Chemical Water Treatment Expert: Cationic, Anionic and Non-Ionic Emulsion Polymers

Technical Consultant #1756

Leading and directing multi-million dollar chemical engineering operations including pilot plant implementation and supervision, technology development, capital project management, technical improvements and implementing innovative, cost-effective solutions.
More than 25 years of progressive experience within diverse domestic and international environments.
Pilot plant and manufacturing production operations for emulsion polymers.
Creating catalysts, designing, procuring and installing reactors and producing a multitude of other engineering advancements to maximize profit.
Nickel, alumina and vanadium pentoxide catalysts.
Process to manufacture fatty nitriles from fatty acids by vapor-phase catalytic reaction.
Process development for fatty amines and fatty amine derivatives (ethoxylated, propoxylated fatty amines, quaternary ammonium salts, etc.).
Process development for water treatment chemicals (cationic, anionic and non-ionic emulsion polymers).
Plant start-up and commissioning.

Independent Consultant, Present

Nalco Company, Chicago, IL, 1990 - 2009

Served several positions: Chemical Engineer and Research Scientist, Staff Scientist, Research/Chemical Engineer.
Managed and led chemical engineering project operations, including development of reactors and catalysts, as well as construction, design and final implementation of inventions.
Managed and led global and domestic pilot plant scale-up projects and orchestrated development of new products in the pilot plant.
Concurrently filled role as a global troubleshooter for process re-engineering initiatives and conducting cost restraint and feasibility analysis of changes, as well as to identify cost savings in production through efficiency, price point, longevity, etc.
Directed the requirements, design, initial costing and evaluation of new equipment for pilot plant; compiled detailed requirements in production optimization, raw material requirements, and batch times.
Managed full cycle product development and commercial application testing.

Key Projects and Accomplishments:

Managed process engineering and development initiatives as well as production.
Plant start-ups at global and domestic plants: Latin America, Mexico, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Italy, Spain, China, Australia, South Korea and India.
Spearheaded scale-up and development of multiple new products with a main focus in anionic, cationic and non-ionic emulsion polymers; additional products included: Water Continuous polymers and Solution polymers.
Product applications: mining and minerals, municipal, paper services, textiles, chemical processing, food and beverage and hotels and resorts.
Led design and implementation of numerous lean, process and production improvement initiatives globally delivering consistent success; filled SME (Subject Matter Expert) role for resolving process/production issues worldwide in emulsion polymers.
Managed planning, design, procurement and installation of polymer reactor in plant.
Organizational improvements, including resolving a product specification issue with a vendor supplied raw material yielding multi-million dollar cost savings.

Akzo Chemicals, The McCook Research Center, McCook, IL, 1977 - 1990

Serving positions: Pilot Plant Supervisor and Research Engineer (Process Development Department).
As a Pilot Plant Supervisor and while serving in a technical and project leadership role responsible for the oversight of a multi-functional team of research engineers and coordinating the transfer of technology from laboratory and pilot plant to manufacturing, toll processing and central engineering department.
Led initial project planning including idea generation, cost analysis, strategy creation, parameter definition, development and implementation.
Identified and established cost effective processes for project completion.
Ensured plant compliance with EPA and OSHA regulations partnering with environmental and regulatory groups.
Partnered with corporate Worldwide Marketing and Manufacturing business units to gather data and develop new products in plant.

Key Projects and Accomplishments:

Spearheaded the design, procurement and installation of a high-pressure, 500-gallon reactor in pilot plant.
Controlled project management process from conception to commercial implementation to achieve efficient and competitive production.
Gathered and analyzed scale-up data for multiple processes, involving ethoxylation, propoxylation, quaternization, ammonolysis, chlorination and a high-pressure catalytic hydrogenation (batch process: 100 pounds to 4,000 pounds; continuous process: 100 pounds/hour to 1,000 pounds/hour).
Project manager for scale-ups: prepared flow diagrams, equipment layouts, site plans, elevation drawings and equipment, piping and instrumentation specifications.
Compiled process design manuals consisting of operating procedures, environmental controls, process descriptions and start up and safety procedures.
Coordinated with engineering firms and manufacturing to create cost estimates.
Prepared appropriation requests and design and procurement packages.

Dearborn Chemical Co., (Division of Chemed Corp.), Lake Zurich, IL, 1974 - 1976

Chemical Engineer for a pilot plant and existing plant that Manufacturers water treatment chemicals.
Developed phosphonates for boiler water treatment.
Improved plant procedures and decreased product costs, while increasing plant capacity for water treatment chemicals.

Indopharma Parmaceutical Workshop PVT ltd., Munbai, India, 1970 - 1972

Chemical Engineer for the Research Laboratory.
Conducted lab experiments to gather scale-up data supporting manufacturing of pharmaceutical fine Chemicals: nitrofurazone, nitrofurantion, furazolidone, methaqualone hydrochloride and base, phenacetin, paracetamol, p-Anisdine, phenyl butazone, aminophylline and theophylline.

Catalyst India, Ltd., Mumbai, India, Chemical Engineer, 1969 - 1970

Turnkey plant of Monsanto-USA to manufacture vanadium pentoxide catalyst for sulfuric acid plants.
Responsible for: Production, Quality Control Laboratory, Process Development Group, and Customer Service Group.

Credentials

Academic and Professional Affiliations

Awards

"Nalco Chairman's Award" and "Suez Award." Additional individual and team recognition awards for various organizational improvements, including resolving a product specification issue with a vendor supplied raw material yielding multi-million dollar cost savings.

Publications

"Removal of 1,4-dixane From Fatty Chemicals." Annual Meeting of Journal of American Oil Chemists Society