Date of Award

9-14-2017

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Department of Systems Engineering and Management

First Advisor

Willie F. Harper, Jr., PhD.

Abstract

This work examined ultraviolet (UV) light emitting diodes (LED) and hydrogen peroxide in an advanced oxidation process in support of a USAF installation net zero water initiative. A UV LED reactor was used for degradation of soluble organic chemicals. There were linear relationships between input drive current, optical output power, and first order degradation rate constants. When drive current was varied, first order degradation rates depended on chemical identities and the drive current. When molar peroxide ratios were varied, kinetic profiles revealed peroxide-limited or radical-scavenged phenomena. Molar absorptivity helped explain the complexity of chemical removal profiles. Degradation kinetics were used to compare fit of molecular descriptors from published quantitative structure property relationship (QSPR) models. A novel QSPR model was built using zero point energy and molar absorptivity as predictors. Finally, a systems architecture was used to describe a net zero water program and proposed areas for UV LED reactor integration. Facility-level wastewater treatment was found to be the most feasible near-term application.

AFIT Designator

AFIT-ENV-DS-17-S-052

DTIC Accession Number

AD1051600

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