Environmental Chemistry Commons^™

Novel Pilot Development Of A Closed-Loop Sustainable System Between Biogas Renewable Energy, Distilling, And Aquaculture By Vermiculture Of Stillage Wastes, Samuel C. Kessler

The Cardinal Edge

This study provides a mixed-methods approach in analyzing a potential closed-loop system between renewable biogas production from anaerobic digestion, vermiculture production, aquaculture production, and organic wastes with a particular focus on stillage wastes. Such system may hold significant promise for significantly reducing organic carbon and methane emissions from its components, and should be assessed for such. The 2021 IPCC report essentially identified methane reduction as the single fastest way to slow global warming (IPCC, 2021), making the study and implementation of methane-reducing systems and supportive policy for them critical. Knowledge gaps to implementing this system were qualitatively identified as disconnect …

Unintended Consequences Of Air Cleaning Chemistry, Douglas B. Collins, Delphine K. Farmer

Faculty Journal Articles

Amplified interest in maintaining clean indoor air associated with the airborne transmission risks of SARS-CoV-2 have led to an expansion in the market for commercially available air cleaning systems. While the optimal way to mitigate indoor air pollutants or contaminants is to control (remove) the source, air cleaners are a tool for use when absolute source control is not possible. Interventions for indoor air quality management include physical removal of pollutants through ventilation or collection on filters and sorbent materials, along with chemically reactive processes that transform pollutants or seek to deactivate biological entities. This perspective intends to highlight the …

Characterization Of Uranium, Lead, And Rare Earth Element Pollution In Natural Soils And Sediments, Hope Rasmussen

Civil and Environmental Engineering Theses and Dissertations

Heavy metals in the environment add to the global burden of pollution, negatively impacting public health and ecosystem resilience. This study included projects regarding uranium (U), lead (Pb), and rare earth elements (REE) in natural samples, due to their known toxicity, ubiquity, and relevance in context to recent pollution trends. The first project focused on testing the potential of using a hydroxyapatite product as a remediation solution for U-contaminated groundwater and soil at an EPA Superfund site. The results showed that the U was sequestered in a highly crystalline mineral form within the solids, guiding the EPA to specify the …

Oxygen Harvesting From Carbon Dioxide: Simultaneous Epoxidation And Co Formation, Han Xu, Muhammad Shaban, Sui Wang, Anas Alkayal, Dingxin Liu, Michael G. Kong, Felix Plasser, Benjamin R. Buckley, Felipe Iza

Bioelectrics Publications

Due to increasing concentrations in the atmosphere, carbon dioxide has, in recent times, been targeted for utilisation (Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage, CCUS). In particular, the production of CO from CO₂ has been an area of intense interest, particularly since the CO can be utilized in Fischer–Tropsch synthesis. Herein we report that CO₂ can also be used as a source of atomic oxygen that is efficiently harvested and used as a waste-free terminal oxidant for the oxidation of alkenes to epoxides. Simultaneously, the process yields CO. Utilization of the atomic oxygen does not only generate a valuable product, …

Valorization Of Xylan In Agroforestry Waste Streams, Harrison Appiah

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Valorization of Xylan in Agroforestry Waste Streams.

Harrison Appiah

Microwave-assisted deep eutectic solvent and gamma-valerolactone metallic chloride catalyzed conversion of xylan to furfural were investigated using a 2x3 factorial experimental design at two levels of percent microwave power, reaction time, and catalyst concentration. The levels of each factor studied were (20%, 60% microwave power, 2, 4 minutes, and 10, 20mg) respectively. The effect of three metallic chloride catalysts (LiCl, FeCl3.6H20, CuCl2) on the conversion of xylan to furfural was also investigated. The gamma-valerolactone-ferric chloride sent system exhibited the highest mean yield of furfural (56.50%). The next highest furfural yield of …

The Aging And Impacts Of Atmospheric Soot: Closing The Gap Between Experiments And Models, Ogochukwu Yvonne Enekwizu

Dissertations

The main goal of this dissertation is to generate data and parameterizations to accurately represent soot aerosols in atmospheric models. Soot from incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and biomass burning is a major air pollutant and a significant contributor to climate warming. The environmental impacts of soot are strongly dependent on the particle morphology and mixing state, which evolve continuously during atmospheric transport via a process known as aging. To make predictions of soot impacts on the environment, most atmospheric models adopt simplifications of particle structure and mixing state, which lead to substantial uncertainties. Using an experimentally constrained modeling approach, …

Application Of A Small Unmanned Aerial System To Measure Ammonia Emissions From A Pilot Amine-Co2 Capture System, Travis J. Schuyler, Bradley Irvin, Keemia Abad, Jesse G. Thompson, Kunlei Liu, Marcelo I. Guzman

