Cette thèse avait pour objectif de développer de nouveaux systèmes d’extraction liquide-liquide compatibles avec le procédé Prayon pour la purification de l’acide phosphorique produit par voie humide. Une étude bibliographique complète des solvants d’extraction étudiés dans la littérature pour l’extraction liquide-liquide de l’acide phosphorique nous a permis d’identifier des candidats potentiellement intéressants. Une étude approfondie des propriétés d’extraction de ces systèmes et de leur sélectivité vis-à-vis des espèces métalliques nous a finalement permis de nous focaliser par la suite sur trois solvants d’extraction : le dibutyl éther (DBE), le diisobutyl carbinol (DiBC) dilué dans le diisopropyl éther (DiPE) et la Fentamine T0810 (ATS) dilué dans le DiPE. La formulation de ces mélanges a ensuite été optimisée en veillant à étudier le comportement de ces systèmes à chaque étape du procédé d’extraction liquide-liquide, c’est à dire l’extraction, la désextraction et le lavage. Cette étude a également permis de fixer les conditions opératoires optimales, notamment le rapport des volumes des phases. Au cours de cette étude, des phénomènes complexes de transitions de phases réversibles de la phase organique de monophasique vers biphasique (formation de troisième phase) et biphasique vers monophasique (retour à une phase organique unique) ont été mis en évidences expérimentalement. Pour finir, un modèle physicochimique d’extraction fondé sur des bilans de masse a été développé. Ce modèle s’avère très utile pour décrire l’extraction de l’acide phosphorique et de l’eau et la variation des volumes des phases au cours de l’extraction. / This PhD thesis was focused on the development of new extraction systems to purify phosphoric acid from wet phosphoric acid (WPA). The new system should be respectful of the current Prayon’s process flowsheet designed for the use of the mixture tri-n-butyl phosphate(TBP) and diisopropyl ether (DiPE) as extraction solvent. Firstly, extractants exhibiting different structures and functional groups were screened in order to assess their efficiency and selectivity towards phosphoric acid. Three new promising extraction systems were identified: diisobutyl ether (DBE), diisocarbinol (DiBC) in DiPE, and Fentamine T0810 (ATS) in DiPE. Secondly, our effort was directed to the comprehension of the physico-chemical phenomena involved in the extraction of phosphoric acid by the mixture TBP/DiPE at first, and enriched to describe the other systems studied later. Finally, a simulation model describing the solvent extraction of phosphoric acid by the solvent currently employed by Prayon is presented. This model accounts for the significant volume variation during the extraction of phosphoric acid and allows performing optimizations of extraction parameters even at very high phosphoric acid concentrations (6-14M).

Orientador: Maria Angela de Almeida Meireles / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia de Alimentos / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-22T03:30:32Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Cavalcanti_RodrigoNunes_D.pdf: 5256950 bytes, checksum: 08795bef1266bd8fc10cd8e88b7a19ca (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013 / Resumo: Atualmente, o conhecimento científico sobre a utilização de produtos naturais com propriedades funcionais, a exigência do consumidor quanto à qualidade dos alimentos, bem como ações legislativas para redução do uso de corantes sintetizados quimicamente têm propiciado o aumento da utilização de corantes naturais. Dentre estes, as antocianinas constituem pigmentos aquosolúveis responsáveis pelas principais cores encontradas na natureza, podendo variar desde o laranja, vermelho, violeta até o azul. Antocianinas são moléculas polares derivadas do cátion flavilion (C6-C3-C6) constituindo um importante subgrupo dos flavonóides. As principais propriedades biológicas atribuídas às antocianinas são atividade: antiinflamatória, anticarcinogênica e antioxidante. Diversos métodos de extração têm sido utilizados na obtenção de antocianinas. A extração supercrítica apresenta vantagens consideráveis sobre os métodos convencionais: o solvente é facilmente removido do soluto; utiliza pouco ou nenhum solvente orgânico; possibilita uma rápida extração; e, por fim, opera a baixas temperaturas favorecendo a extração de produtos voláteis e termolábeis. Este trabalho visou estudar o processo de extração supercrítica de antocianinas otimizando as diversas etapas do processo através de ensaios experimentais, simulação e comparação com