Multifunctional biocapsules for the efficient production of ethanol from cellulosic biomass
Mentor: Dr. Silvana Andreescu
Department: Chemistry and Biomolecular Science
Code: rp2008001

Ethanol has the potential to replace the conventional gasoline fuel, but the availability of an efficient technology for its production from low-cost, renewable materials has hindered its implementation as major transportation fuel. Cellulosic materials are relatively inexpensive and abundant and represent a potential source of sugars for fermentation to fuel ethanol. The main challenge in developing a viable technology is to ensure conversion of both cellulose and hemicellulose which account for approximately 70% of the dry mass of typical plant and tree matter. In this project, the REU participant will fabricate biocapsules containing appropriate biological material (yeast and enzymes) that will provide fermentation capacity of the two major products of both cellulose and hemicellulose hydrolysis: D-xylose and D-glucose. The student will use natural biopolymers in conjunction with nanostructured materials and layer-by-layer assembly to fabricate multifunctional capsules. Each capsule can be regarded as an individual biocatalytic reactor in which biological materials are protected against denaturation from the hydrolisate mixture, while substrates and products can freely diffuse in and out from the capsule. Working in a team, the student will co-immobilize yeast and enzyme in a core-shell type structure, optimize the immobilization procedure and identify key parameters in the functioning of the system for ensuring cell viability and biocatalytic activity toward D-glucose and D-xylose. S/he will determine kinetic constants, ethanol concentration and fermentation capacity. Research will involve the use of a number of spectroscopic, enzymatic and surface techniques for the (i) study of biomolecular recognition events (activity and stability), (ii) microencapsulation techniques through layer-by-layer assembly, (iii) permeability, structure and surface morphology of the capsules. The student will have the opportunity to explore research in a highly interdisciplinary project at the interface between bioanalytical chemistry, biochemistry and material science and obtain real “hands-on” research experience.

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Optimum sand recycling during anaerobic digestion of dairy manure
Mentor: Dr. Stefan Grimberg
Department: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Code: rp2008002

Clarkson University is leading a consortium that is actively researching waste, energy and profitability solutions for struggling local farmers and the dairy processing industry. By using cow manure to fuel anaerobic digesters, farmers and dairy processing facilities can displace purchased sources of heat and power, reduce wastewater treatment and environmental compliance costs, and mitigate exposure to fluctuating power prices. The Clarkson dairy waste partnership will design and build a state-of-the-art digester/energy recovery system at a working dairy/tourist showcase farm to educate farmers and the public about this technology. In addition, substantial data on the mass and energy flows to validate a computer model will be collected and used to optimize the system.

Modern dairy farms use sand as bedding for the cows. Sand is considered to be the superior material since it provides comfort to the cows, which translates into more milk production, and prevents decease vectors to spread and grow on the sand. Unfortunately sand-laden manure provides a significant challenge for the design of manure digesters since the inert sand will settle out in the digester and therefore reduce reactor volume. The goal of this project is to develop a process that will allow for the recovery of sand so that it can be reused in the dairy barn as bedding. The REU student will work on a pilot-scale manure digester.  The focus of the pilot study is to demonstrate to the farmer the operation and control of the system, to obtain data to verify a developed system model and to determine operational conditions that maximize sand recovery and energy generation.  Laboratory scale systems are used to test a give operational variable at controlled conditions.  The small scale of these experiments allows us to test many variables at a short time frame and then use the refined data set of operational variables on the pilot system.  Proper design of the separation process will require the development of physical parameters that characterize the sand/manure mixture. Laboratory anaerobic digesters will be used to test the effect of process parameters such as reactor residence time mixing intensity and sand grain size on sand recovery and biogas production.

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Titania nanocomposites for photovoltaic applications
Mentor: Dr. Devon Shipp
Department: Chemistry and Biomolecular Science
Code: rp2008003

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) has outstanding chemical and physical properties, and, as such, is a commonly used filler in polymeric materials. TiO2 is also widely used as a photocatalyst or in photovoltaics because it is a semiconductor. However, compared with other metal oxides (in particular SiO2), the ability to make uniform TiO2 nanoparticles with particular surface functionality, particularly with covalent bonding between the oxide and an organic moiety, has been problematic. However, recent advances in TiO2 nanoparticle synthesis have shown that enediol species, such as catechol and dopamine, mediate the growth of TiO2 nanoparticles in non-aqueous solvents, and then provide organic surface functionality that allows these particles to dissolve in organic solvents. The REU student will be involved in making TiO2 nanoparticles that are functionalized with initiating or vinyl groups, and then performung various polymerizations, in particular living radical polymerizations, to make well-defined polymer-TiO2 nanocomposites.  We will perform preliminary tests for their use in photovoltaic (solar) cells.