Chemistry Faculty Publications

The quantification of atmospheric gases with small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) is expanding the ability to safely perform environmental monitoring tasks and quickly evaluate the impact of technologies. In this work, a calibrated sUAS is used to quantify the emissions of ammonia (NH₃) gas from the exit stack a 0.1 MWth pilot-scale carbon capture system (CCS) employing a 5 M monoethanolamine (MEA) solvent to scrub CO₂ from coal combustion flue gas. A comparison of the results using the sUAS against the ion chromatography technique with the EPA CTM-027 method for the standard emission sampling of NH_{3 …}

Hexacyanoferrate-Based Nanocomposites For The Electrochemical Sensing Of Hydrogen Peroxide And Nicotine, Lee Pui Kee

Student Works (2020-2029)

Metal hexacyanoferrate (MeHCF) is a unique material that not only acquired immense research interest in electrochemical sensing field but also possesses potential as energy storage material. As such, the present thesis sought to investigate the facile method to synthesis MeHCF-based nanocomposites and explore its possible applications. First, comparative research on the synthesis of Prussian blue-polypyrrole (PB-PPy) nanocomposite by novel self-assembly (SA) method and conventional electrodeposition technique was performed. PB-PPy nanocomposites were prepared by the novel self-assembly method and via the electrodeposition approach. The nanocomposites were compared in term of surface morphology and its electrochemical and electrocatalytic characteristics. The results indicated …

Green Synthesis Of Reduced Graphene Oxide For Efficient Adsorption-Photocatalysis Studies In Methylene Blue Dye Degradation, Ling Er Valerie Siong

Student Works (2020-2029)

Dyes are one of the major components of industrial effluents. Owing to the complex structures of these toxic organic compounds, the removal of dyes from effluents possesses a great challenge in wastewater treatment. In order to tackle this issue, one of the effective methods is to remove dyes via the combination of adsorption and photocatalysis processes. In the present work, reduced graphene oxide (rGO) was fabricated from graphene oxide (GO) by using an environmentally friendly solvothermal approach, whereby ethanol was employed as a non-toxic reductant. In order to investigate the formation of rGO, the reduction of GO was carried out …

Surface Reservoirs Dominate Dynamic Gas-Surface Partitioning Of Many Indoor Air Constituents, Chen Wang, Douglas B. Collins, Caleb Arata, Allen H. Goldstein, James M. Mattila, Delphine K. Farmer, Laura Ampollini, Peter F. Decarlo, Atila Novoselac, Marina E. Vance, William W. Nazaroff, Jonathan P.D. Abbatt

Faculty Journal Articles

Human health is affected by indoor air quality. One distinctive aspect of the indoor environment is its very large surface area that acts as a poorly characterized sink and source of gas-phase chemicals. In this work, air-surface interactions of 19 common indoor air contaminants with diverse properties and sources were monitored in a house using fast-response, on-line mass spectrometric and spectroscopic methods. Enhanced-ventilation experiments demonstrate that most of the contaminants reside in the surface reservoirs and not, as expected, in the gas phase. They participate in rapid air-surface partitioning that is much faster than air exchange. Phase distribution calculations are …

Advancement Of Predictive Modeling Of Zeta Potentials (Ζ) In Metal Oxide Nanoparticles With Correlation Intensity Index (Cii), Andrey A. Toropov, Natalia Sizochenko, Alla P. Toropova, Danuta Leszczynska, Jerzy Leszczynski

Articles

It was expected that index of the ideality of correlation (IIC) and correlation intensity index (CII) could be used as possible tools to improve the predictive power of the quantitative model for zeta potential of nanoparticles. In this paper, we test how the statistical quality of quantitative structure-activity models for zeta potentials (ζ, a common measurement that reflects surface charge and stability of nanomaterial) could be improved with the use of these two indexes. Our hypothesis was tested using the benchmark data set that consists of 87 measurements of zeta potentials in water. We used quasi-SMILES molecular representation to take …

Ni-Au Anodic Nano-Electrocatalyst For Direct Glucose Fuel Cells, Islam M. Al-Akraa, Aya S. Abdulhalim Eng, Yassr M. Asal Mr, Ahmad M. Mohammad Prof

Chemical Engineering

This study aims at the sequential assembling of a nickel oxide (NiOx: cauliflower-like nanostructure, 90 nm) and gold (Au; spherical, 95 nm in an average particle size) onto the GC surface nanocatalyst on a glassy carbon (GC) electrode (will be abbreviated as Ni-Au/GC) for the glucose electro−oxidation (GO); the principal anodic reaction in the direct glucose fuel cells (DGFCs). The charge of the Ni deposition on the GC surface (will be abbreviated as Ni/GC electrode) was initially optimized to obtain the highest catalytic activity toward GO which attained at (339.8 Ag−1) by applying 15 mC in the Ni deposition. Yet, …

Enhanced Glucose Electrooxidation At Ni-Cu Binary Oxide Nanocatalyst, Islam M. Al-Akraa, Mahmoud M. Abouzaid Eng, Yaser M. Asal Mr, Ahmad M. Mohammad Prof