outro(s) método(s) de extração. Inicialmente fez-se a caracterização da matéria-prima a qual apresentou altos teores de proteínas, carboidratos e fibras. As extrações via extração com fluido supercrítico (SFE ¿ supercritical fluid extraction) e extração com líquido pressurizado (PLE ¿ pressurized liquid extraction) utilizaram etanol, isopropanol e água como co-solvente e solvente, respectivamente. A composição dos extratos foi avaliada por espectrofotometria apresentando altos teores de fenólicos, flavonóides, antocianinas e atividade antioxidante em relação aos dados da literatura. Os melhores rendimentos de compostos fenólicos, flavonóides e atividade antioxidante foram obtidos por SFE utilizando co-solventes alcoóis. Já com relação ao teor de antocianinas houve pouca diferença entre os métodos PLE e SFE os quais atingiram melhores resultados utilizando água e alcoóis como solvente e co-solventes, respectivamente. De acordo com os resultados de tempo de retorno e custo de manufatura ambos os métodos de extração foram economicamente viáveis para a produção de extrato bruto de subproduto de jabuticaba. Os menores custos foram obtidos nas condições que apresentaram maior rendimento de extração e nas células extratoras de maior capacidade volumétrica. O estudo dos parâmetros cinéticos indicam que os melhores resultados foram obtidos utilizando alta vazão de solvente para ambos os processos SFE e PLE / Abstract: Currently, scientific knowledge about the use of natural products with functional properties, the consumer demand for quality food, as well as legislative action to reduce the use of chemically synthesized colorants have prompted an increasing use of natural colorants. Among these, anthocyanin are water-soluble pigments responsible for main colors found in nature ranging from orange, through red and violet to blue. Anthocyanins are polar molecules derived from the flavilium cation (C6-C3-C6) constituting an important subgroup of flavonoids. The main biological properties of anthocyanins are activity: anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic and antioxidant. Several extraction methods have been used to obtain anthocyanins. Supercritical fluid extraction has considerable advantages over conventional methods: the solvent is easily removed from the solute; uses little or no organic solvent, enables a rapid extraction and, finally, operates at low temperatures favoring the extraction of volatile and thermolabile compounds. This work aims to study the process of supercritical extraction of anthocyanins optimizing the various steps of the process through experimental testing, simulation and comparison with other(s) extraction method(s). Initially it was made the characterization of raw material which showed high levels of protein, carbohydrates and fiber. The extractions were carried out via SFE and PLE using ethanol, isopropanol and water as co-solvent and solvent, respectively. The extracts composition was evaluated by spectrophotometry showing high levels of phenolics, flavonoids, anthocyanins and antioxidant activity (%AA) with respect to the literature data. The highest phenolics and flavonoids content and %AA were obtained by SFE using alcohols as co-solvent. On the other hand, anthocyanins content achieve the best results using water and alcohols as a solvent and co-solvents, respectively. According to payback time and cost of manufacturing results both extraction methods were economic feasible to the production of crude extract from jabuticaba byproduct. The higher the extraction yield and extraction vessel capacity the lower the cost of manufacturing. The study of the kinetic parameters shows the best results were achieved at higher solvent mass flow for both extraction methods / Doutorado / Doutor em Engenharia de Alimentos

Orientador: Roberta Ceriani / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Química / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-27T08:35:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Homrich_PerciOdilonBonetti_M.pdf: 5015007 bytes, checksum: f5fb89127af3308329cf79ba684bb5c2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015 / Resumo: O girassol é a oleaginosa que se apresenta em quarto lugar em relação à produtividade agrícola destinada à obtenção de óleos e possui vantagens por apresentar uma grande quantidade de ácido linoléico (ácido graxo polinsaturado) e compostos nutracêuticos, trazendo benefícios à saúde humana. O óleo de semente de girassol deve passar pelo processo de refino químico para remover a acidez e compostos minoritários para que se torne