Warta, Andrew M.2013-02-142013-02-142010-12https://hdl.handle.net/11299/144343University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. December 2010. Major: Chemical Engineering. Advisors;Edward L. Cussler Jr., PhD., William A. Arnold, Ph.D., 1 computer file (PDF); viii, 166 pages, appendices A-D.Addition of reactive groups to a barrier membrane can increase lag time for specific contaminants. Loading polyvinylalcohol (PVA) with a cesium-selective crystalline silicotitanate (CST) is shown to greatly increase lag time for cesium ion when upstream concentration is constant. Experiments are reproducible. Results can be generalized to real-world environmental applications. Loading powdered activated carbon (PAC) to PVA is shown to greatly increase lag time for 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene (1,2,4-TCB), a model for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Flow-through diffusion cell tests are performed challenging a PAC loaded barrier membranes with varying upstream concentrations. Desorption from a loaded PAC barrier membrane is shown to depend on the square root of time. Theoretical models are derived for four cases where a reactive volume degrading a contaminant in series with a sorbing, carbon-containing volume. Reactions following first-order kinetics allow more contaminant to escape from the modeled systems than reactions following zero-order kinetics. Results are summarized and potential future work is suggested.en-USCesium (Cs)Crystalline Silicotitanate (CST)Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB)Polyvinylalcohol (PVA)Powdered Activated Carbon (PAC)Reactive barrier membranesThesis or Dissertation