High solids processing of biomass slurries provides the following benefits: maximized product concentration in the fermentable sugar stream, reduced water usage, and reduced reactor size. However, high solids processing poses mixing and heat...
Enzymatic hydrolysis is the most common method of producing fermentable sugars from lignocellulosic biomass. Limitations to this step include the high cost of enzymes, and the time required to process the biomass. To increase the throughput and...
Enzymatic hydrolysis is an important, but time limiting step in the process of converting biomass into ethanol. High solids concentrations are desired in order to minimize reactor size and achieve a higher concentration of glucose in the end...
Human exposure to mercury has been shown to cause a number of adverse health outcomes, predominantly neurological effects. The developing fetus is most susceptible, and even low levels of exposure have been shown to produce nervous system deficits....
Quorum sensing (Microbiology); Cellular signal transduction; Bacterial genetics
Quorum sensing in the oral pathogen Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans is dependent upon the soluble signaling molecule AI-2, but it is not known how the initial detection of AI-2 is coupled to the downstream regulation of gene expression that...
Rising concerns about dependency on fossil fuels in the 21st century has sparked a growth in research for renewable energy sources. One renewable energy production process of interest is the reduction of cellulose into fermentable sugars by means...
Naja kaouthia is a significant species because it feeds primarily on agricultural pests, causes human mortality, and is commercially exploited. Understanding the life history and demography of harvested populations is essential to providing...
This dissertation explores the physical and biological factors that control zooplankton population growth rates in the Ohio River (USA). I employed both observational studies and a mesocosm experiment to ascertain zooplankton population and...
Aquatic ecosystems face major transformations as humans increasingly alter their environment by introducing exotic species and changing the temperature regime and nutrient availability of freshwater systems. The impacts of such alterations of...
Hematite synthesized by low pressure oxygen plasma has been shown previously to exhibit promising characteristics as a photo-anode for a photoelectrochemical water splitting cell. It is cheap, stable and has a 2.1 eV bandgap and exhibits a...
Tobacco smoke is a strong and independent risk factor for several chronic systemic diseases and also increases susceptibility to a multitude of bacterial infections, including periodontal infections. Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease...
This thesis is an examination of the viability of a low pH hydrogen peroxide scrubbing process for removing H 2 S acid gas present in typical biogas streams generated from dairy farm anaerobic digesters. Biogas ranges in composition based on the...
Rising environmental concerns due to our rising population ad energy demand along with our excessive dependence on fossil fuels has created an urgent need to find clean, renewable and carbon free source of energy. Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water...
Several technical and economic obstacles currently hamper the industrial development of ethanol from biomass. One of the key bottlenecks is the slow kinetics of the enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose, and the subsequent rate reduction as the...
This thesis is a methodological analysis of fire locations in Canadian provinces
from 2001 to 2010. The research presented in this thesis highlights the dominant fire
types for each province. Accurately locating active fires and burned area is...
Channel modification has played a vital part in shaping the rivers and streams as
they are seen today. Channel modifications range from the construction of dams and levees
for flood control purposes to channelization of an existing meandering...
At the University of Louisville, there is no continuous and dependable connection
between the needs of the community for expert help in solving practical problems and
the capabilities of the students enrolled in cumulating experience courses....
Energy independence requires that the nation reduce its dependence on foreign oil imports. This can be achieved through electrification of transportation vehicles if proper battery technology can be developed. In addition, the renewable energy...
The heat pipe augmented solar wall operates much more efficiently for domestic air heating than alternative passive solar technologies. The thermal diode effect of heat pipes reduces the insulating losses of the unit during nighttime and adverse...
Iron oxide, Fe2O3, is a promising material for water splitting reaction using solar
energy due to its stability and optimal bandgap of 2 eV. Even the recent efforts, however,
using Fe2O3 thin film materials reported low efficiencies due to poor...