comestível. O processo de refino químico consiste, basicamente, de quatro etapas: degomagem, desacidificação, branqueamento e desodorização. A etapa de desodorização remove compostos odoríferos (principalmente aldeídos) formados pela oxidação do óleo, além de contaminantes, como pesticidas, por esgotamento com vapor de arraste sob altas temperaturas (até 265 °C) e alto vácuo. Essas condições drásticas de processamento causam a degradação e a volatilização de compostos nutracêuticos (principalmente antioxidantes), além de reações de oxidação e isomerização cis-trans de ácidos graxos insaturados. Neste contexto, este trabalho investigou a possibilidade de pré-tratar o óleo de girassol com solvente, removendo os odores do óleo bruto por extração líquido-líquido, o que possibilitaria uma posterior etapa de desodorização com condições operacionais mais brandas. Para isso, os dados de equilíbrio líquido-líquido para sistemas modelos compostos por óleo de semente de girassol + aldeídos + etanol anidro a 25 ºC foram experimentalmente determinados, sendo os sistemas quantificados por três métodos distintos. A partir dos dados obtidos, os parâmetros coeficiente de distribuição e seletividade do solvente indicaram que a extração dos aldeídos com solvente foi satisfatória, e a correlação dos dados pelos modelos termodinâmicos NRTL e UNIQUAC indicou que o NRTL correlacionou de forma mais fidedigna os resultados, apresentando um desvio global que variou entre 0,4447 e 0,7203 % / Abstract: Sunflower seed oil is the oilseed that represents the fourth major agricultural productivity destined to obtaining refined oils, possessing some advantages due to its high quantity of linoleic acid (polyunsaturated fatty acid) and nutraceutical compounds, promoting benefits to human health. In order to become edible, sunflower oil must be chemically refined for removing free fatty acids and minority compounds. Basically, chemical refining consists of four steps: degumming, deacidification, bleaching and deodorization. The deodorization step removes odoriferous compounds (mainly aldehydes), formed by the oil oxidation reaction, in addition to contaminants, such as pesticides, by a steam stripping under high temperatures (up to 265 °C) and very low pressures. These drastic process conditions result in the degradation and volatilization of nutraceutical compounds (mainly antioxidants), and favor the occurrence of oxidation and cis-trans isomerization reactions of the unsaturated fatty acids. In this context, this work investigated the possibility to pre-treat the sunflower oil with a solvent, removing the crude oil odors by liquid-liquid extraction, which would enable a posterior deodorization stage with milder operational conditions. To achieve this purpose, the liquid-liquid equilibrium data for model systems composed by sunflower seed oil + aldehydes + anhydrous ethanol at 25 °C were experimentally determined and the systems were quantified using three different methods. From the experimental data obtained, the distribution coefficient and the solvent selectivity parameters indicated that aldehydes extraction using ethanol as solvent was satisfactory, and the data correlation done by the thermodynamics methods NRTL and UNIQUAC showed that the NRTL model faithfully correlated the experimental data, presenting a global deviation that varied between 0.4447 and 0.7203 % / Mestrado / Engenharia Química / Mestre em Engenharia Química

This diploma thesis deals with application of pressurized liquid extraction (PFE) on grape skins of Vitis vinifera cultivars Alibernet and Svatovavřinecké to gain extraction of anthocyanin pigments in the form of 3-monoglucosides. This thesis deals with comparison efficiency pressurized liquid extraction (PFE) for the range temperatures 40–120 °C and the Soxhlet extraction with four extraction solvents. The identification of the anthocyanin pigments by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (HPLC/DAD) based on Synergi C12 column separation (Phenomenex) was performed. The anthocyanin pigments were identified at wavelength 520 nm. The complete amount of anthocyanin pigments grape skins was depended on the extraction solvent and temperature in range 0,38–244,06 mg/g for cultivar Alibernet and 0,28–105,01 mg/g for cultivar Svatovavřinecké. The contents of anthocyanin pigments was determined in the samples of wine both cultivars in the range 3,83–2836,84 mg/l too. PFE followed by HPLC/DAD employing Synergi C12 column provides relatively fast, quantitative and reproducible determination of anthocyanins in grape skins and wines.