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Improving small wind turbines for low wind speeds
Mentor: Dr. Kenneth Visser
Department: Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering
Code: rp2008004

The efficiency of small wind turbines for distributed power generation and off grid applications is presently well below that of commercial operations. Optimizing such a turbine design in an unsteady, ambient environment is especially difficult for small turbines. Research is being conducted at the Clarkson University Wind Turbine Test Site on improving the efficiency of these turbines, especially at low wind speeds. The primary goal of this effort is to reduce the cost of electricity production by designing a maintenance free turbine to accommodate the wide range of environmental conditions. Initial results from numerical and wind tunnel investigations suggest that the aerodynamic performance of small HAWTs can be considerably improved if the number of blades and the solidity is increased beyond the 5% to 7% range commonly found in current designs. A higher solidity and/or blade number could extract more energy at a lower speed and offer additional advantages of lower noise, lower cut-in wind speed, and less blade erosion. Full scale tests are being conducted on twin Bergey XL.1 1kW machines at the test site. One turbine is used as the control and the other is modified for research purposes. The REU student will conduct a computational analysis of a novel wind turbine design and device behavior; conduct analysis of field data comparisons between a prototype and a control turbine; and possibly construct and test new concepts in the Clarkson aerodynamic wind tunnel.

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Farm waste-to-energy system design and operation optimization
Mentor: Dr. Pragasen Pillay
Department: Electrical and Computer Engineering
Code: rp2008005

Farm system optimization deals with the economics of a farm to maximize net income. It includes the design and operation optimization of the farm system. The design optimization, which is to determine the optimum size of an engine-generator set and a boiler, is done by developing a simplified conceptual energy model. The model optimizes farm electrical power and heat generation assuming constant biogas production from a digester. In this process it is important to consider a detailed billing method. Hence all electricity tariff components and the effect of net metering are included. The model runs using monthly average electrical and heat energy data. It approximates the size of the engine-generator set and the boiler, which are optimum for the farm operation. Further studies are in progress to increase the resolution (accuracy) of the model by running it using daily average data. The model is developed using Matlab programming and linear search optimization method.

The next challenge is to determine the operation procedure that gives maximum net income to the farm. The inputs to the anaerobic digester and the environmental conditions have significant effects on the production of biogas. Mathematically modeling the anaerobic digestion, which is a complex biological process, is difficult. Therefore, in this research, genetic algorithms, neural networks and simulating annealing methods are considered to optimize the operation of the farm system. The first two methods have the capability of assuming the digester as a black box and determine its behavior based on the inputs and outputs only.

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Preparation of supported ionic liquid membranes
Mentor: Dr. Ruth E. Baltus
Department: Chemistry and Biomolecular Science
Code: rp2008006

Room temperature ionic liquids are a relatively new class of compounds that have received increased attention in recent years as ‘green’ designer solvents that may potentially replace many conventional volatile organic solvents in reaction and separation processes. These unique compounds are organic salts that are liquid over a wide range of temperatures near and at room temperature. Ionic liquids have no measurable vapor pressure; hence there has been considerable interest in using them in place of volatile organic solvents which can emit problematic vapors. These nonvolatile solvents are also well suited for separations because solvent losses can be minimized. The objective of this REU project is to develop effective approaches for fabricating supported ionic liquid membranes for gas separations, with a primary focus on carbon dioxide separations from flue gas streams. Experimental efforts will involve examination of various approaches for immobilizing room temperature ionic liquids in the pores of porous alumina membranes. The effectiveness of each approach will be assessed by performing permeability measurements with the supported liquid membranes. The objective will be to develop a means of fabricating robust supported liquid membranes with high permeability to carbon dioxide and low permeability to nitrogen.

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Fate, transport of and human exposure to manufactured nanoparticles
Mentor: Dr. Andrea Ferro
Department: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Code: rp2008007

Nanoparticles, particles with at least one dimension less than 100 nanometers, are being developed and produced for a wide range of commercial and research applications.  However, the impact of nanoparticles on humans and ecosystems is not well understood. Due to their smaller size, increased surface to volume ratio, and, in some cases, composition, nanoparticles may cause more damage on the cellular level than larger particles. The objective of this project is to better characterize the properties that affect the fate and transport of manufactured nanoparticles and evaluate the pathways that lead to human exposure. The REU student will conduct studies in an experimental particle chamber using manufactured nanoparticles to determine deposition rates, coagulation rates, and penetration efficiencies.  The student will compare experimental values to theoretical predictions and available literature values. The nanoparticles will be measured with the TSI (Shoreview, MN) Fast Mobility Particle Sizer (FMPS), which measures the particle number distributions in 32 channels, ranging from 5.6 to 500 nm with a 1 second time resolution.  Particles will also be collected on deposition coupons and viewed using scanning electron microscopy.  Manufactured nanoparticles for this project will be obtained through collaboration with faculty in Clarkson’s Center for Advanced Materials Processing. To provide a direct link to human impact, the student run an indoor air human exposure model and develop a distribution of human exposure concentrations using the nanoparticle transport properties and screening-level exposure scenarios.

