Bioenergy Center Graduates and Thesis/Dissertations

Eric Appah

Ph.D.  Applied Science and Technology
Dissertation: A Novel Sensitization and Activation Technique for The Fabrication of H2-selective Pd and Pd-Ag Composite Membrane Using Surfactant Induced Electroless Plating

Mudasar Khan
M.S. Chemistry
Thesis: Methanol steam reforming on mesoporous carbon-based Cu catalyst for hydrogen production:
Effect of addition of Ce and Zn.


Micah Jasper
Ph.D. in Energy and Environmental Systems (EES),
Dissertation: Multi-objective optimization and techno-economic and environmental analysis of biomass
gasification and pathways for transportation fuel.

Nafeezuddin Mohammad
Ph.D. Nanoengineering
Dissertation: Catalyst and Microreactor Development for Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis 

2019

Robert Boyd (2019)

MS - Nano Engineering

Thesis: Bimetallic Oxide Mesoporous Catalysts for Sustainable Fuel Production in a Stainless-Steel Microchannel Reactor


Tamerick Barbour (2019)

MS - Chemistry

Thesis: Mono and Bimetallic (M: Cu & Pd) COK-19 for Methanol Steam Reforming


Abolhasan Hashemisohi (2019)

Ph.D.- Computational Science & Engineering

Dissertation: Numerical Analysis of Biomass Gasification in a Fluidized Bed Reactor: Effects of Particle Size Distribution, Mixing Dynamics, and Heat Transfer 


Alexis McGill
MS - Chemical Engineering
Thesis: Influence of Temperature on Selectivity of Polydimethylsiloxane Membrane. 


Issac Kyei
MS - Chemistry
Thesis: Syntheses of Luminescent Lanthanide (III) – Mesoporous Silica Hybrid Materials for Sensing Volatile Organic Compound.


2018

Khondker Sultana (2018)

Ph.D. - Nanoengineering

Dissertation: Catalytic Graphitization of Mesoporous Carbon by Different Transition Metal Combinations for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Electrodes


Woosley Smith (2018)

Ph.D. - Nanoengineering

Dissertation: Functional 3D Printing with Thermoplastic Nanocomposites


Emmanuel Ogbole (2018)

Ph.D. - Energy & Environmental Systems

Dissertation: Developing High Performing Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) Nanocomposite Membranes for Oxygen-Enriched Air Production and Natural Gas Purification


Eric Ntow (2018)

MS - Chemistry

Thesis: Bimetallic Ni-Cr Encapsulated in CeO2 Modified SBA-15 for Hydrogen Production via Glycerol Steam Reforming


Tayyiaba Choudry (2018)

MS - Chemical Engineering

Thesis: Performance of Pd-Ag H2-selective membrane fabricated by surfactant induced electroless plating via a novel substrate surface sensitization and activation technique.


2017

Michael Taft (2017)

MS - Chemical Engineering

Thesis: DFT Studies of Adsorption of Cu7-atom Nanoclusters on TiO2 Surfaces and
Applications to Methanol Steam Reforming Reactions


Beatrice Muriungi (2017)

MS – Chemical Engineering

Thesis: Chemical Looping Gasification of biomass using calcium ferrite and copper ferrite bimetallic 
oxides


Emmanuel Ansah (2017)

Ph.D. – EES

Dissertation: Experimental and Process Modeling of pyrolysis of biomass to fuels and chemicals


Shobha Mantripragada (2017)

MS- Chemical Engineering

Thesis: Graphene Oxide Polybenzimidazole/Nanocomposite Membrane for High Temperature PEM Fuel Cell Application”


Matthew Lopez (2017)

PSM: Chemistry

Thesis: Analysis of condensates from steam reforming of glycerol to produce hydrogen over metal catalysts in mesoporous silica


2016

Nana Abayie Boakye-Boaten (2016)

Ph.D. - Energy & Environmental Systems

Dissertation: Sustainable Production of Bioproducts from giant Miscanthus: A Biorefinery Approach


Eboni Hobley (2016)

MS - Chemical Engineering

Thesis: Molecular Dynamic Simulations for Equilibrium Properties of Iα and Iβ Cellulose


Talal Ahmed (2016)

Ph.D. - Nanoengineering

Dissertation: An Experimental Study of Newly Developed Nickel Supported Catalysts for
Reduction of Biomass-Based Tar to Produce Hydrogen-Rich Synthesis Gas from
Biomass Gasification


