{"id":{"repo_id":"uwo","oai_identifier":"oai:uwo.scholaris.ca:20.500.14721/39356"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/uwo/oai:uwo.scholaris.ca:20.500.14721/39356","repository":{"repo_id":"uwo","name":"Western University","base_url":"https://uwo.scholaris.ca/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Dissolution and Biokinetics of PCL in Denitrification Systems","abstract":"This thesis investigates the potential of polycaprolactone (PCL), a biodegradable polymer, as a sustainable solid-phase carbon source for wastewater denitrification. Laboratory experiments examined the effects of temperature, bead mass, solvent type, hydraulic retention time, and bead reuse on PCL dissolution and soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) release. The dissolution behavior was represented using a modified Noyes-Whitney model, which was calibrated to capture the kinetics and predict carbon release over time. Many previous studies have overlooked the dissolution step, potentially leading to misinterpretations of rate limitation as low biological activity. Complementary biological experiments compared PCL and methanol in terms of biomass yield and maximum specific growth rate (μmax), showing comparable performance between the two. The combined results provide mechanistic understanding of PCL dissolution and biological utilization, confirming its promise as a reliable and sustainable alternative carbon source for nitrate removal in wastewater treatment systems.","abstract_html":"This thesis investigates the potential of polycaprolactone (PCL), a biodegradable polymer, as a sustainable solid-phase carbon source for wastewater denitrification. Laboratory experiments examined the effects of temperature, bead mass, solvent type, hydraulic retention time, and bead reuse on PCL dissolution and soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) release. The dissolution behavior was represented using a modified Noyes-Whitney model, which was calibrated to capture the kinetics and predict carbon release over time. Many previous studies have overlooked the dissolution step, potentially leading to misinterpretations of rate limitation as low biological activity. Complementary biological experiments compared PCL and methanol in terms of biomass yield and maximum specific growth rate (μmax), showing comparable performance between the two. The combined results provide mechanistic understanding of PCL dissolution and biological utilization, confirming its promise as a reliable and sustainable alternative carbon source for nitrate removal in wastewater treatment systems.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Barkhordari, Dorsa"],"institution":"The University of Western Ontario","degree_name":"M Eng Sci","degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":"Chemical and Biochemical Engineering","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Santoro, Domenico"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-12-08","date_published":"2025-12-08","updated_at":"2026-07-27T21:56:09Z","subjects":["Polycaprolactone (PCL)","Solid-phase denitrification","Denitrification","Biodegradable plastics","Wastewater treatment","Dissolution kinetics","Noyes-Whitney model","Soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD)","Methanol","Biomass yield","Maximum specific growth rate"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["Attribution 4.0 International"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14721/39356","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Santoro, Domenico"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Barkhordari, Dorsa"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2026-01-27T14:06:13Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2025-12-08"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["The University of Western Ontario"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Chemical and Biochemical Engineering"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["M Eng Sci"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["The University of Western Ontario"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Polycaprolactone (PCL)","Solid-phase denitrification","Denitrification","Biodegradable plastics","Wastewater treatment","Dissolution kinetics","Noyes-Whitney model","Soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD)","Methanol","Biomass yield","Maximum specific growth rate"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Attribution 4.0 International"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14721/39356"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This thesis investigates the potential of polycaprolactone (PCL), a biodegradable polymer, as a sustainable solid-phase carbon source for wastewater denitrification. Laboratory experiments examined the effects of temperature, bead mass, solvent type, hydraulic retention time, and bead reuse on PCL dissolution and soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) release. The dissolution behavior was represented using a modified Noyes-Whitney model, which was calibrated to capture the kinetics and predict carbon release over time. Many previous studies have overlooked the dissolution step, potentially leading to misinterpretations of rate limitation as low biological activity. Complementary biological experiments compared PCL and methanol in terms of biomass yield and maximum specific growth rate (μmax), showing comparable performance between the two. The combined results provide mechanistic understanding of PCL dissolution and biological utilization, confirming its promise as a reliable and sustainable alternative carbon source for nitrate removal in wastewater treatment systems."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Dissolution and Biokinetics of PCL in Denitrification Systems"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Santoro, Domenico"],"dc:creator":["Barkhordari, Dorsa"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2026-01-27T14:06:13Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2025-12-08"],"dc:description.abstract":["This thesis investigates the potential of polycaprolactone (PCL), a biodegradable polymer, as a sustainable solid-phase carbon source for wastewater denitrification. Laboratory experiments examined the effects of temperature, bead mass, solvent type, hydraulic retention time, and bead reuse on PCL dissolution and soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) release. The dissolution behavior was represented using a modified Noyes-Whitney model, which was calibrated to capture the kinetics and predict carbon release over time. Many previous studies have overlooked the dissolution step, potentially leading to misinterpretations of rate limitation as low biological activity. Complementary biological experiments compared PCL and methanol in terms of biomass yield and maximum specific growth rate (μmax), showing comparable performance between the two. The combined results provide mechanistic understanding of PCL dissolution and biological utilization, confirming its promise as a reliable and sustainable alternative carbon source for nitrate removal in wastewater treatment systems."],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14721/39356"],"dc:language.iso":["en"],"dc:publisher":["The University of Western Ontario"],"dc:rights":["Attribution 4.0 International"],"dc:subject":["Polycaprolactone (PCL)","Solid-phase denitrification","Denitrification","Biodegradable plastics","Wastewater treatment","Dissolution kinetics","Noyes-Whitney model","Soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD)","Methanol","Biomass yield","Maximum specific growth rate"],"dc:title":["Dissolution and Biokinetics of PCL in Denitrification Systems"],"dc:type":["thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Chemical and Biochemical Engineering"],"thesis:degree_name":["M Eng Sci"],"thesis:institution_name":["The University of Western Ontario"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-27T21:56:09Z"}