FEASIBILITY OF A CONTINUOUS PROCESS FOR IBUPROFEN PRODUCTION TEAM 16092 The team analyzed the complexity, efficiency, economics, and environmental impact of a continuous Ibuprofen-manufacturing process to determine its feasibility. Continuous production of pharmaceuticals has advantages over traditional batch processing, which is slow due to downtime spent cleaning and performing quality checks after production cycles. Continuous manufacturing, however, sends materials through a nonstop process until the final product is completed. Continuous processing is faster, more efficient, and safer due to reduced human involvement. After initial investment in a continuous pharmaceutical production process, this method could be a less expensive way to produce pharmaceuticals, with the potential for more affordable products.
SPONSOR MENTOR/ADVISOR: Bonnie Curtis PROJECT MENTOR: Kim Ogden TEAM MEMBERS: Jason M. Ackermann (CHE), Danielle Marie Lemieux (CHE), Anton Joseph Polacek (CHE), Morgan Elizabeth Skillman (CHE)
SELECTIVE RECOVERY AND CONCENTRATION OF RARE EARTH METALS TEAM 16093 The leaching solution used in mines for copper extraction contains rare earth elements. The objective of this project is to design an industrial scale-up of a process to selectively recover and concentrate rare earth elements yttrium and neodymium from a copper pregnant leach solution. A laboratory-scale version of this process has been developed at the University of Arizona by researchers in the Department of Mining and Geological Engineering. This process incorporates a slip-and-recycle stream into the current copper-extraction process to maximize cost-effectiveness and sustainability. This design includes a feasibility study of multiple rare earth processing methods, such as solvent extraction and ion exchange. The resulting high-purity neodymium and yttrium metals could help meet growing global demand for rare earth minerals.
SPONSOR MENTOR/ADVISOR: Kim Ogden PROJECT MENTORS: Kim Ogden, Brent Hiskey TEAM MEMBERS: Mohammad W. Almasri (CHE), Paola Lazaro Colmenares (CHE), Matthew Alejandro Kim (CHE), Raphael A. Woolley (CHE)
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