Senior Design

The Anheuser-Busch Fort Collins, as part of their beer-making process, is currently producing 40,000 gallons per month of waste ethanol. Off-site sample analysis has shown that their waste ethanol streams contain sulfuric compounds, making the ethanol not viable for commercial use. Currently, this ethanol is being outsourced for desulfurization, but Anheuser-Busch is seeking a solution that will allow it to desulfurize the waste ethanol streams on-site. The goal is to desulfurize to a level of at most 3 ppm, and ideally 1 ppm sulfuric compounds in the waste stream.

The primary objective of this project is to convey the importance of energy and financial optimization to the audience. Anheuser-Busch’s ethanol waste stream causes significant financial loss to the company, and the company values sustainability and climate change efforts regarding its processes. The Colorado State Anheuser-Busch Ethanol Repurposing Senior Design Team is tasked with finding ways to convert the ethanol into profitable and sustainable products. Through their research, they have discovered that bioethylene and hydrogen production provide a promising route towards environmental protection and economic stability.

The goal of this project is to design a system that will reclaim 10% of the wastewater from the equipment within Broadcom’s semiconductor fabrication process. The designed system must repurify the water to UPW standards to be reused in the same capacity. This will accomplish reduced costs for Broadcom, support sustainability, and lower environmental impact.

The objective of this project is to retrofit the defunct biotowers at the Drake Water Reclamation Facility to enhance nutrient removal, particularly phosphorus and nitrogen, to meet upcoming Colorado regulations. The project focuses on repurposing existing infrastructure to support biofilm or microbial growth that can biologically assimilate these nutrients from municipal wastewater. Laboratory experiments and simulations will be conducted to identify a technically feasible and economically viable bioreactor configuration capable of operating under variable conditions. Overall, the goal is to develop a cost-effective, sustainable solution that improves effluent quality without requiring significant new infrastructure investments.

Sip Secure aims to develop a portable, user-friendly device capable of detecting common drink-spiking drugs such as GHB, GBL, and ketamine. The project integrates molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) technology with electrical sensing and mechanical design to create a fast, discreet, and reliable detection tool. Customer feedback, competitive analysis, and engineering principles guide our approach to ensure the device meets real-world needs. Ultimately, our goal is to reduce the risks associated with drink tampering and promote safety in social environments.

Our project objective is to design a water reclamation process for Texas Instruments’ CMP (chemical mechanical planarization) wastewater stream at the Richardson, Texas, facility. The goal is to treat the slurry containing effluent so that a large fraction of the water can be recycled back into the plant while meeting TI’s water quality specifications. To do this, we developed a process flowsheet that combines particle removal pretreatment with membrane separation and deionization steps. Overall, the design aims to reduce freshwater use and wastewater discharge in a way that is both technically feasible and cost-effective for the facility.

The purpose of this project is to develop a process for developing a 50:50 ratio of Poly-Lactic-co-Glycolic Acid for drug delivery release. The final product must be a medical-grade polymer. The bulk of the project will be theoretical model for how the product will be developed.