Development of Novel Micro Open Parallel Plate Separator for Analytical and Preparative Applications (1 Project)
The marriage of separation science and MEMS technology offers exciting possibilities for the future. A good example is chemical sensing in gases and liquids. The lack of small, reliable, inexpensive, rapid response chemical sensing devices has had profound implications in medical diagnostics, environmental monitoring, and chemical process control. The traditional approach has been to develop highly selective sensors. While this approach has had some notable successes, it has also been plagued with a variety of difficulties, primarily related to the development of suitably selective sensors for the enormous variety of problems faced. Recently, a new approach, enabled by recent developments in MEMS technology, has been adapted. This approach uses laboratory-scale analytical devices as paradigms, and recognizes that fundamental to the ability of many of these devices (such as chromatographs and electrophoresis systems) to deal with a wide range of analytical (chemical sensing) problems is that separation is achieved prior to detection; this essentially eliminates the need for highly specific detection. The challenge in implementing this approach is to adapt, through miniaturization and redesign, components of bench-scale systems to produce devices of suitable size and performance for practical applications.
Gas-phase
chelating sorbents for the removal of mercury from flue gases emitted from
coal-fired power plants are being developed. The overall objective is to
synthesize a versatile sorbent suitable for implementation in either fixed-bed
contactors, membrane electrostatic precipitators or baghouse filters. The
research is based on a novel concept that will exploit chelation
for the removal of mercury directly from the gas phase.
Chelating sorbents are currently limited to the removal of mercury from liquid
(aqueous) phases. It is anticipated
that this research will lead to novel high capacity, high efficiency mercury
capture technology.
Ohio Coal Development Office
National Science Foundation
Kang, Q., N.C. Golubovic, N.G. Pinto and H.T. Henderson, A Novel Integrated Micro Ion-Exchange Separator and Detector on a Silicon Wafer, Chem. Eng. Sci., 56 3409 (2001).
Thrash, M. and N.G. Pinto, Characterization of Enthalpic Events in Overloaded Ion-Exchange Chromatography, J. of Chromatogr., 944, 61 (2002).