Membrane distillation (MD) provides a way to extract water from reverse osmosis (RO) brine with high water recovery and is a potential solution for brine management. However, pore wetting of membranes is a major hurdle that prevents its reliable implementation. The objective of the study is to identify a pre-treatment that can prevent wetting in MD treatment of wastewater
Faculty Mentor: Francois Perreault
Controlling the Selectivity and Permeability of Graphene-based Membrane by Changing the Oxygen Content of Graphene Oxide Sheets
The purpose of this research was to analyze the relationship between oxygen content of graphene oxide and the efficiency of the material when used for the fabrication of desalination membranes. Graphene oxide is synthesized from pure graphene through four different methods: Staudenmaier’s, Hoffman’s, Tour’s, and Tung’s, which results in graphene oxide with different properties and
Utilizing Biopolymers with Incorporations of Nanoclays to Develop Sustainable Bioplastics
The primary purpose of this investigation was to ascertain characteristic properties of a multitude of polymers in order to determine a sustainable alternative to thin film food packaging. Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) was incorporated into chloroform (half of this amount was dyed with methylene blue) and deposited onto a substrate. Surface energy, thin film homogeneity, biocompatibility, and
Sunlight-Induced Structural and Functional Changes in Graphene-Based Composite Materials
This project evaluates how the toxicity of a graphene-based material changes over time during sunlight exposure. Dose-response curves were established and half maximal effective concentration (EC50) of GO without sunlight exposure were identified. These Ec50 values will be compared with the toxicity of GO after sunlight exposure. After sunlight was provided by a solar simulator
