCIAMACHY), Odin (OSIRIS, SMR) and SCISAT (ACE-FTS) satellite instruments. These measurements provide high-vertical-resolution ozone profiles covering the altitude range from the upper troposphere up to the mesosphere in years 2001-2012. HARMOZ has been created in the framework of the European Space Agency Climate Change Initiative project. The harmonized dataset consists of original retrieved ozone profiles from each instrument, which are screened for invalid data by the instrument teams. While the original ozone profiles are presented in different …

Interaction Of Ceo2 And Zno Nanoparticles Towards The Symbiotic Association Of Alfalfa (Medicago Sativa) And Sinorhizobium Meliloti In Soil, Susmita Bandyopadhyay

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The production of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) has rapidly increased due to their wide range of applications in the field of electronics, medicine, chemistry and biology. Consequently, concerns have risen about the environmental release and potential negative impact of NPs. A few reports have described the effects of TiO2 NPs and quantum dots upon nitrogen fixing bacteria. However, the understanding of the interaction of NPs in plant-microbe interface (symbiotic association), like alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.)-Sinorhizobium meliloti, is still in its infancy. Alfalfa is the world's most important forage crop. It grows in association with S. meliloti, which is very important in …

Qualitative And Quantitative Analysis Of Lignocellulosic Biomass Using Infrared Techniques: A Mini-Review, Feng Xu, Jianming Yu, Tesfaye Tesso, Floyd Dowell, Donghai Wang

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Current wet chemical methods for biomass composition analysis using two-step sulfuric acid hydrolysis are time-consuming, labor-intensive, and unable to provide structural information about biomass. Infrared techniques provide fast, low-cost analysis, are non-destructive, and have shown promising results. Chemometric analysis has allowed researchers to perform qualitative and quantitative study of biomass with both near-infrared and mid-infrared spectroscopy. This review summarizes the progress and applications of infrared techniques in biomass study, and compares the infrared and the wet chemical methods for composition analysis. In addition to reviewing recent studies of biomass structure and composition, we also discuss the progress and prospects for …

Fate Of 17Α-Estradiol, 17Β-Estradiol, And Estrone In Agricultural Soils And Sediments, Michael L. Mashtare Jr

Open Access Dissertations

The shift to concentrated animal production facilities and increasing rural-urban migration has increased the localized land application of nearly 1 billion tons of manure and biosolids annually. Although these applications provide nutrients and contribute to soil tilth, they also serve as a source for an estimated 49 tons of the natural manure-borne estrogens, 17α-estradiol (17α-E2), 17β-estradiol (17β-E2), and estrone (E1). While these estrogens are critical to endocrine systems, the low concentrations observed in the environment can disrupt endocrine function in non-target organisms, e.g., altering secondary sex characteristics which can lead to changes in wildlife communities.

Research presented here focuses on …

Optimizing Electrode Design For Microbial Fuel Cells Used For Wastewater Treatment, Lindsay Nichols, John A. Hogan

STAR Program Research Presentations

Microbial fuel cells (MFC) utilize bacteria to generate an electrical current that can be used in the decomposition of sludge and human urine. In a MFC there is an anode (for oxidation of organic compounds), cathode (reduction of oxygen or carbon dioxide), and a proton exchange membrane (PEM, allows protons to migrate); reduction-oxidation reactions between the anode and cathode produce a measurable current. Bacteria that are found in sludge can be used to produce electrons in a voltaic cell, but optimizing conditions for harnessing the energy is crucial to making a MFC efficient. Research has shown that the ratios of …

Treatment Of Reverse Osmosis Brine With Advanced Oxidative Processes For Enhanced Phosphorus Removal, Petrease Patton

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Current regulations for sensitive receiving waters are approaching the limit of technology for phosphorus removal and improved methods are required. Existing methods target removal of the orthophosphate form of phosphorus, but to achieve low effluent limits other non-reactive (NRP) forms, such as condensed phosphate and organic phosphorus, must be removed as well. This could be accomplished by developing a quaternary step in wastewater treatment that utilizes reverse osmosis (RO) followed by advanced oxidation processes (AOP) on the produced brine (RO concentrate). The objective during advanced treatment is to convert NRP in the brine to reactive phosphorus for removal by traditional …

