We have developed several design projects that emphasize new technology that has been developed to minimize the environmental impact of chemical manufacturing processes. The first two groups of projects focus on solvent substitution, while the third exploits some new chemistry that eliminates the need for hazardous intermediates. The last project focuses on a new wastewater treatment technology. Most of these projects would be appropriate as one-semester senior level design projects. Some of them develop both the new technology and the conventional technology so that side-by-side comparisons can be made. Professors (but not students!) can obtain process flow diagrams, written reports and, in some cases, full AspenPlus or Chemcad designs by contacting the faculty member listed with the individual project.

Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) files of some of these designs can be obtained from links on the project page. These files contain a brief process description, process flow diagrams, stream flow tables, necessary information with references, and simulation hints. In most cases, the processes are not optimized, and may contain some poor engineering choices. In other cases, key information has been omitted to permit students to optimize the process. Faculty may obtain more detailed results from the indicated contact.

1. Development of Environmentally-Friendly Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Extraction Technologies

1. Extraction of Ginger Oleoresin from Ginger Root using Supercritical Carbon Dioxide CLICK HERE
2. Decaffeination of Coffee using Supercritical Carbon Dioxide CLICK HERE
3. Soybean Oil Extraction with Carbon Dioxide CLICK HERE
4. Removal of Phenol from Wastewater using Supercritical Carbon Dioxide CLICK HERE
5. Concentration of Ethanol with Carbon Dioxide CLICK HERE
6. Dimethylformamide Manufacture from Supercritical Carbon Dioxide CLICK HERE

2. The Production of R-134a, a Refrigerant with a Lower Ozone Depleting Potential CLICK HERE

3. New Route for the Production of p-Nitroaniline CLICK HERE

4. Cleanup of an Aqueous Waste Stream

1. Supercritical Water Oxidation to Cleanup an Aqueous Waste Stream Contaminated with Phenol CLICK HERE
2. Low-Temperature Catalytic Oxidation to Cleanup an Aqueous Waste Stream Contaminated with Phenol CLICK HERE
3. Purification of Wastewater from the Microelectronics Industry CLICK HERE
4. Remediation of VOC Contaminated Groundwater CLICK HERE

5. Production of Dimethyl Carbonate using an Alternative Reaction Path CLICK HERE