Luke's Individual Contribution Page

Fall 2013 Contributions

• Aided in the construction and testing of the five new reactors
• Developed a model of particle and biofilm growth in the reactor and its effect on fluidization and settling velocities
• Gained knowledge in measurement techniques such as gas chromatography and COD array
• Collected daily samples of liquid influent and effluent streams and biogas.
• Inoculated and helped in the upkeep of 6 reactors
• Tested the the reactors for liquid and gas leaks
• Collected and analyzed methane sampling data

Spring 2014 Contributions

• Investigated the issues with the current reactor design associated with flow blockage, gas leakage, and low overall COD removal rates
  • In hopes of alleviating some of these issues, we are scaling up our reactors by constructing one with a larger inner diameter.
• Designed and constructed new larger reactor with a larger diameter
• Investigated the value of adding a heating element to reactors to achieve higher microbial activity

Summer 2014 Contributions

• Aided the design efforts of the laminar tube flocculator and the turbulent tube flocculator