Environmental Chemistry Commons^™

Role Of Nitrogenous Functional Group Identity In Accelerating 1,2,3- Trichloropropane Degradation By Pyrogenic Carbonaceous Matter (Pcm) And Sulfide Using Pcm-Like Polymers, Han Cao, Jingdong Mao, Paul G. Tratnyek, Wenqing Xu

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Groundwater contamination by 1,2,3-trichloropropane (TCP) poses a unique challenge due to its human toxicity and recalcitrance to degradation. Previous work suggests that nitrogenous functional groups of pyrogenic carbonaceous matter (PCM), such as biochar, are important in accelerating contaminant dechlorination by sulfide. However, the reaction mechanism is unclear due, in part, to PCM's structural complexity. Herein, PCM-like polymers (PLPs) with controlled placement of nitrogenous functional groups [i.e., quaternary ammonium (QA), pyridine, and pyridinium cations (py⁺)] were employed as model systems to investigate PCM-enhanced TCP degradation by sulfide. Our results suggest that both PLP-QA and PLP-py⁺ were highly effective …

Examining The Effectiveness Of Oiled Ballast Water Treatment Processes: Insights Into Hydrocarbon Oxidation Product Formation And Environmental Implications, Maxwell L. Harsha, Danielle E. Verna, Yanila Salas-Ortiz, Eduardo Osborn, Eduardo Turcios Valle, Aleksandar I. Goranov, Patrick G. Hatcher, Ana M. Aguilar-Islas, Patrick L. Tomco, David C. Podgorski

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Ballast water released from ships into coastal environments has been identified as a mechanism that introduces contaminants of concern into coastal ecosystems. This study investigates the treatment processes employed at a ballast water treatment facility in Valdez, Alaska, that remove hydrocarbons from unsegregated ballast water. Specifically, the aim is to quantify and characterize hydrocarbons of emerging concern, known as dissolved hydrocarbon oxidation products (HOPs) and heavy metals (HMs), throughout the treatment process. Specialized analytical techniques were employed, such as non-volatile dissolved organic carbon analysis, fluorescence spectroscopy, Fourier transform-ion cyclotron resonance-mass spectrometry, and inductively coupled plasma triple quadrupole mass spectrometry. Results …

Perfluorooctanesulfonic Acid Exposure Leads To Downregulation Of 3-Hydroxy-3-Methylglutaryl-Coa Synthase 2 Expression And Upregulation Of Markers Associated With Intestinal Carcinogenesis In Mouse Intestinal Tissues, Josiane Weber Tessmann, Pan Deng, Jerika Durham, Chang Li, Moumita Banerjee, Qingding Wang, Ryan A. Goettl, Daheng He, Chi Wang, Eun Y. Lee, B. Mark Evers, Bernhard Hennig, Yekaterina Y. Zaytseva

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) is a widely recognized environment pollutant known for its high bio- accumulation potential and a long elimination half-life. Several studies have shown that PFOS can alter multiple biological pathways and negatively affect human health. Considering the direct exposure to the gastrointestinal (GI) tract to environmental pollutants, PFOS can potentially disrupt intestinal homeostasis. However, there is limited knowledge about the effect of PFOS exposure on normal intestinal tissues, and its contribution to GI- associated diseases remains to be determined. In this study, we examined the effect of PFOS exposure on the gene expression profile of intestinal tissues of …

Impacts Of Key Degradation Byproducts On Amine Scrubbing For Post-Combustion Carbon Capture, Thomas Jorgensen

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

The increasing atmospheric CO₂ concentration causes significant concern about global warming and its environmental impact. Industrial sectors, including power generation, transportation, and production factories, contribute most of the anthropogenic sources of CO₂ emissions. Researchers search for methods to mitigate these CO₂ emissions without compromising the benefits of industrial processes, including CO₂ capture, utilization, and sequestration (CCUS). Post-combustion carbon capture (PCCC) by amine scrubbing is the most technology ready CCUS, with various pilot-scale projects worldwide showing small-scale to fully operational plants. While researchers have made significant progress in amine scrubbing, they strive to improve the efficiency and …

Microplate-Like Metal Pyrophosphate Engineered On Ni-Foam Towards Multifunctional Electrode Material For Energy Conversion And Storage, Rishabh Srivastava

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

High clean energy demand, dire need for sustainable development, and low carbon footprints are the few intuitive challenges, leading researchers to aim for research and development for high-performance energy devices. The development of materials used in energy devices is currently focused on enhancing the performance, electronic properties, and durability of devices. Tunning the attributes of transition metals using pyrophosphate (P₂O₇) ligand moieties can be a promising approach to meet the requirements of energy devices such as water electrolyzers and supercapacitors, although such a material’s configuration is rarely exposed for this purpose of study.

