Michigan Technological University

3 ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN JoVE

Engineering

Development of a 3D Graphene Electrode Dielectrophoretic Device

Hongyu Xie¹, Radheshyam Tewari², Hiroyuki Fukushima³, Jeffri Narendra³, Caryn Heldt¹, Julia King¹, Adrienne R. Minerick¹

¹Department of Chemical Engineering, Michigan Technological University, ²Department of Mechanical Engineering, Michigan Technological University, ³XG Sciences, Inc.

A microdevice with high throughput potential is used to demonstrate three-dimensional (3D) dielectrophoresis (DEP) with novel materials. Graphene nanoplatelet paper and double sided tape were alternately stacked; a 700 μm micro-well was drilled transverse to the layers. DEP behavior of polystyrene beads was demonstrated in the micro-well.

Environment

Ammonia Fiber Expansion (AFEX) Pretreatment of Lignocellulosic Biomass

Shishir P. S. Chundawat¹, Ramendra K. Pal¹, Chao Zhao¹, Timothy Campbell², Farzaneh Teymouri², Josh Videto², Chandra Nielson², Bradley Wieferich³, Leonardo Sousa³, Bruce E. Dale³, Venkatesh Balan⁴, Sarvada Chipkar⁵, Jacob Aguado⁵, Emily Burke⁵, Rebecca G. Ong⁵

¹Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Rutgers-State University of New Jersey, ²Michigan Biotechnology Institute (MBI), ³Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Michigan State University, ⁴Engineering Technology Department, Biotechnology Program, College of Technology, University of Houston, ⁵Department of Chemical Engineering, Michigan Technological University

Ammonia fiber expansion (AFEX) is a thermochemical pretreatment technology that can convert lignocellulosic biomass (e.g., corn stover, rice straw, and sugarcane bagasse) into a highly digestible feedstock for both biofuels and animal feed applications. Here, we describe a laboratory-scale method for conducting AFEX pretreatment on lignocellulosic biomass.

Environment

Evaluating the Impact of Hydraulic Fracturing on Streams using Microbial Molecular Signatures

Jeremy R. Chen See^1,2, Olivia Wright¹, Lavinia V. Unverdorben^1,2, Nathan Heibeck¹, Stephen M. Techtmann³, Terry C. Hazen^4,5, Regina Lamendella^1,2

¹Department of Biology, Juniata College, ²Wright Labs, LLC, ³Department of Biological Sciences, Michigan Technological University, ⁴Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, ⁵Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Tennessee

Here, we present a protocol to investigate the impacts of hydraulic fracturing on nearby streams by analyzing their water and sediment microbial communities.