Ces travaux de thèse, effectués dans le cadre des études sur le retraitement des combustibles nucléaires usés par extraction liquide-liquide, concernent l’évaluation des performances d’extraction d’une nouvelle famille de molécules : les carbamides (R1R2NC(O)NR3R4). Cette famille peu étudiée jusqu’à maintenant apparait comme pertinente pour la séparation chimique de l’uranium et du plutonium à partir d’une solution d’acide nitrique concentrée. Le procédé envisagé permettrait une co extraction de l’uranium et du plutonium à forte concentration d'acide nitrique (4 mol.L 1) ainsi qu’une séparation de ces deux éléments à plus faible concentration d'acide nitrique (0,5 mol.L-1) sans avoir recours à des réactions d’oxydo-réduction comme c’est le cas pour le procédé industriel PUREX actuellement mis en œuvre dans les usines de retraitement de La Hague.En vue de l’optimisation de la structure de ces nouveaux extractants, 17 carbamides ont été étudiés. L’influence de la longueur des chaînes alkyle, du nombre de substituants, du nombre et de la position de ramifications a été évaluée sur l’extraction de l’uranium et du plutonium ainsi que sur la sélectivité U/Pu. Les résultats ont montré que certains carbamides sont des extractants performants vis-à-vis de l’uranium. La présence d’un groupement –NH sur la fonction carbamide améliore l’extraction alors que l’ajout de ramifications sur les chaines alkyles diminue l’extraction ainsi que la séparation U/Pu. Des études complémentaires sur la capacité de charge et la viscosité ont permis d’optimiser la structure et de proposer des candidats répondant aux critères de développement d’un procédé.La spéciation de l’uranium et du plutonium en phase organique en fonction de divers paramètres (structure du carbamide, concentration d'acide nitrique, etc) a mis en évidence les différents complexes formés: UO2(NO3)2L2; UO2(NO3)3(HL) et {UO2(NO3)L2}(NO3)pour l’uranium et Pu(NO3)4L2 et Pu(NO3)6(HL)2 pour le plutonium. Un lien entre les différences de propriétés extractantes et la nature des complexes formés en phase organique a été mis en évidence. En particulier, un changement du mécanisme d’extraction de l’uranium est observé pour les composés portant le groupement –NH. Par ailleurs, l’augmentation de la concentration d’acide nitrique en phase aqueuse favorise fortement la formation des complexes où l’extractant est en sphère externe UO2(NO3)3(HL) et Pu(NO3)6(HL)2 en solution.Enfin la stabilité de ces extractants vis-à-vis de la radiolyse a été étudiée de manière préliminaire. / This thesis, conducted in the framework of the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuels by solvent extraction, concerns the extraction performances evaluation in view of new extractants optimization: carbamide molecules (R1R2NC(O)NR3R4). This extractant family has not attracted much attention in literature but appears as a good substitutes for the chemical separation of uranium and plutonium from an nitric acid aqueous phase. The considering process will allow to extract uranium and plutonium at high nitric acid concentration (CHNO3aq = 4 mol.L-1) and separate these two elements at lower nitric acid concentration (CHNO3aq = 0,5 mol.L-1) without redox chemistry.In these conditions, 17 carbamide extractants were studied to observe the influence of alkyl chains length, substituent number, position and number of (2-ethylhexyl) ramifications on the uranium and plutonium extraction and on the U/Pu selectivity. Results indicate a high uranium extraction by carbamide molecules. Moreover, substituent number have a high influence on the cations extraction whose distribution ratio highly increase with the –NH group presence on the carbamide function. On the other hand, ramifications addition decrease the extraction and the U/Pu separation with the decreasing of distribution ratios. Additional studies on loading capacity and viscosity measurements allow to optimize the structure and some good analogs are proposed to process development.The uranium and plutonium speciation in organic phase as a function of experimental conditions (carbamide structure, nitric acid concentration, etc) allow to highlight formed complexes: UO2(NO3)2L2; UO2(NO3)3(HL) and {UO2(NO3)L2}(NO3) for uranium and Pu(NO3)4L2 and Pu(NO3)6(HL)2 for plutonium. The relation between extracting properties and formed complexes in organic phase has been made. In particular, modification of the uranium extraction mechanism is observed for the compounds containing –NH group. Moreover, the increase of aqueous nitric acid concentration have a favorable effect on the formation of outer sphere complexes UO2(NO3)3(HL) and Pu(NO3)6(HL)2.Then extractant stability of extractant regarding γ radiolysis have also been studied

