Subject Area

Civil Engineering

Abstract

In this study, a series of graphene oxide/magnesium oxide nanocomposites (GO/MgO NCs) were synthesized and applied for the removal of Methylene Blue (MB) from aqueous solutions. The prepared NCs were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. The results showed that MgO particles were successfully layered on GO. The impacts of different experimental variables on the removal of MB including GO/MgO NCs dosage, pH, contact time, and initial MB concentration were investigated.

Thereafter, we investigate the mechanism and kinetics of ozonation processes in the presence of GO/MgO NCs as a catalyst for the degradation of phenol. The generation of reactive oxygen species such as hydroxyl radicals (•OH) and singlet oxygen (1O2) was studied during catalytic ozonation using tert-butyl alcohol and sodium azide as radical scavengers. The mechanism of phenol degradation under catalytic ozonation and reaction pathways were studied.

Finally, we study response surface methodology (RSM) coupled with a central composite design (CCD) to investigate process parameters affecting the removal of phenol in ozonation processes using GO/MgO NCs as a catalyst. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to determine the significant differences between the independent variables.

Degree Date

Fall 12-21-2019

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Department

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Advisor

Andrew N. Quicksall

Number of Pages

110

Format

.pdf

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License

Download

Share

COinS