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Indoor air quality has become a predominant concern for many people due to the increased time we spend inside, at work as well as at home.  Public health agencies and homeowners have started to recognize the need to maintain a well ventilated living and working environment to protect the health and well-being of the occupants.  To ensure our indoor environments will not threaten our health we need to continually evaluate the type of materials we are exposed to in our homes and work places.  We are currently evaluating a variety of chemical exposures to indoor and outdoor air pollutants.   Our EHS laboratory is researching and developing new methods to examine people’s exposure to airborne chemicals.  Recent projects include: evaluating the airborne levels of indoor mold, worker exposure to chemicals in a manufacturing facility, and assessment of contaminants downwind from industrial facilities.  In addition to examining the mold exposure, we are examining the types and concentration of volatile organic compounds (MVOCs) that arise from mold growth.  These MVOCs may be useful for predicting exposure to the mold.  Students studying chemistry, biology, environmental health, and environmental engineering all may find this interdisciplinary research interesting and rewarding.

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With the development of nanotechnologies, it becomes possible to create “smart dust”, particles with complex nanostructures that can “monitor” parameters of their environment, like temperature. Creation of such particles/tracers is the first problem we would like to address in the proposed research. The objective of the study is to develop a novel tracers for monitoring and measurement of air and liquid flows in the environment. We propose to develop and use luminescent silica particles to measure the motion and temperature of suspended particles simultaneously.  Such tracers should be: 1) sufficiently small to stay with air flow for a long time; 2) easily detectable/traceable, and 3) provide researchers with additional information like temperature. It is also preferred that such tracers should be 4) nontoxic.  Specifically, we propose to investigate the synthesis of sufficiently cheap and efficient “smart dust” tracers, photoluminescent silica particles. The particles, which will simulate typical dust particles, will be dragged by either airflow or lqiuid. Highlighted by a laser, the particle’s motion can be easily visualized, and their motion can be recorded.  Moreover, analyzing emitted light of the particles, one can find temperature of air around the particles. The luminescent silica particles will have complex nanostructure that will provide two essential features: ultrabight and temperature dependent luminescence. The REU student will apply these particle tracers to an indoor air quality flow problem. The results of the proposed research will lead to a) diagnostics that allow better understanding of phenomena that contribute to potential exposure to pollutants in indoor air; and b) demonstration of these tools for measurement of indoor air quality.

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Characterization of emissions from biodiesel use
Mentor: Dr. Philip Hopke and Dr. Suresh Dhaniyala
Department: Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering
Code: rp2008010

Clarkson has a chassis dynamometer and two light duty diesel trucks for testing the emissions from the use of biologically derived diesel fuels. By diluting and cooling the emissions from the trucks in an 18-ft dilution tunnel, the gaseous and particulate emissions can be measured. Using a Fast Mobility Particle Sizer (FMPS), the variability of the particle size distributions in the size range of 5.6 to 500 nm can be measured with 1 second time resolution.  This instrument provides measurement of the near instantaneous response of the emissions to changes in driving conditions (acceleration, deceleration, etc.). Integral filter samples can be collected for detailed chemical characterization of the particulate matter for the engines operating under specific conditions as well as over a standard test cycle.  We also are developing and testing new instruments for the real-time characterization of particle emissions from motor vehicles. These systems are compact and inexpensive and can provide measures of particle size and volatility. These systems can be directly compared to conventional monitoring methods.  The REU student will conduct initial studies using a Fisher-Topsch biofuel produced by a local company in Potsdam, NY. The emissions will be compared to the Tier II low sulfur diesel fuel now used to fuel light and heavy duty diesel vehicles.