Despite efforts to control synthetic cannabinoids, clandestine manufacturers continue to modify their structures to avoid legal consequences, creating an ever-changing analytical target for forensic laboratories (1). Forensic toxicology laboratories often lack the needed resources or do not have the capabilities to test for these compounds and metabolites, requiring specimens to be submitted to reference laboratories (2). Drug stability can be affected by long storage times, temperature and preservatives (3). Although these factors can be controlled, systematic research is necessary to identify their impacts on the stability of these new synthetic cannabinoids that are continually emerging. The purpose of this research is to assess the stability of 17 synthetic cannabinoids in human whole blood and 10 synthetic cannabinoid metabolites in human urine using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) over thirty-five weeks. The analysis methods were validated in accordance to the Academy Standards Board (ASB) method validation guidelines for quantitative analysis and stability evaluation of the following analytes in blood: 4-cyano CUMYL-BUTINACA, ADB-PINACA, EMB-FUBINACA, JWH-250, MO-CHMINACA, 5-fluoro-3,5-ABPFUPPYCA, 5-fluoro ADB-PINACA, APP-PICA, CUMYL-THPINACA, PB-22, XLR11, 5-fluoro PY-PINACA, MDMB-FUBICA, MEP-CHMICA, NM2201, RCS-8, and UR144. The stability analysis in urine includes the following metabolites: 5-fluoro MDMB-PICA metabolite 7, 5-fluoro PB-22 3-carboxyindole, AB-FUBINACA metabolite 3, ADB-PINACA N-(4-hydroxypentyl), ADB-PINACA pentanoic acid, UR-144 Degradant N-pentanoic acid, PB-22 N-(5-hydroxypentyl), MDMB-FUBICA metabolite 3, UR-144 N-(5-hydroxypentyl), and JWH-250 N-pentanoic acid. Research samples were prepared by spiking with certified reference standards (Cayman Chemical, Ann Arbor, MI, USA) of each select synthetic cannabinoid in certified drug-free human whole blood (Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA; Biological Specialty Corporation, Colmar, PA) and drug-free urine that was received as donations following the approved Institutional Review Board guidelines (Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA). Blood samples were aliquoted into 6 mL BD Vacutainer Plastic Collection Tubes (Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA) and urine samples were stored in 15 mL Falcon Conical Centrifuge Tubes (Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA). Stability under room temperature (20ºC), refrigerator (4ºC), and freezer (-20ºC) at low and high concentrations were evaluated at select time points. A 5% solution of potassium oxalate and sodium fluoride or ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) was added to the preserved blood samples by the manufacturer prior to storage. The anticoagulant, potassium oxalate, was only added in solution to the preserved samples whereas none was added to the nonpreserved samples. Short-term urine samples were preserved with 1% of sodium fluoride prior to storage. Extraction of analytes was conducted using supported-liquid extraction (SLE) ISOLUTE 1 mL cartridges (Biotage, Charlotte, NC, USA) and reconstituted in 100 μL of 50:50 mixture of 0.1% formic acid in millipore deionized water and 0.1% formic acid in acetonitrile (Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA). Analysis was performed in triplicate using a reverse-phase C18 column (Waters XBridge C18 3.5 μM, 2.1 x 50 mm, Milford, MA, USA) on the Shimadzu Prominence Ultra-Fast Liquid Chromatography (UFLC, Kyoto, Japan) with SCIEX 4000 Q-Trap Electrospray Ionization Tandem Mass Spectrometry (ESI/MS/MS, Waltham, MA, USA) in positive ionization mode. The total run time was 8 minutes with a flow rate of 0.6 mL/min and injection volume of 10 μL. Linear calibration curves for each analyte with the exception of a quadratic regression for PB-22, all had acceptable R2 values > 0.99 using a weighting factor of 1/x. A linear dynamic range of 