Herein, we grow …

Enhancing Urban Water Quality Through Biological-Chemical Treatment: Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Community And Temporal Chlorophyll-A Response, Matthew Chaffee

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

With a growing human population, urbanization is impeding a plethora of natural waterways. Of these, urban ponds play a vital role in nutrient sequestration, flood prevention, and habitat sanctuaries. However, nutrient loading can reduce habitat effectiveness and promote harmful algae blooms. To reduce internal nutrient loads, a biological-chemical treatment strategy consisting of floating treatment wetlands (FTWs) and lanthanum were applied to two urban retention ponds, Densmore and Wilderness Ridge Ponds. To measure effectiveness, chlorophyll-a samples were collected and correlated with Sentinel-2. A novel band algorithm termed 3BR1 produced a strong correlation (R² = 0.72) to physical chlorophyll-a …

Corrosion Related To The Nuclear Waste Containers, Ali Ebrahimzadeh Pilehrood

Corrosion Research

The disposal of nuclear waste is a demanding topic, and the existing methods, whether it is temporary storage in spent fuel pools or storage in geological repositories, both face the risk of corrosion-related problems. Any failure in these storage methods can potentially lead to the release of radioactive materials into the environment. To avert such catastrophic scenarios, people in the nuclear industry consistently monitor and maintain these storage facilities endlessly and attempt to improve the plans designed to store nuclear waste. Here, I will examine the nuclear waste management organization (NWMO) plan in Canada. Choosing an appropriate location for the …

Design Of Stormwater Bmps For Surface And Groundwater Protection Based On Site-Scale Soil Properties: Phase I, Kelly Kibler, Lisa Chambers, Melanie Beazley

Florida DOT

Much of Earth’s nutrient cycling takes place in soils. Characteristics of soils control physical, chemical, and biological processes that determine rates of nutrient fluxes, storage, or transformation. As remediation of excess nutrients in stormwater runoff is one function of stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs), the soil profile constitutes one of the most important factors of BMP design. Variation observed in BMP effectiveness (e.g., why one BMP design works effectively in one place and not another) can often be explained by variations in the soil profile, either through direct means or by a soil’s influence on hydraulics of stormwater flow through …

Phase Distribution Of Nickel, Chromium, And Cobalt In Seawater At Olivine-Enriched Beaches: Implications For Carbon Capture By Enhanced Silicate Weathering, Nathaniel J. Padrnos

Master's Theses

The application of olivine to coastal areas is a proposed method of removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere for climate change mitigation. Olivine is abundant and dissolves relatively fast, but it contains trace amounts of nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), and cobalt (Co) which may be toxic to marine biota in cases of widespread coastal olivine spreading. Prior studies have suggested that Ni concentrations in marine sediments and/or the overlying water column due to olivine dissolution could be a limiting factor for its carbon capture potential. Therefore, it is critical to understand and model the processes affecting trace metal bioavailability after …

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 …

Healthcare Built Environment And The Covid-19 Pandemic, A Mixed-Method Study, Mohammad Saleh Nikooopayan Tak

All Theses

The outbreak of COVID-19 presented an unparalleled risk to public health, leading to urgent scientific efforts in understanding transmission mechanisms and mitigating risks, especially in healthcare settings. This mixed-methods study examines knowledge advancement regarding indoor air quality in healthcare facilities during the pandemic. A systematic literature review of 163 post-COVID studies identifies key research thrusts and 31 recommendations related to building ventilation, air filtration, surface disinfection, and monitoring. Comparison with over 200 pre-pandemic publications reveals both reliance on established infection control principles and unique contributions, such as detecting viral RNA in air and surface samples indicating potential airborne and fomite …

