I assisted Heather Lanman in her research on the efficiency of different carbon dioxide sorbents deposited on metal oxide supports. In steam reforming, the water gas shift reaction is utilized to increase hydrogen yield, and the removal of carbon dioxide is key in driving this reaction. Investigations were carried out in order to determine an optimal support in terms of carbon dioxide load capacity as well as regenerability.
I assisted in the experimental analysis and mathematical modeling of combustion and gasification processes of municipal solid waste. I performed data analysis on raw data obtained by Heidi Butterman.
I assisted Professor Jin Yuqi in his investigations of municipal solid waste gasification under different conditions, utilizing a drop-tube reactor paired with gas chromatography to analyze the products of gasification of MSW at different temperatures and in the presence of different gases.
Description of Research:
Decomposition of municipal solid waste (MSW) in landfills produces large amounts of methane and carbon dioxide, which can be utilized as a source of renewable energy on a commercial scale given appropriate conditions. The landfill gas by itself is not of high enough quality to be used as fuel because of its low energy density, but when combined with syngas (hydrogen and carbon monoxide), its performance is greatly improved. My research explores using simulated landfill gas to fuel an internal combustion engine. The fuel is combined with different ratios of syngas in order to determine which ratio provides for a better combustion performance as well as minimal emissions.