0.5 – 25 ng/mL was used for all analytes in blood except for NM2201 and APP-PICA with a limit of quantitation (LOQ) of 0.1 ng/mL and MO-CHMINACA with a working range of 0.5 – 15 ng/mL. A linear working range of 5 – 40 ng/mL was utilized for all metabolites in urine. No signs of carryover were observed. In general, analytes were considered stable if the average area ratio between the analyte and internal standard at the time point was within ± 20% of the average area ratio response at time point zero. In some cases, it was necessary to evaluate the complete picture of the stability data by reviewing analyte area, concentration, and overall stability data trend between timepoints at the low and high concentrations. In certain situations, an analyte was considered stable even if specific timepoints for a concentration were outside the ±20% range. For example, in cases where one concentration at a timepoint was within the ±20% range and the other concentration fell within ±30% range the analyte was considered stable overall. Long-term stability results revealed that all synthetic cannabinoids were stable at 21 to 35 weeks in frozen blood preserved with sodium fluoride except for APP-PICA. The preservatives are recommended to be added to blood to reduce the possibility of matrix inferences and minimize detrimental impacts on the stability of synthetic cannabinoids. Analytes experienced lower degradation in the order of samples that were kept frozen, refrigerated, and then at room temperature. Blood analytes that were stable up to 35 weeks in freezer generally had a core structure of a carbonyl substituent on a pyrazole or pyrrole with surrounding nonpolar groups; whereas compounds with two polar carbonyl functional groups present were found to experience degradation much earlier at 1 week or less in room temperature and refrigerator storage conditions. 5-fluoropentyl analogs, like XLR11 and 5-fluoro ADB-PINACA, in comparison to their counterpart analyte, UR144 and ADB-PINACA, were unstable at earlier time points under all storage conditions. Instability in the majority of the urine metabolites was not observed until after 9 weeks and was generally consistent across all storage conditions. The validated methods demonstrate a sensitive and reliable way to positively identify 17 different synthetic cannabinoids in human whole blood and 10 synthetic cannabinoid metabolites in urine for rapid time stability analysis at various storage conditions. The use of SLE improved sample preparation efficiency by decreasing the extraction time from 1 hour to 30 minutes compared to traditional extraction methods, such as solid-phase extraction (SPE) and liquid-liquid extraction (LLE). Further studies into additional matrices, such as oral fluid, longer storage times, and other emerging synthetic cannabinoid analytes would expand the scope of this research.

In this project, the optimization of obtaining adsorption isotherms for the ion pair reagent, tributylamine was tested. The goal was to have a better understanding of the chromatographic process when separating biomolecules, such as oligonucleotides. To do this one ion pair reagent was tested in different buffers with different compositions of acetonitrile. These solutions adsorbed into a C18 column at different temperatures and stripped into fractions of 35 mL. To analyze the results Liquid-liquid extraction was performed on the fractions and the organic phase was then injected into a gas chromatography. The results showed that at a temperature of 24°C the ion pair reagent adsorbed more to the column than at 37°C and 50°C. For the different compositions of acetonitrile buffers which were tested the one that stood out was the 50% acetonitrile buffert. At all temperature it showed to always be able to adsorb more to the column than the other buffers. To calculate the concentrations of the analytes, standard curves for both tributylamine and dibutylamine were made. For dibutylamine, four unknown samples were provided to test out if the methods could be used to determine the concentrations of dibutylamine in the samples. The methods for acquiring adsorption isotherms and analyzing samples with the gas chromatography showed good results and could be used for more studies. However, to validate the results of the 50% acetonitrile buffer, more work in the future is required.

