The world has a pressing need for accessible and affordable water treatment solutions, particularly in underserved areas like Kabingo, Uganda, the community that Miami University’s Engineers Without Borders works with. The primary objective of our work was to create sustainable filtration systems capable of effectively removing manganese (Mn) from drinking water sources. This area of […]
B18: Investigation of a Novel Pyrolyzed PDMS/Ni Catalyst for Dry Reforming of Methane (DRM)
The release of methane and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere is an issue that continues to plague society due to high usage of fossil fuels and expanding landfills. In an effort to combat the levels of CO2 and CH4 accumulating, chemical engineers have turned to the dry reformation of methane to produce syngas (H2 and […]
B17: Heat Recovery from Aerated Static Composting Systems
The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections approached our senior design team with the idea of capturing heat from compost piles for use in heating water or buildings. Their facility is roughly half a football field in size, containing agricultural and food waste. Compost piles are able to reach temperatures upwards of 160°F, to the […]
B34: Potential Drivers of Decadal Bluegill Patterns in Turbid Reservoirs
Larval fish population dynamics are influenced by biotic and abiotic factors. Larval stages of planktivorous fish temporally overlap in aquatic systems. In midwestern reservoirs in the USA, larval stages of gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) and bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) temporally overlap in early-mid summer. Larval gizzard shad hatch earlier (early May) than bluegill (June) and can […]
C47: Evaluation of Breakthrough Curves: Perfluorooctanoic Acid Adsorption on Activated Carbon
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), an organic pollutant linked with various cancers, is a “forever” chemical, as it has the ability to linger in the environment almost indefinitely without breaking down. As a result of the danger it poses, it is necessary to explore the effectiveness of various methods of removing PFOA from drinking water. The goal […]
B01: Effect of Polydimethylsiloxane Support on Nickel-Based Catalysis in Dry Reformation of Methane
The release of methane and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere is rapidly increasing with the growth of dependence on fossil fuels. In an effort to combat the levels of CO2 and CH4 accumulating, chemical engineers have turned to the dry reformation of methane to produce syngas (H2 and CO), an inexpensive product with higher energy […]
B17-P: Engineering Sigma Factors for Synthetic Biology
To expand the current synthetic biology toolbox, new mechanisms of genetic control must be discovered and assessed based on specific transcription-altering capabilities. We posit that sigma factors are precisely the tool needed for metabolic engineers to reroute cells to produce molecules of interest while being orthogonal to other transcription factors. Additionally, sigma factors permit various […]