Date of Graduation
7-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Chemical Engineering (MSChE)
Degree Level
Graduate
Department
Chemical Engineering
Advisor/Mentor
Hestekin, Christa
Committee Member
Hestekin, Jamie
Second Committee Member
Wolchok, Jeffrey
Keywords
Chronic Kidney Disease; Dialysis; Kidney; Membranes; Ultrafiltration
Abstract
In the United States, chronic kidney disease (CKD) affected an estimated 37 million people in 2016, with the most common causes being Type 1 and 2 diabetes (30%-50%), hypertension (27.2%), chronic tubulointerstitial nephritis (3.6%), and hereditary or cystic diseases (3.1%). The glomerulus, a network of capillaries in each kidney, is usually where the majority of this decline in its ability to filter blood, excess water, toxins, salts, and ions happens. CKD is characterized by the presence of kidney damage or an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of less than 60 mL/min/1.73 m², persisting for 3 months or more. CKD involves progressive loss of kidney function, often leading to the need for renal replacement therapy, such as dialysis or transplantation. CKD patients are left with few options for treatment. In lieu of an expensive and rare kidney transplant, dialysis is the standard of care as well as the most accessible and common kidney therapy for those with CKD. However, lifesaving is not a replacement for total kidney function. With minor advancements in dialysis technologies over the years, there is still a need for alternate kidney treatments that alleviate the stress of end-stage renal disease (ESRD), mimic the improvement from a total kidney transplant and improve glomerular filtration rate- while increasing longevity of livelihood. The proposed kidney assist device provides a crossflow ultrafiltration system utilizing a tempo-modified nanocellulose membrane, designed to assist renal function by reducing the solute and protein concentration of blood entering a partially impaired glomerulus. This system would serve as a pretreatment to alleviate stress on kidney transplants patients. Experimental data demonstrated that the system could reduce protein concentration in the permeate to approximately 0.0729 g/L albumin, with a permeate flow rate of 0.0418 L/hr under controlled pressure and flow condition.
Citation
Hepburn, P. (2026). Designing Tempo-Modified Nanocellulose Membranes for Selective Protein Retention and Enhanced Filtration Performance. Graduate Theses and Dissertations Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/6391
