Renewable and Fossil Fuels Catalyst Product and Process Development Consultant
Technical Consultant #2305
Expertise
- Chemical process and heterogeneous catalyst consulting in various industries.
- Environmental projects including gas treatment, hazardous waste recycling, renewable chemicals and polymers.
- Commercial development of product and processes for both renewable and fossil fuels.
- New chemistry, catalyst application and process development projects, working with both established and start-up companies.
- Biofuel process modifications to increase yields and lower capital and operation costs.
- Hydroprocessing including hydrocracking, hydropyrolysis, hydrotreating and manufacturing support.
- Hydrocracking, FCC, and petrochemical catalyst application and manufacturing.
- Catalyst manufacturing support.
- Zeolite chemistry and characterization.
- Waste oil recycling processes.
- Pilot plant design and operation.
- Biofuel production via thermochemical conversion.
- Separations (distillation of petroleum and petrochemicals and waste oils, liquid extraction chemicals i.e., phenols from complex mixtures, molecular distillation of nutraceuticals and fine chemicals).
- Fuel and petroleum product specification.
- New process development.
- Reforming catalysts for hydrogen production.
- Combinatorial chemistry.
- Statistical analysis of data.
- Advanced analytical including structural and conformational research.
- Molecular characterization of petroleum and other complex mixtures.
- Characterization of food additives.
- Regulatory approval and management of hazardous waste destruction processes.
- Conversion and recycling of chlorinated organic waste streams.
- Automotive and process gas remediation.
Expert Witness Experience
- Patent infringement- testified concerning similarity in structure of reverse osmosis water purification membranes.
- Breach of Contract-due diligence of attempts to build and operate a commercial biofuel plant.
Experience
Independent Consultant, Present
Projects:
- Lee Consulting Enterprises Consulting: Due diligence assessments of biofuel and renewable chemical process. Technoology economic analysis of new business proposals.
- U.S. Department of Energy- Review funding proposal for research and development on new process technology and produced formal recommendation reports.
- TreMonti Consulting - Assessed commercial potential of new technology, prepared research and marketing plans, marketed plan to companies.
- Autotech Biofuels Consortium- Prepared business proposals.
Lonestar College, Houston Community College, Professor
- Senior Scientist
KiOR, Senior Scientist, 2010 - 2015
- Developed a successful commercial method for upgrading bio pyrolysis oil to a drop in fuel.
- Prepared modified zeolites and formulated catalysts for biomass pyrolysis process.
- Supported commercial plant design and construction and start up. Proved that the drop in fuel met all product specifications Process and design suggestions increased yields by 10% and lowered construction costs by over $20 million.
- Project milestones achieved: On time and provided samples for customer evaluations.
- Develop methods for separations and characterization of bio pyrolysis oil.
- Co-invented eight patent applications, three of which have already been granted. Member IP technology assessment committee that developed strategy and decided on which new disclosure should be filed.
- Developed techniques and approaches for understanding the chemistry of pyrolysis oil. This included both catalyst selection and purchase and final product quality specification and certification.
- Prepared technology proposal for renewable diesel production from natural oils and other sources. Developed methods for insuring products met commercial specifications.
- Managed group of professional Ph.D, M.S., B.S., engineers.
Honeywell UOP, Lead Scientist, 1984 - 2010
- Developed new chemistry and technology as part of the exploratory chemistry, catalyst applications and refining and petrochemical process development groups.
- Commercialized several new catalysis and processes.
- Team leader new zeolite applications team which found new applications and lower cost production methods for new UZM (Crystallization Mechanism of Zeolite) materials and other modified zeolites including new UZM-8 petrochemical process.
- Manufacturing support for hydroprocessing and hydrocracking catalysis including noble metal and metal sulfide catalysts.
- Applications included refining and environmental catalyst, absorbents and specialty chemicals.
- Developed combinatorial methods for screening catalysts and materials and took products from lab to development stage to commercialization as part of multifunctional teams.
- Developed high throughput synthesis and reaction testing systems and data management.
- Invented new hydroprocessing and hydrocracking catalysts.
- Project leader new materials applications team and designed pilot plants and catalyst evaluation programs.
- Developed vinyl chloride waste recycling process.
- Developed automotive exhaust catalysts including the first diesel auto after treatment catalyst.
- Invented new process for hazardous waste recycling, heavy oil conversion, olefin isomerization.
- Developed environmental catalysts for automotive exhaust, DeNOx, CO oxidation, reforming for fuel cells.
- Six Sigma Black Belt Certification. With experience in solving product quality problems and data mining and analytics using JMP, MINITAB, R and other programing languages.
- Co-authored several successful DOE and Alberta Research Council funding proposals.
- Developed new approach to technology evaluation and project IP evaluation.
- Advanced characterization group- managed NMR laboratory, application of solution and solid state NMR, mass spectroscopy and infrared spectroscopy to petroleum products, polymers, natural products and catalysts with particular experienced in zeolite characterization.
- Solved problems that saved millions of dollars for UOP customers.
- Developed methods for producing new artificial sweeteners, chlorinated waste recycling.
Honors & Publications
Credentials
- Six Sigma Black Belt
Academic and Professional Affiliations
- American Chemical Society - ACS
- American Society Chemical Engineers - ASCE
- American Chemical Society - Energy and Fuels Division
- American Institute of Chemical Engineers
- Volunteer Management Experience
- Chairman Two ACS Petroleum Division Symposiums
- Reviewer Applied Catalyst, Environmental Progress
- National Science Foundation - NSF Fellowship
Awards
- Honeywell's Chairman Innovation Award
- Honeywell's Specialty Material Scientific Achievement Award
- Full tuition scholarship University of Pennsylvania
Publications and Patents
- Author of 25 technical papers and publications
- Presenter of 30 papers at technical conferences
- Inventor of 21 U.S. Patents
Education
- Ph.D. Chemistry, Washington University, St. Louis, MO
- M.S. Chemistry, Washington University, St. Louis, MO
- B.A. Chemistry (and Psychology) University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA