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Faculty Mentor:  Dr. Youneng Tang
Student:  Anne-Marie Senatus

Selenium (Se) is a nonmetal chemical element commonly found in wastewater. It is known to be highly toxic and harmful to human beings when present in large amounts. If removed or recovered correctly, it can be useful to us. It can help with the production of glass, alloys, steel, and even oil. There are several known methods used to separate selenium from wastewater for recovery. But these known methods have been proven to be expensive or harmful to the environment. This research investigates techniques for removing selenium at the lab scale.  A prototype was developed that combines three different water treatment units into one system to help separate elemental selenium, treated water, and biomass residue from each other. This system is considered to be a potentially cheaper and more sustainable way to recover selenium from wastewater, when compared to current techniques. The overall system consists of a biological reactor, a bacterium selenium nanoparticle (SeNP) separator, and a tangential flow ultrafiltration module (TFU).

Read more about Anne-Marie here.

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Using geopolymers to enhance landfill liners

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Using geopolymers to enhance landfill liners

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Mentors: Dr. Tarek Abichou and Christian Wireko (PhD candidate)
Students:  Priscilla Young, Ana Pinto & Alix Kabre

A team of civil engineering undergraduates at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering studied the use of polymer additives to enhance the behavior of bentonite-based geosynthetic clay landfill liners. The team was sponsored by FAMU-FSU Engineering professor Tarek Abichou and mentored by Ph.D. candidate Christian Wireko.  Geosynthetic clay liners are widely used as hydraulic barriers in many containment applications, including landfill liners.  The sodium bentonite in the liner swells when wet, resulting in low permeability, which protects the groundwater from contaminants in the landfill.  However, aggressive liquids, like those with high salinity or alkalinity can suppress the osmotic swelling of the bentonite and cause high permeability, allowing leachates to pass through the liner and into the underlying groundwater. The goal of the research was to find polymers that could counteract this behavior.

The team conducted various tests on ten different polymers, including both natural, synthesized natural, and synthetic polymers. Wireko guided the students in developing the test matrix and setting up the experiments.  In addition to identifying several low-cost polymers that performed well in the study, the team also developed a novel index test that is more efficient in evaluating the performance of the polymer-modified bentonite, compared to traditional swell tests.

The student team took first place in the student poster competition at the Florida Section of the Air and Waste Management Association’s 55th Annual Conference and Exhibition. The theme of the conference, held at the FSU Turnbull Center in October 2019, was Shaping the Future: Risk and Resiliency. Their winning poster was entitled “Evaluating Various Polymers as Additives in Bentonites for Aggressive Leachate Applications.”  Dr. Abichou also presented some of the research findings at the International Geosynthetic Society (IGS) Workshop on Barrier Systems in Spain.

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Effect of sharkskin-inspired patterns on aerodynamics of a cylinder

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Effect of sharkskin-inspired patterns on aerodynamics of a cylinder

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Mentors: Dr. Sungmoon Jung and Gholamreza Amirinia (PhD candidate)
Student: Larissa Ferreira

Extensive research has been previously conducted on pressure distribution of cylindrical models under uniform and laminar flow conditions. However, typical civil structures such as high-rise buildings or towers are under the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) conditions. Knowing this, the present research aims to quantify the effectiveness of surface patterns in reducing the suction zone under a simulated ABL condition. Two different surface patterns, U-grooved and V-grooved, were selected to be tested in a wind tunnel. In addition to patterned cylinders, tests were also conducted on a smooth-surfaced cylinder, serving as the control of the experiment. The patterns were inspired by sharkskin, which has arrays of grooved scales called denticles, which disrupt the formation of turbulence and cause the shark to move more aerodynamically through the water.  An array of roughness elements was placed at the upstream end of the test section with the purpose of inducing ABL winds within the test section. Without the ABL wind, the cylinder covered in V-grooved riblets was most effective in reducing the suction zone followed by the U-grooved cylinder. With the simulated ABL condition, V-grooved cylinder continued to show decreased suction although the amount of decrease was less. Both grooved cylinders showed decreased peak pressure coefficients under the ABL condition compared to the non-ABL condition.

Larissa's work was published in Structural Design of Special and Tall Buildings.

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Treating industrial wastewater containing phenol

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Treating industrial wastewater containing phenol

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Mentors: Dr. Youneng Tang and Simeng Li (Ph.D. candidate)
Students: Cale Madden (PC campus), Emma Baird, Ryan Hill, Jacob Prout and Kadeem Rowe

A team of FAMU-FSU students designed a facility to treat industrial wastewater containing phenol.  Phenolic compounds are a major concern of engineers and scientists because they persist in the environment for a long time and are toxic to humans and animals.  Some phenols occur naturally, due to the decomposition of organic material, while others are caused by the disposal of industrial and sanitary waste and through runoff from agricultural lands.

The work began as a class project, but the student team worked outside of class under the mentorship of PhD candidate Simeng Li to improve their design and hone their presentation skills.  They presented their idea at the 2017 Florida Water Resources Conference annual program in West Palm Beach, FL, sponsored by the Florida Water Environment Association.  The team won first place in the competition.  Their design had to address technical and policy constraints, while designing a cost-effective solution to the problem.  Youneng Tang, who serves faculty advisor of the student chapter and assistant professor in civil and environmental engineering, also mentored the student team.  Professional mentors included Mr. Amir Zafar and Ms. Shanin Speas-Frost, as well as Mr. Joe Cheatham, who served as utility coordinator.

The competition is one of two events held at the conference, which was sponsored by the. The competition is intended to promote real-world design experience for students interested in pursuing a career in water/wastewater engineering and sciences. Teams were evaluated by a panel of expert judges.  Scores were based on design calculations, as well as oral and written presentation skills. The team won a $1,000 Norm Casey Scholarship and a $4,250 travel allowance to move on to the national competition at the Water Environment Federation Technical Exhibition & Conference in Chicago.