John Eshun (2016)

Ph.D. - Energy & Environmental Systems

Dissertation: Investigation of the Physicochemical Evolution and Reaction Kinetics
during Biomass Pyrolysis and Gasification


Vicki Smith Foust (2016)

Ph.D. – Energy and Environmental Systems

Dissertation: An Analysis of Greenhouse-Gas Reduction Commitment, Diffusion and
Success in the Higher Education Sector


Rui Li (2016)

Ph.D. - NanoEngineering

Dissertation: Utilization of carbon derived from thermal conversion of renewable
resources for development of nano catalyst


Dereje Worku (2016)

MS - Chemical Engineering

Thesis: A Novel Method for Synthesis of OMC and M-OMC catalysts (Pt) support for
PEM Fuel Cell application


Richard Abrokwah (2016)

Ph.D. - Energy & Environmental Systems

Dissertation: Development of Mesoporous Nanocatalysts for Production of Hydrogen and Synthetic Biofuels


Mohammad Rafati (2016)

Ph.D. – Energy and Environmental Systems

Dissertation: Fisher-Tropsch Synthesis of Liquid Fuels from Biomass-Derived Syngas


2015

Tanisha D. Billups (2015)

MS – Chemical, Biological & Bioengineering

Thesis: Synthesis and Characterization of Silver Nanoparticles in Aqueous Phase

Using a Mix of Surfactants for Fabrication of H2-selective Membrane by Electroless Plating


Mensavi K. Dangbui (2015)

MS – Chemical, Biological & Bioengineering

Thesis: Development of Low Humidity High Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane for Fuel Cells


Okoli Hyacinth (2015)

MS- Chemical, Biological & Bioengineering

Thesis: Parametric Design and Testing of a Fluidized-Bed Auto-thermal Biomass gasifier


Md. Mahbubur Rahman (2015)

MS- Chemical, Biological & Bioengineering

Thesis: Fischer-Tropsch Studies in Si-Microreactor coated with TiO2 Sol-Gel Encapsulated


Emeka Paul Muonagolu (2015)

MS – Chemical, Biological & Bioengineering

Thesis: Synthesis and Development of Modified OMC Supported Platinum Electrocatalyst for PEMFC


Hla Tun (2015)

MS - Chemical, Biological & Bioengineering

Thesis: Thermal Stability of Pd-Ag Composite Membranes Fabricated by Surfactant Induced

Electroless Plating (SIEP) Method for Hydrogen Separation


William Dade (2015)

MS - Chemistry

Thesis: Catalytic Activity and Stability Enhancement by incorporating CeO2 and TiO2 in Ni/Co-MCM-41 Catalyst


Samuel Agyemang (2015)

Ph.D. – Computational Science & Engineering

Dissertation: Computational Fluid Dynamics Modeling of Biomass Gasification in a Fluidized Bed Reactor


Sara Al-Salihi (2015)

MS - Chemical, Biological & Bioengineering

Thesis: Glycerol Steam Reforming using Bimetallic Nanocatalysts in Mesoporous SBA-15 Silica


Emmanuel Ogbole (2015)

Ph.D. - Energy & Environmental Systems

Dissertation: Development of Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) mixed Matrix Membrane.


2014

Ahmed Fadel (2014)

MS - Chemical, Biological & Bioengineering

Thesis: Synthesis and characterization of Ni modified order mesoporous carbon for Polymer Electrolyte membrane fuel cell applications


Mohammed Moniruddin (2014)

MS - Chemical, Biological & Bioengineering

Thesis: Study of Pd-Ag Membranes with an Intermediate Oxide Layer Fabricated by Surfactant Induced Electroless Plating (SIEP)


Sri Lanka Owen (2014)

Ph.D. - Computational Science & Engineering

Dissertation: Mesoporous TiO2 encapsulated monometallic (Cu, Co, Ni, Pd, Sn, Zn) Nanocatalysts for steam reforming of methanol


Purnima Kharidehal (2014)

Ph.D. - Chemical, Biological & Bioengineering (LA Tech)

Dissertation: Multiscale Modeling Study of Methanol Oxidation by ION Modified MDH Enzymes


Sheena Shearin (2014)

Ph.D. - Energy & Environmental Systems

Dissertation: Computational investigation of Pd-based bi-metallic catalysts in methanol steam reforming reactions