Matthew Stanley Ambrosia

Kinetics and Thermodynamic Properties Related to the Adsorption of Copper and Zinc onto Zeolite Synthesized from Coal Fly Ash

Na-A zeolite (Z-Cl) was synthesized from coal fly ash, which is a byproduct of coal combustion for the generation of electricity. The adsorption of and onto Z-C1 was investigated via batch tests over a range of temperatures (303.15 to 323.15 K). The resultant experimental equilibrium data were compared to theoretical values calculated using model equations. With these results, the kinetics and equilibrium parameters of adsorption were calculated using Lagergren and Langmuir-Freundlich models. The adsorption kinetics revealed that the pseudo second-order kinetic mechanism is predominant. The maximum adsorption capacity () values were 139.0-197.9 mg /g and 75.0-105.1 mg . Calculation of the thermodynamic properties revealed that the absorption reactions for both and were spontaneous and endothermic. Collectively, these results suggest that the synthesized zeolite, Z-C1, can potentially be used as an adsorbent for metal ion recovery during the treatment of industrial wastewater at high temperatures.

Release of Oxygen from a Nano-sized Water Droplet Observed using Molecular Dynamics

Dissolved oxygen is necessary for many biological processes as well as many industrial practices. Dissolved oxygen released from water in dissolved air flotation (DAF) systems can be have many different applications. However, DAF systems are very costly to operate. To develop more efficient DAF systems, a deeper understanding of the process of oxygen being released from water is required. In this study, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were used to simulate 100 oxygen molecules surrounded by 31002 water molecules at temperatures ranging from 0℃ to 100℃. Simulations were carried out for 10 ns, during which, in most cases, all the oxygen molecules were released from the water droplet. With MD simulations, visualization of the molecules escaping the water droplet was possible, which aided the understanding of the interactions between molecules at the nano-scale. The results showed that as the oxygen molecules moved near the edge of the water droplet that the oxygen molecules hesitated before escaping the water droplet or returned to the interior of the water droplet. This was because of the attractive forces between the water and oxygen molecules. Moreover, after most of the oxygen molecules were released from the droplet, some were found to return to the droplet``s edge or even the interior of the droplet. It was also confirmed that oxygen molecules were released at a faster rate at higher temperatures.

A Study of a Hydrophobic Surface: Comparing Pure Water and Contaminated Water

The flow of sewage has been studied for hundreds of years. Reducing drag in pipes can allow sewer to be removed easily and quickly. Drag reduction is not only a macroscale issue. Physical and chemical properties of the nano-scale can affect flow at the macroscopic scale. In this paper the predictability of hydrophobicity at the nano-scale is studied. Molecular dynamics simulations were used to calculate the range of contact angles of water droplets in equilibrium on a pillared graphite surface. It was found that at a pillar height of two graphite layers there was the largest range of contact angles. It is observed that at this height the droplet begins to transition from the Wenzel state to the Cassie-Baxter state. Surfaces with larger pillar heights have much larger contact angles corresponding to a more hydrophobic surface. Silicon dioxide was also simulated in the water droplet. The contaminant slight decreased the contact angle of the water droplet.