Fate And Transport Of Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (Pfas) At Aqueous Film Forming Foam (Afff) Discharge Sites: A Review, Jeffery T. Mcgarr, Eric G. Mbonimpa, Drew C. Mcavoy, Mohamad R. Soltanian

Faculty Publications

Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) are an environmentally persistent group of chemicals that can pose an imminent threat to human health through groundwater and surface water contamination. In this review, we evaluate the subsurface behavior of a variety of PFAS chemicals with a focus on aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) discharge sites. AFFF is the primary PFAS contamination risk at sites such as airports and military bases due to use as a fire extinguisher. Understanding the fate and transport of PFAS in the subsurface environment is a multifaceted issue. This review focuses on the role of adsorbent, adsorbate, and …

Tech Time

DePaul Magazine

DePaul is embracing tech more than ever, incorporating innovative devices and approaches into education in all corners of the university. Here are seven ways DePaul provides hands-on experiences with cutting-edge tools that position students and faculty in the forefront of their industries and disciplines.

Utilization Of Cellulose Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria And Yeast (Scoby) With Sweet Tea Media As Methylene Blue And Brilliant Green Biosorbent Material, Leonard Mateus Sigiro, Ahmad Maksum, Donanta Dhaneswara

Journal of Materials Exploration and Findings

The cellulose from Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast (SCOBY) can be used as a biosorbent for dye adsorption, such as Methylene Blue and Brilliant Green. This study used sweet tea with a 6% of sugar concentration and 14 days of fermentation time to synthesize biosorbent material from SCOBY. The results from this synthesis are then characterized using FTIR, SEM, and BET. From the result of characterization, it was found that SCOBY has pores formed from cellulose. The results of the average pore size are 1.5976nm with a pore volume of 0.229cc/g, while the specific surface area is 143.244m2/g. The …

Impacts Of Preferential Flow On Tc-99and Np-237 Vadose Transport In Soils At The Savannah River Site, Josh Parris

All Theses

Since the 1950s, the United States has produced approximately 90,000 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) (Office of Nuclear Energy, 2022); however, no long-term storage solutions are available. Technecium-99 and neptunium-237, two fission products found in SNF, readily form highly mobile species in oxidizing conditions (Hu, 2008; Bondietti, 1979) and have respective half-lives of 2.13 x 10⁵ and 2.14 x10⁶ years (Hu, 2010). Considering these characteristics, ⁹⁹Tc and ²³⁷Np are two risk-driving isotopes found in SNF storage. The process of macropore-facilitated preferential flow, transport through cracks within a soil matrix, has been recognized to increase …

Thermotrophy Exploratory Study, James Weifu Lee

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

The question of whether environmental heat energy could be utilized as a source of energy for biological metabolism is the center of this exploratory research. In 1979, this author postulated a hypothesis for the existence of thermotrophs that could isothermally utilize environmental heat energy as a source of their energy on Earth. According to this hypothesis, the thermotrophs could be the first primitive forms of life in the early Earth environment. The chemotrophs and phototrophs that we currently are all well familiar with might have been evolved somehow from the primitive thermotrophs. Furthermore, all the organisms currently regarded as the …

Wetting Transition Of Texturized Surfaces, Jenna Stephens

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Building on previous research, this project aims to continue the investigation of the wettability of various liquids on a uniform, texturized surface. Different surface energies can impact the wettability of a surface. The surface can be hydrophilic, hydrophobic, or in between. The goal of this project is to research how features of texturized surfaces affect the wetting transition of water, oil, and a mixture of both. Additionally, this project aims to improve the quality of the 3D printed surfaces. The surfaces that will be studied are constructed using UV cured resin 3D printing and are made up of an array …

Phosphorus Release And Recovery From Simulated Ferric Wastewater Sludge, Aseel Alnimer

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Phosphorus (P) is a fundamental element necessary for all life forms and a key component in the fertilizer industry. Meanwhile, the excessive load of P to water bodies due to human activities has the potential to promote eutrophication. Wastewater treatment plants remove P either biologically or chemically and produce P rich sludge which could be a potential renewable source for P. At present, commercial technologies exist for P recovery from biological wastewater sludge. However, P recovery from chemical sludge particularly iron(III)-phosphate (Fe-P) sludge generated in chemical P removal plants that use iron(III) salts remains a challenge.