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Measurement of mercury deposition to lakes and rivers
Mentor: Dr. Thomas Holsen
Department: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Code: rp2008011

Dr. Holsen has been investigating the sources and fate of pollutants emitted to the atmosphere for more than 10 years. Many of his projects – funded by Federal and State Agencies – investigate where pollutants in the atmosphere originate and once emitted into the atmosphere how they enter large water bodies, like the Chesapeake Bay or Great Lakes, or terrestrial ecosystems. The pollutants he has investigated include heavy metals including mercury, semivolatile organic compounds (like PAHs and PCBs) and nitrogen and sulfur containing compounds. Results of this work have shown that many pollutants originate in urban areas and can travel great distances.
Human activities have resulted in substantial emissions of Hg to the atmosphere causing widespread contamination of aquatic environments, and dangerously high mercury concentrations in biota. In this project novel techniques to measure mercury in lakes and rivers will be investigated. These techniques will be used to investigate how mercury concentrations vary with time and location. It is expected that the results will: 1) provide valuable information about the new technique, 2) produce accurate measurements of mercury in water bodies, and 3) help in the understanding of the processes responsible for mercury cycling in the environment.

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Value of wetland restoration incentive programs on privately owned land for species of greatest conservation need
Mentor: Dr. Tom A. Langen
Department: Biology
Code: rp2008012

Private-landowner incentive programs that compensate farmers and other landowners for existing wetland preservation or wetland restoration have become a major conservation tool of government agencies (e.g. USFWS, USDA) and NGOs (e.g. Ducks Unlimited, Nature Conservancy) concerned with wetland loss in agricultural regions of the US. Assessments of the USFWS Partners for Fish & Wildlife Program (PFWP) and USDA NRCS Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) have indicated that these programs are generally successful at restoring and conserving high-quality habitat for wildlife. The largest program of wetland restoration in the US is ongoing in the St. Lawrence Valley of New York: since the early 1990s, USFWS PFWP has restored over 100 wetlands in Jefferson and St. Lawrence County New York, primarily on private land under easement, and NRCS WRP has restored over 100 wetlands on private land in St. Lawrence County alone. In this proposed project, REU participants will use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to select a sample of restored wetlands and matched-control natural wetlands. At each site, the student will survey some set of indicators of environmental quality (e.g. nitrate levels in water), land use around the restored wetland, and ecological community composition (e.g. amphibian community composition and abundance). The student will then evaluate whether restored wetlands are functionally similar to natural wetlands, and what influence management history of the restored wetland and time since restoration have on the wetland ecology. Based on the results of the research, the student will also suggest some management guidelines, best practices, or research directions that may improve the success of wetland restoration projects at restoring natural wetland ecological functioning.

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Democratic responses to environmental injustices
Mentor: Dr. Christopher C. Robinson
Department: Humanities and Social Sciences
Code: rp2008013

The proposed work concerns democratic responses to environmental injustices from the local – toxic waste sites located near poor, underrepresented neighborhoods – to the global (climate change, etc.). In particular, the student will focus on a specific brand of democratic response called “restorative justice.”  Restorative Justice has emerged as an orientation to and set of procedures for political communities that have undergone the trauma of apartheid, genocide, and/or war crimes. Truth and Reconciliation Commissions in South Africa, Argentina, Bosnia, El Salvador, and Rwanda are prime examples of restorative justice in action. The goal of these commissions is to give those victimized by inhumanity an opportunity to face the perpetrators of these crimes and testify on the effects the crimes have had on their lives and on the lives of family members. Perpetrators must face those they victimized, recount their crimes, and ask for forgiveness.  Retribution is not part of the definition of justice at work here. Rather, the goal is to restore the underlying relations of trust supporting any human community and healthy human life. The REU student will select a case study to investigate local attempts to apply restorative justice to an instance of environmental injustices. Our tendency is to see environmental problem-solving as largely a scientific and technological enterprise. Implicit in notions of sustainability and restorative justice is a shared concern for what we owe future generations. This kind of moral and political thinking gives way to a deeper comprehension that justice can be achieved only by altering fundamentally the way we live, consume, and respond to the plight of others (including non-humans).  While our research will begin with local applications of restorative justice to environmental crises, these applications will eventually be woven into a wider political and legal vision.

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Phytoplankton community development in the St. Lawrence River
Mentor: Dr. Michael Twiss
Department: Biology
Code: rp2008014

