Membrane Science and Technology Consultant: Gas Separation Membranes, Membranes for Water Purification and Specialty Commercial Applications

Expertise

Summary

An internationally recognized expert in the field of membrane science and technology contributing to: Gas separation membranes, membranes for water and waste water treatments, fuel cell membranes, membrane separators or batteries, membrane gas-liquid contactors (gassing and degassing), microreactor, and membrane applications in hydrogen generation, purification and storage.

Membrane Technology

• Broad experience ranging from fundamentals of membrane science to commercial applications in gas separations, pervaporation, microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofilteration, reverse osmosis, membrane bio-reactors, gas-liquid contactors, fuel cell and battery separator membranes.
• Hands-on experience in hollow-fiber and flat-sheet membranes, and membrane module fabrication at pilot plant and production scale.
• Extensive experience in membrane applications development, membrane process evaluations, trouble shooting and optimizations. Expert in membrane technology scouting, new technology evaluations, benchmarking and acquisitions. Managed various membrane research projects with industrial and academic partners in the US and Europe.
• Developed second generation membranes for hydrogen recovery from refinery-off gases and air separation for Air Products Membranes ("Permea"). Both these products are backbone of Air Product's membranes business today. Developed a novel dialysis membrane with extraordinary high flux for Cordis-Dow Corporation doubling their profitability.

Membrane Applications

• Microreactors and membrane applications in hydrogen generation, purification and storage.
• PEM fuel cell membranes for elevated temperature applications.
• Battery separator membranes.
• Membrane gas-liquid contactors (gassing and degassing).
• Microporous membranes for emulsion particle size control.
• Membranes for removal of greenhouse gases (perfluorocompounds and CO2).
• Membrane bio-reactors for water and waste water treatments.

Experience

Independent Consultant, Present

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., Allentown, PA, 1985 - 2009

Principal Research Associate/Research Director

• Responsible for process research and development of new and emerging materials and technologies for rapid commercialization.
• Led a team which developed second generation membrane products for hydrogen separation from refinery off-gases and air separation.

Process Development

• Expertise in process research and development from bench-top research to pilot-plant scale production.
• Skilled at defining alternate technology paths and processes, process optimization and trouble shooting, process economics evaluations.
• Synthesis in gram quantities of an aggressive organic compound using microreactor.
• Dehydrogenation reactor for generation of hydrogen for energy applications, supported by greater then $1 million DOE funding.
• A process for the synthesis in kilogram quantities of a low dielectric polymer for integrated circuits applications, supported by semiconductor industry.
• A multi-million dollar semi-plant for a battery electrolyte production.
• Founded and led the Knowledge Creation Community of Practice at Air Products.
• Founding Chair of the Innovation Leaders' Network at the Industrial Research Institute (IRI).
• Innovation training certificates from Kellogg School of Management and Caltech.

Cordis-Dow Corporation, 1980 - 1985

• Engineering Specialist: Responsible for the integration of international operations of dialysis membranes and developed a novel proprietary dialysis membrane with extraordinary high flux.

CPC International, Best Food Division, 1976 - 1980

• Principal Research Engineer

Honors & Publications

Credentials

• Registered Professional Engineer in the State of Florida.

Memberships

• Member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) and the American Chemical Society (ACS)
• North American Membrane Society (NAMS)
• Active participant in the Process Efficiency Network of Industrial Research Institute (IRI)
• Frequent speaker at various professional conferences.
• Chaired several national and international symposiums.

Publications and Patents

• Author or co-author of 17 U.S. Patents.
• Two Air Products trade secrets.
• Over 35 publications.

Education

• Ph.D. Chemical Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
• M.Sc. Chemical Engineering, With Distinction, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India
• B. Sc. Chemical Engineering, With Honors, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India