This study explored, in …

Food Waste Storage Gaseous Emissions Detection And Quantification Using Infrared Spectroscopy, Ryley A. Burton-Tauzer

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

A growing interest in sustainable waste management and the implementation of new policies have prompted a shift towards alternative resource recovery methods for organic waste, including food waste. To effectively assess alternative food waste treatment scenarios, it is important to evaluate the life cycle impacts associated with each scenario. The storage phase of food waste, encompassing its accumulation in kitchens, and storage in bins for collection and transportation, has been overlooked as a source of greenhouse gases in previous studies. This investigation aimed to identify the greenhouse gases emitted during the initial five-day period of low-oxygen storage. An open dynamic …

Surface-Driven Instabilities At Oil-Water Interfaces, Anelisse Claros Mendieta

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Fluid-fluid interactions are such a wide area and can be observed in different scenarios such as geothermal systems, waterflooding of reservoirs, oil recovery, and water treatment processes. This thesis aims to deepen the understanding of fluid-fluid interactions which include Marangoni flows, charge related instabilities, and surface activity. This thesis studied the interactions of micrometer-sized droplets of an oil (toluene) with surfactant Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid (DEHPA) in the aqueous phase. One of the main goals is to understand several surface-driven instabilities and how those can be manipulated for future applications.Furthermore, this thesis aims to use these oil-surfactant droplets as a medium …

Wastewater-Informed Public Health Intervention Playbook

Sustain Magazine

As the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic quickly spread from country to country and continent to continent in 2020, governments and scientists needed a way to track COVID-19 through populations in order to position public health interventions in the most impactful locations. Having a decision-based risk framework may help to guide policy creation that could minimize or prevent possible outbreaks and surges of infection within communities. The University of Louisville in partnership with Louisville’s Department of Public Health and Wellness tested this strategy in 2021 and 2022. This Wastewater-Informed Public Health Intervention Playbook describes the decisions and actions of that academic and public …

Application Of A 14c-Assay To Assess Methanotrophic Biodegradation Of Tce In Low Ph Groundwater, Evan Groome

All Theses

Current biological strategies for remediating trichloroethylene (TCE) in low pH aquifers (i.e., pH14C-TCE assay was developed to determine pseudo first-order rate constants for the degradation of TCE in microcosms containing soil and groundwater from the Boeing Michigan Aeronautical Research Center (BOMARC) superfund site, where the pH ranges from 4.1 to 4.9. The ¹⁴C-TCE assay was also adapted to calculate soil-normalized rate constants for data from this site, as well as data that Szwast²¹ collected from the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC). In addition to natural attenuation, biostimulation through amendments of methane and nutrients were also assessed. This treatment …

Limits Of Detection Of Mycotoxins By Laminar Flow Strips: A Review, Xinyi Zhao, Hugh Byrne, Christine M. O’Connor, James Curtin, Furong Tian

Articles

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolic products of fungi. They are poisonous, carcinogenic, and mutagenic in nature and pose a serious health threat to both humans and animals, causing severe illnesses and even death. Rapid, simple and low-cost methods of detection of mycotoxins are of immense importance and in great demand in the food and beverage industry, as well as in agriculture and environmental monitoring, and, for this purpose, lateral flow immunochromatographic strips (ICSTs) have been widely used in food safety and environmental monitoring. The literature to date describing the development of ICSTs for the detection of different types of mycotoxins using …

Indoor Air Quality Through The Lens Of Outdoor Atmospheric Chemistry, Jonathan P.D. Abbatt, Douglas B. Collins

Faculty Contributions to Books

Outdoor atmospheric chemistry and air quality have been the topic of research that intensified in earnest around the mid-20^th century, while indoor air quality research has only been a key focus of chemical researchers over the last 30 years. Examining practices and approaches employed in the outdoor atmospheric chemistry research enterprise provides an additional viewpoint from which we can chart new paths to increase scientific understanding of indoor chemistry. This chapter explores our understanding of primary chemical sources, homogeneous and multiphase reactivity, gas-surface partitioning, and the coupling between the chemistry and dynamics of indoor air through the lens of …

The Photo-Transformation Of Free Methionine In The Presence Of Surrogate And Standard Isolate Dissolved Organic Matter Under Sunlit Irradiation, Benjamin J. Mohrhardt

