|
Professor Van Brunt's research interests are: separations modeling and chemistry
including design of distillation, adsorption and extraction systems;
extraction chemistry for both organic and hydrometallurgical systems;
filtration; chemistry and engineering of ceramic precursors via the
sol-gel process; the development of new mathematical modeling techniques
for process thermodynamics and separations, and the analysis of process
hazards.
Recent specific research projects include the development of: a) new
extractant-diluent chemistry for acetic acid recovery from terephthalic
acid plants, b) new extractant-diluent chemistry for the separation of
cesium and strontium, c) experimental and theoretical analysis of
temperature distributions in horizontal metal hydride beds, d)
constitutive relationships for air-water downflow, e) new continuation
algorithms using differential geometry for separations, and f) the
characteristics of liquid-liquid-solid systems that have enhanced
extraction and regeneration capability.
Current active research projects include hazard analysis of hydrogen
evolution chemical processes, analysis of heat-integrated azeotropic
distillation systems, the theoretical and experimental analysis of
chemical-exchange for aqueous detritiation of groundwater, the development
of extraction chemistry for mercury and cadmium recovery from waste streams
and crossflow filtration of high activity nuclear waste simulants.
Selected Publications
Fulbright, H. H., M. L. Leaphart and V. Van
Brunt, “Extraction and Precipitation Chemistry for
Mercury Recovery from Aqueous Wastes,” Separation
Science & Technology, 32, 373-386, (1997).
Hutahaean, L., W. H. Shen and V. Van Brunt,
"Heat-Integrated Ethanol Dehydration Flowsheets",
Separation Science & Technology, 30, 1867-1882
(1995).
Noble, Jr., A., V. Van Brunt, and M. W. Davis,
"Kinetics of the Ammonia Synthesis over Fe/TiO2, Hydrazine-
Pretreated Fe/TiO2, and Hydrazine-Pretreated
Alkali-Promoted Fe/TiO2 Catalysts," J. Catal.,
127, 227-250, (1991).
Rion, W. L. and V. Van Brunt, "Differential
Geometry-Based Homotopy Continuation," Computers &
Chemical Engineering, 14, 889-900, (1990).
Deible, R. W. and V. Van Brunt, "Preliminary
Evaluation of Alternatives for Distillation for Acetic Acid
Recovery for Terephthalic Acid Flowsheets," Separation
Science & Technology, 25, 2097-2108, (1990).
|