The field of focus for this project will be natural and human-influenced environmental gradients in the International Section of the St. Lawrence River (from is headwaters at Cape Vincent on the shore of Lake Ontario to the Moses-Saunders Power Dam at Massena, New York).  Due to the enormous volume of water that passes through the St. Lawrence River (8,000 m3/s), the water in the center of the river strongly represents the chemistry of the headwaters (Lake Ontario) whereas nearer to shore the water is influenced by the tributary rivers.  One interesting feature of large rivers flowing from lakes or reservoirs is the decrease in phytoplankton relative to the headwater.  Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain this observation, viz. increased contact with surfaces in turbulent water, and increased UV radiation exposure, to name a few.  In contrast, increases in phytoplankton are detectable downstream from point sources of nutrient input into the river. Students will examine natural and human-induced gradients in phytoplankton community composition and health, in addition to water quality, in the International Section of the St. Lawrence River.  Access to the river is made possible onboard the 25’ R/V Lavinia, the primary research vessel of the Great Rivers Center at Clarkson University. Wide arrays of sophisticated and classical sampling methods are available for use, e.g. FluoroProbe (in situ pigment-specific fluorometer), submersible multi-sensor probe (conductivity-temperature-depth-dissolved oxygen), FRRF (Fast Repetition Rate Fluorometer), water sampling bottles, plankton nets, sediment dredges, submersible light meters, navigational software, and GIS mapping software. The objective of the research will be to determine the cause of decreases and changes in phytoplankton populations from Lake Ontario through the 170 km stretch of the International Section of the St. Lawrence River.  Students will obtain expertise in limnological techniques using advanced analytical equipment and contribute to advancing our understanding of ecological processes and how thy are affected by human activity in a globally significant major river.

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Lifecycle assessment of agriculturally-derived biomass energy production
Mentor: Dr. Susan Powers
Department: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Code: rp2008015

Biomass fuels for transportation or power can consist of either dedicated crops (e.g., corn, poplar trees) or waste feedstocks (e.g., corn stover, paper pulp etc.). Regardless of their origin, the conversion of these feedstocks to power or transportation fuels can help our nation reduce our dependence on foreign oil and reduce emission of greenhouse gases and other air and water emissions. The production and harvest of dedicated biomass crops can, however, negatively impact the air, soil and water resources in the farming community. Alternatively, the utilization of waste materials reduces these detrimental affects and provides an additional benefit by reducing our overall solid waste generation. The objective of this research project is to begin to quantify air, water and waste emissions for a dedicated feedstock versus an agricultural waste material to identify the benefits of utilizing waste biomass resources to exploit their energy content. Lifecycle assessment approaches will be employed including literature review, data/parameter acquisition from internet resources, and worksheet-based mass balance and flow modeling. The student project will conclude with direct comparison among feedstocks and reflection on the implications of these research results relative to current federal policies.

Bio-Environmental Strategies for Mitigating Liquefaction Potential of Large Deposits of Saturated Granular Soils

Mentor: Kerop D. Janoyan, Ph.D., P.E.
Department: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Code: rp2008016

Proposed in this study is the use of bio-organisms to help reduce the potential for liquefaction triggering in soils – either by increasing the soils initial strength or reducing the pore water levels.  The soil strengthening can be achieved through two scenarios, either by increasing the inter-particle forces in the sand through use of biofilms (or other organisms) or reinforcing the sand structure through use of "stranded" bio-organisms.

The hypothesis is studied through lab-scale testing of the biologically enhanced soils which are produced in a specially designed soil container under well-controlled physical and environmental boundary conditions.  Mechanical properties of the soil are measured through lab testing of soil specimens taken from the container as well as in-place testing of the soil in the container using miniature cone penetration testing.  This research examines the effectiveness of the bio-organisms over various lengths of time and considerations are made for the cultivating, life expectancy, reproduction, and food source of the organism in addition to the deployment of both organism and food source into in-situ conditions. 

An Environmental Information System for Hypoxia in Corpus Christi Bay: A WATERS Network Testbed

Mentor: Temitope "Tope" Ojo, Ph.D.
Department: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Code: rp2008017

Hypoxia is the occurrence of low levels of dissolved oxygen in surface waters and these events are by nature episodic in both time and space. For us to be able to capture these events we monitor continuously, using fixed deployment platforms and synchronically, using mobile undulating platforms equipped with in situ sensors. We telemeter the data from these platforms through our sensor network for archival in a database along with other data. We are developing real-time data-driven models that take these measurements as input in an adaptive sampling framework that will allow better characterization of the nature and extent of these episodic events. For this application, fast responding in situ sensors are needed to profile the water column at sufficient spatial-temporal resolution. We require new sensor types in this framework and are developing web-enabled sensors using low-power microcontrollers (MCU) with Ethernet LAN interface.

The student will investigate optical probes (fluorescence, absorbance, near-IR, UV-VIS spectroscopy); develop sensing elements and deployment schemes; interface sensing element to analog-digital converter on an MCU with embedded Webserver for configuring instrument and direct data readout to the Internet. Real-time measurements of constituent of interest in a waterbody will be demonstrated on project completion. The student will have the opportunity to deploy the sensor in the field in our testbed and take in situ measurements, transmitting the data by wireless Ethernet to the Internet, host computer or database.     

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