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Sulfur (S)-containing amino acids are key sources of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur involved in protein synthesis, protein function, and providing energy for microbial growth. Dissolved free and combined methionine is one of two S-containing amino acids incorporated into proteins and has been attributed to their stability and function. The oxidation of methionine has received considerable attention given its ubiquitous presence in most biological systems and has been associated with losses in protein function and pathological disorders. In natural waters, methionine is rapidly and selectively taken up by microorganisms to achieve cellular requirements of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur. The abiotic transformation …

Scale-Up Of Flow-Electrode Capacitive Deionization Method For Hard Water Softening, Noah Henry

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This study’s purpose is to further document a capacitive deionization design that could be capable of purifying H₂O at a household scale where clean water is otherwise unobtainable in applicable regions of the world. The hypothesis behind this study was continuously larger scaled electrochemical cell-units would increase their water softening capabilities in sustainable fashion. The trend at which performance will scale is currently unknown. The units studied were constructed using graphite plates, anion exchange membranes, cation exchange membranes, and Teflon channels. Three streams, two being CaCl₂ solutions in DI H₂O (one being concentrated with CaCl …

Efficient Removal Of Lead Ions From Aqueous Media Using Sustainable Sources On Marine Algae, Hannah Namkoong, Erik Biehler, Gon Namkoong, Tarek M. Abdel-Fattah

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

The goal of this project is to explore a new method to efficiently remove Pb(II) ions from water by processing Undaria pinnatifida into immobilized beads using sodium alginate and calcium chloride. The resulting biosorbent was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). Using immobilized U. pinnatifida, we investigated the effect of various factors on Pb(II) ion removal efficiency such as temperature, pH, ionic strength, time, and underlying biosorption mechanisms. For Pb(II) ion biosorption studies, Pb(II) ion biosorption data were obtained and analyzed using Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption models. It …

Formation Of Reactive Nitrogen Species During Dichloramine Decay And Their Impact On N Nitrosodimethylamine Formation Under Drinking Water Conditions, Huong Thu Pham

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

NDMA occurrence and formation pathways in drinking water systems are reviewed and NDMA yields are compared on the basis of disinfectant type, water chemistry, and precursor category. In chloramination, despite monochloramine being the predominant species between pH 7-9, evidence suggests that dichloramine is the primary species involved in NDMA formation. This is somewhat confounding as NDMA yields are maximal at pH 9, yet at pH 9 dichloramine decays faster than it forms and hence is present at trace levels; additionally, the proposed mechanism involves a spin-forbidden incorporation of dissolved oxygen as a triplet, which is presumably kinetically slow. This review …

Thin Safety Margin: The Sefor Super-Prompt-Critical Transient Experiments, Ozark Mountains, Arkansas 1970–1971, Jerry Havens, Collis Geren

Arkansas Scholarly Editions

Thin Safety Margin charts the history of SEFOR, a twenty-megawatt reactor that operated for three years in the rural Ozark Mountains of Arkansas as part of an internationally sponsored program designed to demonstrate the Doppler effect in plutonium-oxide-fueled fast reactors. Authors Jerry Havens and Collis Geren draw upon this history to assess the accidental explosion risk inherent in using fast reactors to reduce the energy industry’s carbon dioxide emissions.

If a sufficiently powerful fast-neutron explosion were to cause the containment of a reactor such as SEFOR’s to fail, the reactor’s radiotoxic plutonium fuel could vaporize and escape into the surrounding …

Vermiculations In Painted Caves: New Inputs From Laboratory Experiments And Field Observations, Perrine Freydier, Eric Weber, Jérôme Martin, Pierre-Yves Jeannin, Béatrice Guerrier, Frédéric Doumenc

International Journal of Speleology

Vermiculations are aggregates of small particles commonly found on cave walls. They are a major concern for the conservation of painted caves, as they can potentially alter valuable prehistoric cave paintings. A previous rheological study of fine sediment deposits on cave walls revealed that this material can undergo a solid-to-liquid transition triggered by variations in the chemical composition of the water film on the wall. Such a transition could occur at the origin of vermiculations by allowing the sediment to flow under low mechanical stress. In this work, we provide quantitative information on the conditions leading to this transition and …