An Investigation Of Urban Mobile Source Aerosol Using Optical Properties Measured By Crdt/N: Diesel Particulate Matter And The Impact Of Biodiesel, Monica Elizabeth Wright

Dissertations and Theses

Mobile source emissions are a major contributor to global and local air pollution. Governments and regulatory agencies have been increasing the stringency of regulations in the transportation sector for the last ten years to help curb transportation sector air pollution. The need for regulations has been emphasized by scientific research on the impacts from ambient pollution, especially research on the effect of particulate matter on human health. The particulate emissions from diesel vehicles, diesel particulate matter (DPM) is considered a known or probable carcinogen in various countries and increased exposure to DPM is linked to increased cardiovascular health problems in …

Phosphorus Transport And Distribution In Kentucky Soils Prepared Using Various Biochar Types, Anvesh Reddy

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Conserving the environment is an issue that is gaining popularity day by day. Phosphorus transfer from agricultural soils is an important environmental issue that is being closely observed as the transport of phosphorous to water bodies is adversely affecting water quality due to accelerated eutrophication. It is important to establish phosphorous models that accurately account for soil test phosphorous. Standard models like SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) and EPIC (Environmental Policy Integrated Climate) were designed for serving this purpose. They are now used as the basis for developing new models that can more accurately account for the phosphorus transport, …

Organics In Environmental Ices: Sources, Chemistry, And Impacts, V. F. Mcneill, A. M. Grannas, J. P. D. Abbatt, M. Ammann, P. Ariya, T. Bartels-Rausch, F. Domine, D. J. Donaldson, Marcelo I. Guzman, D. Heger, T. F. Kahan, P. Klán, S. Masclin, C. Toubin, D. Voisin

Chemistry Faculty Publications

The physical, chemical, and biological processes involving organics in ice in the environment impact a number of atmospheric and biogeochemical cycles. Organic material in snow or ice may be biological in origin, deposited from aerosols or atmospheric gases, or formed chemically in situ. In this manuscript, we review the current state of knowledge regarding the sources, properties, and chemistry of organic materials in environmental ices. Several outstanding questions remain to be resolved and fundamental data gathered before an accurate model of transformations and transport of organic species in the cryosphere will be possible. For example, more information is needed regarding …

Using Slow-Release Permanganate Candles To Remove Tce From A Low Permeable Aquifer At A Former Landfill, Mark D. Christenson, Ann Kambhu, Steve D. Comfort

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Past disposal of industrial solvents into unregulated landfills is a significant source of groundwater contamination. In 2009, we began investigating a former unregulated landfill with known trichloroethene (TCE) contamination. Our objective was to pinpoint the location of the plume and treat the TCE using in situ chemical oxidation (ISCO). We accomplished this by using electrical resistivity imaging (ERI) to survey the landfill and map the subsurface lithology. We then used the ERI survey maps to guide direct push groundwater sampling. A TCE plume (100-600 µg L^-1) was identified in a low permeable silty-clay aquifer (K_h = 0.5 …

Chemical Properties Of Forest Soils In The Catskills Region, Chris E. Johnson

Civil and Environmental Engineering - All Scholarship

No abstract provided.

