Fall 2022 - Chemical Analysis Class Projects

Follow

• 

  An Investigation of Fluorescent Synthetic Rocks at the Shrine of the Grotto of the Redemption

  Austin Heidbreder and Joshua Sebree

  The Grotto of the Shrine of Redemption is a religious site in West Bend, Iowa. The large structure is made of a variety of minerals and rocks, some synthetic, that can be studied. Many of these synthetic rocks are a product of smelting crayons together. It was found that several of these synthetic rocks were fluorescent. Those found in the Grotto of the Shrine of Redemption were studied with fluorescence spectroscopy and cross-referenced with knowledge of pastel dyes in use in the 1930s. It was found that some of the fluorescing rocks were likely made using crayons containing various red madder molecules based on their emission wavelengths.

• 

  Determination of the Elemental Composition of ‘Druzy’ in Crystalline Quartz using UV & X Ray Fluorescence

  Margaret Ierien

  The purpose of this experiment was to identify and detected the elemental composition of ‘druzy’ in quartz and to differentiate its compositions from other crystalline minerals, including other forms of quartz, calcite, and fluorite. The methods of UV fluorescence and X ray fluorescence were used. The composition of druzy quartz was analyzed and found to exhibit multiple elements absent in clear quartz and other crystalline minerals.

• 

  Composition of Particle-Size Separated Iowa Fly Ash

  Colleen P. Lehrer, Joshua Sebree, and Owen Lerg

  • Fly ash is a complex mixture of metallic oxides, unburnt carbon compounds, and other particulate which are a byproduct of the industrial burning of coal or biofuels for power production.
  • Environmental contaminants including arsenic, lead, cadmium, chromium, and mercury are known to be found in fly ash, prompting EPA regulation and government action in the event of spills.
  • Ash composition and morphology are closely related to the composition and processing of its parent fuel. [1,2] Subsequently, the extent to which environmental contaminants are concentrated in fly ash is know to vary.
  • Sieving processes are used in many industries as an inexpensive and expeditious method to sort granular materials. Characterization of particulate size-related differences in fly ash may be useful to industry.

• 

  Extraction and Analysis of Rare Earth Elements from Coal Fly Ash Using Atomic Emission

  Owen Lerg, Colleen Lehrer, and Joshua Sebree

  • Coal fly ash is a waste product from burning coal
  • Recent research has been focusing on if coal fly ash could be a source of rare earth elements (REE)
  • REE are a critical raw material needed for many technologies
  • Growing importance for finding alternative sources of REE as demand increases every year
  • Most of REE export from China
  • Goal of this research is to determine what REE are present in the coal fly ash
  • Atomic Emission (AE) is the technique that will be used to determine if REE are present
  • AE was chosen due to its low limits of detection and high sensitivity

• 

  Water Quality Mapping throughout Coldwater Cave

  Jade Nuehring, Joshua Sebree, Raquel Wilhelm, and Blake Schany

  Coldwater Cave, located in Decorah, Iowa is surveyed to contain 17.2 miles of passageways. This study is a mapping of how dissolved oxygen levels and water conductivity compare throughout water samples taken at 9 different locations within the cave. In this study we want to know how what is on the surface is impacting the cave water quality as Coldwater Cave sits between two above ground rivers and is covered with land used for agricultural purposes. Water quality studies done on other major rivers have shown that typical conductivity levels are within the 200-1000 micro-Siemen/cm range, and it is important to determine whether the cave water still fits into that same range with the watershed and agricultural influences. Studies have also shown that typical healthy water samples contain DO of between 80-120%, so expected values will be closer to the lower end of that spectrum based on the low oxygen levels in the cave air as determined in previous cave air quality studies.

• 

  Identification of Nitrates Within Coldwater Cave

  Blake Schany and Joshua Sebree

  Agricultural runoff has the potential to greatly damage the ecosystem of Coldwater Cave. Agricultural runoff includes elements found in herbicides and fertilizers used on crops as well as increased amounts of nitrogen in the water due to runoff from cattle sites. Identification of the presence of water soluble pollutants from cattle feedlot runoff and toxic components found in common herbicides used in maintaining cropland within the cave is needed to address the potential damage that the contaminants can do to the ecosystem of the cave. Identifying contaminants present within the cave systems using UV Vis will allow for more targeted measures to be taken to protect the ecosystem, if needed.

• 

  Raman Analysis of Fluorescent Minerals and Rocks at the Shrine of the Grotto of the Redemption

  Samrin Shahnaz and Joshua Sebree

  The Shrine of the Grotto of the Redemption is a religious tourist attraction in West Bend, IA, which also happens to be the world’s largest grotto. A Catholic priest, Fr. Dobberstein , constructed the grotto using precious stones from all over the US about a hundred years ago, and the caretakers have questions about the chemical compositions of the rocks and minerals, both natural and synthetic. Raman Spectroscopy is a non destructive method for qualitative and quantitative analysis of chemical compounds. In this project, Raman analysis was performed on various fluorescent rocks found at the grotto. This included both natural and synthetic rocks. Natural rocks were evaluated for impurities. It was found that the natural rocks are mostly pure, and the synthetic rocks have near identical composition.