Education

Ph.D., University of Tennessee,1974

M.S., Polytechnic University, 1971

B.S., Carnegie Mellon University,1967

Research

Professor Van Brunt's research interests are: separations modeling and chemistry including design of distillation, adsorption and extraction systems; extraction chemistry for both organic and hydrometallurgical systems; filtration; chemistry and engineering of ceramic precursors via the sol-gel process; the development of new mathematical modeling techniques for process thermodynamics and separations, and the analysis of process hazards.

Recent specific research projects include the development of: a) new extractant-diluent chemistry for acetic acid recovery from terephthalic acid plants, b) new extractant-diluent chemistry for the separation of cesium and strontium, c) experimental and theoretical analysis of temperature distributions in horizontal metal hydride beds, d) constitutive relationships for air-water downflow, e) new continuation algorithms using differential geometry for separations, and f) the characteristics of liquid-liquid-solid systems that have enhanced extraction and regeneration capability.

Current active research projects include hazard analysis of hydrogen evolution chemical processes, analysis of heat-integrated azeotropic distillation systems, the theoretical and experimental analysis of chemical-exchange for aqueous detritiation of groundwater, the development of extraction chemistry for mercury and cadmium recovery from waste streams and crossflow filtration of high activity nuclear waste simulants.

Selected Publications

• Deible, R. W. and V. Van Brunt, "Preliminary Evaluation of Alternatives for Distillation for Acetic Acid Recovery for Terephthalic Acid Flowsheets," Separation Science & Technology, 25, 2097-2108, (1990).
• Rion, W. L. and V. Van Brunt, "Differential Geometry-Based Homotopy Continuation," Computers & Chemical Engineering, 14, 889-900, (1990).
• Noble, Jr., A., V. Van Brunt, and M. W. Davis, "Kinetics of the Ammonia Synthesis over Fe/TiO2, Hydrazine- Pretreated Fe/TiO2, and Hydrazine-Pretreated Alkali-Promoted Fe/TiO2 Catalysts," J. Catal., 127, 227-250, (1991).
• Hutahaean, L., W. H. Shen and V. Van Brunt, "Heat-Integrated Ethanol Dehydration Flowsheets", Separation Science & Technology, 30, 1867-1882 (1995).
• Fulbright, H. H., M. L. Leaphart and V. Van Brunt, “Extraction and Precipitation Chemistry for Mercury Recovery from Aqueous Wastes,” Separation Science & Technology, 32, 373-386, (1997).