Honors Theses

Date of Award

2019

Document Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Department

Chemistry and Biochemistry

First Advisor

Daniell Mattern

Relational Format

Dissertation/Thesis

Abstract

Biochar has become an increasing area of research due to its reactive edges from stacks of graphene clusters. One particular area of interest in biochar is because it is a potent soil amendment which reduces soil acidity and can reduce greenhouse gas emissions from plants. Also, chemically-modified biochar is being studied as a carbon storage method to potentially mitigate climate change. In order to understand the chemistry that takes place on biochar’s reactive edges during modification, a standard is essential. This research attempted to identify an internal standard that could be added to biochar samples to quantify chemical changes by infrared spectroscopy. In a second project, model compounds were studied to help interpret the effects on biochar of ultrasound treatment, which appears to increase the percent carbon and hydrogen in biochar.

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