Committee Chair

Bathi, Jejal Reddy

Committee Member

Yang, Sungwoo; Wu, Weidong

Department

Dept. of Civil and Chemical Engineering

College

College of Engineering and Computer Science

Publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Place of Publication

Chattanooga (Tenn.)

Abstract

Despite the tremendous benefits of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs), their inevitable release into the environment may be detrimental and hence cause for concern of these emerging contaminants. In this thesis research, the fate and transport of nano-silver (n-Ag) and nano-titanium dioxide in source specific stormwater is explored, and the influence of n-Ag on the treatability of co-pollutants is examined. Through the analysis of particle size distribution, it was noticed that metallic ENPs tend to aggregate initially, while extended turbulence in the system leads to disaggregation. Stormwater samples with added ENPs exhibited larger particles than those in stormwater without added ENPs. The effects of n-Ag were explored through adsorption batch tests of different media with aqueous solution of various copper and zinc concentrations and analyzed through atomic absorption spectrophotometry. There appeared to be a slight increase in both metal removal rates when n-Ag was present, although the difference was not statistically significant.

Acknowledgments

I would like to express my deepest appreciation to my research advisor, Dr. Jejal Reddy Bathi, for recognizing my potential—even when it was difficult to discern myself—and giving me the opportunity to engage in this research, and for his continued support and guidance. He has been a constant source of encouragement, and I am grateful for his mentorship. I would also like to thank Emily Pinson for her assistance in field and laboratory testing. There were many challenges that we encountered during our time working together in the lab and I greatly appreciate the time and effort she put forth. And a special thanks to Dr. Lani Gao for helping me with the statistical analysis and to Dr. Kristopher Amrhein for providing guidance and assistance with instruments, both which were critical components in executing this research. And finally, I must express my ultimate gratitude and appreciation to my parents and to my partner. Their unwavering support and continued encouragement throughout my education and through the process of conducting research and writing this thesis was invaluable. This accomplishment would not have been possible without them. Thank you.

Degree

M. S.; A thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Science.

Date

5-2024

Subject

Metal nanoparticles--Environmental aspects; Runoff--Purification--Heavy metals removal; Urban runoff--Management

Keyword

Engineered nanoparticles; aggregation; nano-silver; nano-titanium; bioretention; stormwater runoff; metal removal

Document Type

Masters theses

DCMI Type

Text

Extent

xii, 84 leaves

Language

English

Rights

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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