Chemical Engineering

The aim of this study is to fabricate a nickel (NiOx) and copper (CuOx) oxide nanocatalyst on a glassy carbon (GC) electrode (will be abbreviated as Ni-Cu/GC) for glucose oxidation (GO). A sequential electrodepositon mode was applied to assemble NiOx and CuOx in the fabrication scheme. The optimization of Ni loading on the GC surface (will be abbreviated as Ni/GC electrode) was achieved first to attain the maximum catalytic efficiency in terms of the specific current toward GO. This (409 Ag1)was obtained by applying 15 mC/cm2 in the deposition of Ni. However, unfortunately the NiOx/GC could not support a long-term …

Development Of Novel Adsorbent For Industrial Waste Water Treatment, Islam M. Al-Akraa, Hassan M. Shehata Eng, Dalia A. Ali Eng., Hoda A. Elsawy Dr

Chemical Engineering

The main objective of this research project is to perform some experimental procedures to inform the ability of the novel adsorbent used in this project. The chemical modification of the adsorbent is the chemical oxidation of pure powder chitosan using some specific redox pairs which are potassium dichromate and sodium bisulphite. After preparing the modified chitosan, there are some parameters that must be discussed during the adsorption process. The first parameter is the time parameter, showing experimentally the optimum time for adsorption under certain conditions by collecting values of absorbance and concentration of thymol blue adsorbed after the process from …

Effect Of The Electrodeposition Potential Of Platinum On The Catalytic Activity Of A Pt/Gc Catalyst Toward Formic Acid Electro−Oxidation, Islam M. Al-Akraa, Bilquis A. Al-Qodami Ms., Ahmad M. Mohammad Prof

Chemical Engineering

The electrocatalytic activity of platinum (Pt)–modified glassy carbon (GC) (referred as Pt/GC) electrodes toward the formic acid electro−oxidation (FAO) was investigated. The Pt deposition on the GC substrate was carried out by a potentiostatic technique at different potentials (from 0.2 V to −0.2 V vs. Hg/Hg2Cl2/KCl (sat.) reference electrode) and the corresponding influence on the catalytic activity toward FAO was monitored. The electrocatalytic inspection revealed a potential role for the Pt deposition potential in boosting the catalytic efficiency of the catalyst toward FAO and further in mitigating the CO poisoning that eventually deactivate the catalyst. Interestingly, the highest activity toward …

A Spin-Coated Tiox/Pt Nanolayered Anodic Catalyst For The Direct Formic Acid Fuel Cells, Islam M. Al-Akraa, Ahmad M. Mohammad Prof

Chemical Engineering

The CO poisoning of the platinum anodic catalyst which typically functions the catalytic deterioration of the direct formic acid fuel cells could be minimized with a simple modification for Pt with titanium oxide. The fabrication scheme involved the spin-coating of a Ti precursor onto a Pt thin layer that was physically sputtered onto a Si substrate. The whole assembly was subjected to a post-annealing processing to produce the TiOx layer (60 nm) in a porous structure (mostly Anatase) atop of the Pt surface. The porous nature of the TiOx layer permitted the participation of Pt in the electrocatalysis of the …

Applications Of Drones In Atmospheric Chemistry, Travis J. Schuyler

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

The emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) has changed the composition of the atmosphere during the Anthropocene. A major technical and scientific challenge is quantifying the resulting fugitive trace gas fluxes under variable meteorological conditions. Accurately documenting the sources and magnitude of GHGs emission is an important undertaking for discriminating contributions of different processes to radiative forcing. Therefore, the adverse environmental and health effects of undetected gas leaks motivates new methods of detecting, characterizing, and quantifying plumes of fugitive trace gases. Currently, there is no mobile platform able to quantify trace gases at altitudes(UASs), or drones, can be deployed on-site in …

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 …

Sustainable Solutions, Fall/Winter 2020, Issue 41

Sustain Magazine

No abstract provided.

Environmentally Responsible Land Use, Spring/Summer 2010, Issue 22

Sustain Magazine

No abstract provided.

Sustainable Communities, Fall/Winter 2010, Issue 21

Sustain Magazine

No abstract provided.

Sustainable Building, Spring/Summer 2009, Issue 20

Sustain Magazine

No abstract provided.

Environmental History, Fall/Winter 2009, Issue 19

Sustain Magazine

No abstract provided.

Student Research, Spring/Summer 2008, Issue 18

Sustain Magazine

No abstract provided.

Evolving Pollution Prevention, Fall/Winter 2008, Issue 17

Sustain Magazine

No abstract provided.

Climate Change, Spring/Summer 2007, Issue 16

Sustain Magazine

No abstract provided.

Our Energy Future, Fall/Winter 2007, Issue 15

Sustain Magazine

No abstract provided.

Land Conservation, Spring/Summer 2006, Issue 14

Sustain Magazine

No abstract provided.

Pollution And Heart Disease, Fall/Winter 2006, Issue 13

Sustain Magazine

No abstract provided.

Green Cities, Spring/Summer 2005, Issue 12

Sustain Magazine

No abstract provided.