A Review On The Visible Light Active Titanium Dioxide Photocatalysts For Environmental Applications, Miguel Pelaez, Nicholas Nolan, Suresh Pillai, Michael Seery, Polycarpos Falaras, Athanassios G. Kontos, Patrick S.M. Dunlop, Jeremy W.J. Hamiltone, J. Anthony Byrne, Kevin O’Shea, Mohammad H. Entezari, Dionysios D. Dionysiou

Articles

Development of visible light active (VLA) titania photocatalysts

Fujishima and Honda (1972) demonstrated the potential of titanium dioxide (TiO 2) semiconductor mate-rials to split water into hydrogen and oxygen in a photo-electrochemical cell. Their work triggered the development of semiconductor photocatalysis for a wide range of environmental and energy applica-tions. One of the most significant scientific and commercial advances to date has been the development of visible light active (VLA) TiO2 photocatalytic materials. In this review, a background on TiO2 struc-ture, properties and electronic properties in photocatalysis is presented. The development of different strategies to modify TiO2 for the utilization …

Removal Of Heavy Metals From Drinking Water By Adsorption Onto Limestone With A Focus On Copper And Aluminum Applications, Swarna Latha Somasani

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Elevated levels of arsenic and other heavy metals like copper, aluminum, zinc, and selenium in drinking water are found to have deleterious effects on human health. Hence, finding methods for reducing their levels is critical. Iron-coated limestone is used as an adsorption material for the removal of heavy metals from drinking water. Removal of heavy metals by native or uncoated limestone was also observed and used for comparison to and evaluation of the improvement in removal efficiency from the ironcoated material. The removal efficiency with limestone was studied for different concentrations of heavy metals. Kinetic studies were done to determine …

Evaluating Actinide Sorption To Graphite With Regards To Triso Repository Performance, Corey Christopher Keith

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Graphite has the potential for inclusion in nuclear waste for disposal in waste repository settings. Implementation of High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactors contributes to this potential through use of TRISO fuel, if direct disposal of the graphite matrix surrounding the fuel is employed. The inclusion of the large mass and volume in the TRISO fuel waste form differs significantly from used light water reactor fuel waste forms, requiring new performance models to describe the behavior in a repository setting. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the potential for the graphite to improve actinide, specifically uranium and neptunium, retardation from …

Halogen Activation Via Interactions With Environmental Ice And Snow In The Polar Lower Troposphere And Other Regions, J. P. D. Abbatt, J. L. Thomas, K. Abrahamsson, Chris Boxe, A. Granfors, A. E. Jones, M. D. King, A. Saiz-Lopez, P. B. Shepson, J. Sodeau, D. W. Toohey, C. Toubin, R. Von Glasow, S. N. Wren, X. Yang

Publications and Research

The role of ice in the formation of chemically active halogens in the environment requires a full understanding because of its role in atmospheric chemistry, including controlling the regional atmospheric oxidizing capacity in specific situations. In particular, ice and snow are important for facilitating multiphase oxidative chemistry and as media upon which marine algae live. This paper reviews the nature of environmental ice substrates that participate in halogen chemistry, describes the reactions that occur on such substrates, presents the field evidence for ice-mediated halogen activation, summarizes our best understanding of ice-halogen activation mechanisms, and describes the current state of modeling …

Hrc Enews — 2012 Summer, Megan M. Iudice

Publications (HRC)

This issue contains staff accomplishments and announcements, event listings, and a "new faces" listing for new staff, affiliates, and researchers.

Concentration Effects And Ion Properties Controlling The Fractionation Of Halides During Aerosol Formation, Marcelo I. Guzman, Richa R. Athalye, Jose M. Rodriguez

Chemistry Faculty Publications

During the aerosolization process at the sea surface, halides are incorporated into aerosol droplets, where they may play an important role in tropospheric ozone chemistry. Although this process may significantly contribute to the formation of reactive gas phase molecular halogens, little is known about the environmental factors that control how halides selectively accumulate at the air-water interface. In this study, the production of sea spray aerosol is simulated using electrospray ionization (ESI) of 100 nM equimolar solutions of NaCl, NaBr, NaI, NaNO(2), NaNO(3), NaClO(4), and NaIO(4). The microdroplets generated are analyzed by mass spectrometry to study the comparative enrichment of …

Monitoring Photocatalytic Degradation Of X-Ray Contrast Media With Raman Spectroscopy, Sabina Salkic

