College
Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences (BCAS)
Date of Last Revision
2023-05-03 16:47:46
Major
Chemical Engineering - Cooperative Education
Honors Course
4200 497-001
Number of Credits
2
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science
Date of Expected Graduation
Spring 2020
Abstract
It can be difficult to separate water and oil emulsions through traditional filtration. Therefore, investigations of filtering using thermo-responsive (TR) polymers, in this case poly(vinyl methyl ether) (PVME), was conducted. It’s hypothesized that below its lower critical solution temperature (LCST), PVME has an affinity for water while oil substances do not. Above the LCST the opposite will be true. To verify this hypothesis, iterations of filtration designs were created to provide optimum control over the parameters to measure flow. The final optimized experimental apparatus was a Chromaflex glass column which was air tight and controlled all parameters besides fluid flow. Using membranes and sponges, primarily thin sponge and grade 1 Whatman filter paper with various modifications, it was shown that porosity has a directly proportional effect on the volumetric flow rate. It was further shown that, after PVME modification with 3-aminopropyltriethoxy silane (APTES) as the bonding agent, room temperature water flow rate remained constant or increased while diesel flow rate decreased by at least a third. These changes in flow show that PVME has an affinity for water and not oil at room temperature. More experimentation would need to be conducted to prove the TR behavior above the LCST.
Research Sponsor
Dr. Bi-min Zhang Newby
First Reader
Dr. Edward Evans
Second Reader
Sirilak Phomrak
Honors Faculty Advisor
Dr. Bi-min Zhang Newby
Recommended Citation
Jerger, Alec, "Filtration Apparatus Design for Oil-Water Separation using Membranes and Sponges" (2020). Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects. 1140.
https://ideaexchange.uakron.edu/honors_research_projects/1140
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Included in
Materials Chemistry Commons, Membrane Science Commons, Organic Chemistry Commons, Other Chemical Engineering Commons, Polymer Chemistry Commons, Polymer Science Commons