MnO2 continues to gain traction in the research and development of advanced supercapacitor materials due to its arsenal of advantages, such as high capacitance, low cost, natural abundance, and environmental benignity. However, its low conductivity has hindered its adoption into real-life applications. Compositing MnO2 with conductive additives has proved to be a promising route for the improvement of its power-energy characteristics. Four novel colloidal techniques were developed for the synthesis of MnO2-CNT composites with enhanced performance at high active mass loading. One strategy utilized a Schiff-based linkage of dispersants such as 3,4-Dihydroxybenzaldehyde (DHB) and Toluidine Blue O (TDB) to effectively mix and disperse MnO2 and CNT. Secondly, a co-dispersion technique was also investigated using Gallocyanine to improve dispersion and mixing of MnO2 and MWCNT. Third, a novel liquid-liquid extraction technique opened new avenues in agglomerate-free processing of individual components, which allowed enhanced electrode performance. Lastly, a morphology-modification strategy was also undertaken by synthesizing MnO2 nanorods with the use of advanced organic dispersants to control the aspect ratio and composite nanorods with MWCNT. The second major material investigated was polypyrrole (PPy), a polymer material with high conductivity, ease of synthesis, low-cost, and non-toxicity. However, its low cyclic stability was prevented it from being applied for real-world applications. Certain anionic and aromatic dopants have shown to improve the conductivity and cyclic stability. Therefore, one of the investigations in this work attempted to improve the performance of PPy-CNT composites by use of a novel anionic dopant, Sunset Yellow (SY). For all investigations electrodes with high mass loadings were produced to achieve high areal capacitance, thus ensuring the practicality of the techniques / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc) / Supercapacitors (SCs) and batteries are both electrochemical energy storage devices. While batteries excel at storing energy in high volumes, supercapacitors excel in charging (and discharging) at extremely high rates. It is desirable to obtain the best of both worlds in a single device; high energy volume and fast charging speeds. Although such a feat is not out of the realm of theoretical possibility, current projections forecast supercapacitors to compliment battery technologies instead of replacing them. Nonetheless, constant progression in the field of SCs is needed to sustain and proliferate their adoption into emerging markets. Therefore, the aim of this research was to assist in the endeavours to improve current SC technologies from a materials science standpoint.

New vigorous regulations have been established for decreasing the allowable formaldehyde emissions from nonstructural wood based composites. Two main sources of formaldehyde emission in non-structural wood based composites are adhesive and wood. Adhesives are quite well known and great efforts have been conducted to decrease their formaldehyde content; however formaldehyde emission from wood has received little attention and it is not completely understood. Wood-borne formaldehyde emission exists in a complex equilibrium in wood matrix. The reaction between formaldehyde and wood hydroxyl groups/water can hinder the complete formaldehyde extraction. In order to have a complete formaldehyde extraction, a stronger nucleophile than hydroxyl and water groups is needed. In this study cross-linked poly (allylamine) (PAA) beads were synthesized and used as a strong nucleophile to extract all the biogenic and synthetic free-formaldehyde within the woody matrix of never-heated and heat-treated Virginia pines; the results were compared to simple water extraction. A new formaldehyde capturing device was also developed using a serum bottle. Results showed that there was no advantage of using PAA beads over simple water extraction for extracting woody matrix free-formaldehyde. This means that simple water extraction can extract all the free-formaldehyde from the woody matrix. It was also found that thermal treatment resulted in generating more wood-borne formaldehyde. The other important finding was the new developed formaldehyde capturing device. The device was very promising for detecting wood-borne formaldehyde from very small pieces of wood (5-70 mg) and can be very useful in future studies. / Master of Science

Yes / The extraction of bioactive compounds, produced by plant cell cultures, directly from their culture medium, which contains other by-products, is a great challenge. Resveratrol extraction from its grapevine cell cultures is considered here as an example to improve the extraction processes from plant cell cultures using solubility parameters. Successive liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) processes were exploited to extract resveratrol from the culture medium with an extraction ratio approaching 100%, high selectivity and minimum amounts of solvents. The calculations of partition coefficients as a function of solubility parameters demonstrated that benzyl benzoate is the most suitable intermediate solvent to extract resveratrol from its aqueous medium. The calculations also illustrated the high ability of methanol and ethanol to extract resveratrol from benzyl benzoate. The physicochemical properties of benzyl benzoate and processing conditions were exploited to separate it from aqueous media and organic solvents. The agitation method, component ratios and extraction time were studied to maximize the extraction yield. Under the best studied conditions, the recovery of resveratrol from different culture media approached ∼100% with a selectivity of ∼92%. Ultimately, the improved extraction processes of resveratrol are markedly efficient, selective, rapid and economical. / Mohammad Amin Mohammad gratefully acknowledges CARA (The Council for At-Risk Academics, Stephen Wordsworth and Ryan Mundy) for providing the financial support for an academic fellowship.