This thesis covers the design of an automated multiunit composting system (AMUCS) that was constructed to meet the experimental apparatus requirements of the ASTM D5338 standard. The design of the AMUCS is discussed in full detail and validated with two experiments. The first experiment was used to validate the operation of the AMUCS with a 15 day experiment. During this experiment visual observations were made to visually observe degradation. Thermal properties and stability tests were performed to quantify the effects of degradation on the polymer samples, and the carbon metabolized from the degradation of samples was measured. The second experiment used the AMUCS to determine the effect of synthetic clay nanofiller on the aerobic biodegradability behavior of poly (3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate).
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:unt.edu/info:ark/67531/metadc12184 |
| Date | 12 1900 |
| Creators | Pickens, Mark Everett |
| Contributors | Vaidyanathan, Vijay, D'Souza, Nandika A., Hayes, Robert G. |
| Publisher | University of North Texas |
| Source Sets | University of North Texas |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | Text |
| Rights | Public, Copyright, Pickens, Mark Everett, Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. |
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