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

X-ray contrast media such as diatrizoate and iohexol have been found in wastewater and drinking water and are difficult to remove because they are resistant to water treatment processes. A removal process can be started with ultraviolet photocatalytic degradation of X-ray contrast media in the presence of titanium dioxide or other catalysts. Raman spectra of diatrizoate and iohexol were taken in an aqueous solution in the presence and absence of titanium dioxide during exposure to ultraviolet radiation. Raman intensity is directly proportional to concentration; therefore, we can measure the rate of the reaction based on changes in the Raman spectrum. …

Enhancement In Degradation Of Environmental Pollutants: Fenton Degradation Of 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene And Photodegradation Of Deepwater Horizon Crude Oil, Sarah M. King

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Pollution poses serious threats to both the environmental and the organisms that depend on their environment for survival. Due to the toxicity of most contaminants, there is a dire need for remediation of polluted sites. Remediation studies were conducted on two high priority pollutants: 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) and crude oil.

TNT was the most common explosive used in the 20^th century. Continuous contamination has resulted in an urgent need for remediation. Fenton reagent provides an advanced oxidation process that is capable of remediating recalcitrant explosives, such as TNT. One drawback of Fenton chemistry is that the reaction requires acidic pH …

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 …

Reducing Lead And Selenium From Drinking Water Using Limestone-Based Material, Sindhu Tumati

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Contamination of drinking water with metals is a major problem facing many areas of United States and the World. There is a need for an inexpensive remediation technology for the removal of metals in drinking water that can be applied to small rural water systems. This research will focus on the development of a process for removal of select metals from drinking water by limestone-based material. Metals in drinking water considered for this research include lead and selenium. Limestone-based material has demonstrated the potential to reduce select metals (lead, cadmium and arsenic) in drinking water, with the additional benefit of …

Arsenic Contamination In Groundwater In Vietnam: An Overview And Analysis Of The Historical, Cultural, Economic, And Political Parameters In The Success Of Various Mitigation Options, Thuy M. Ly

Pomona Senior Theses

Although arsenic is naturally present in the environment, 99% of human exposure to arsenic is through ingestion. Throughout history, arsenic is known as “the king of poisons”; it is mutagenic, carcinogenic, and teratogenic. Even in smaller concentrations, it accumulates in the body and takes decades before any physical symptoms of arsenic poisoning shows. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the safe concentration of arsenic in drinking water is 10 µg/L. However, this limit is often times ignored until it is decades too late and people begin showing symptoms of having been poisoned.

This is the current situation for Vietnam, …

Extraction Politics: An Economic Analysis Of Rare Earth Elements, Aishwarya Subbaraman '12

Honor Scholar Theses

Rare earth elements (REE) have critical applications in high-technology industries such as defense and clean energy. China holds more than 90% of the current production capacity for these elements and in September, 2010 announced plans to cut its exports of the elements by 72%. Amid a rush to develop substitutes for the materials, in 2012 the USS. E.U., and Japan have filed a case against China in the WTO. This paper will analyze the extraction of rare earth clement (REE) extraction from the joint perspective of Economics and Political Science. After a brief backgrounder provided in Section 1, Section 2 …

Hrc Enews — 2012 Spring, Megan M. Iudice

Publications (HRC)

This issue contains staff accomplishments and announcements, event listings, and a "new faces" listing for new staff, affiliates, and researchers.

Organic-Copper Sulfide Heterojunctions For Economical Solar Energy Harvesting Absorbers For Economically Efficient Photovoltaics, Adam Straith Brewer

Link Foundation Energy Fellowship Reports

As our population continues to grow, the author believes that efficiently harnessing clean, abundant solar energy would be a tremendous boon to society. To that end, the author has explored copper sulfide colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) as a potential route to efficient solar energy. However, because of their small size, we need to better understand what influences the surfaces of different quantum dot systems. The author' research has focused on studying the ligand shell on Cu2S quantum dots. He present the first explicit study on the effect of surface treatments on Cu2S colloidal quantum dots, specifically thiols, amine, pyridine and …

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.