Chemical Engineer Consultant: Chemical Catalysts, Chemical Process Design and Precious Metal Recovery

Expertise

Summary

• Senior Chemical Industry Executive in petrochemicals, specialty chemicals, intellectual property management, project management, research and development, technology development, catalyst sales, pilot plant design, plant operation, and good manufacturing practice services.

Technologies

• Air separation units
• Amination (reactions with ammonia)
• Bio-chemicals and bio-fuels
• Carbonylation (reactions with carbon monoxide)
• Catalyst production and manufacture
• Dehydration of alcohols to olefins
• Environmental remediation
• Fragrance chemicals
• Fluid bed, fluid bed reactor design and fixed bed reactors
• High temperature inert atmospheres oxidation furnaces
• High temperature oxidation furnaces
• Oxidation of olefins and alkanes
• Precious metal processing and recovery
• Supercritical extraction

Products

• Acetaldehyde
• Acetic acid
• Acetic anhydride
• Acrolein
• Acrylonitrile
• Aniline
• Ethylene from ethanol
• Ethylene glycol
• Ethylene
• Ethanolamines
• Ethoxylates
• Glycol ethers
• Hydrogen peroxide
• Olefins(ethylene, propylene)
• Phthalic anhydride
• P-phenylenediamine
• Propylene oxide
• Styrene
• Vinyl acetate

Strategic Planning/Business Development

• A key member in developing the plan for the company's advancement resulting in major growth in revenues and profitability.
• Identified opportunities for a major ceramic suppler where heterogeneous catalysis might replace currently practiced homogeneous catalysis, (a multi-million dollar sales potential).
• Developed a business plan for a NJ based engineering company to enter the environmental business.
• Currently developing a plan for a company to produce carbon fibers.

Research and Development

Scientific Design

• Supervised the development and commercialization of several new products which led to significantly improved revenues and profitability.
• Arranged for and supervised collaborative research with international partners and laboratories.
• Identified technology opportunities and company acquisition.
• Carbonylation technology development for the production of acetic acid and acetic anhydride that was commercialized by Eastman Chemicals.
• Utilized super critical extraction to develop several processes.

Halcon

• Key member in the development of carbonylation technology for the production of acetic acid and acetic anhydride. Commercialized by Eastman Chemicals.
• Developed processes utilizing super critical extraction.
• Identified several opportunities for technology and company acquisition some of which were successfully pursued.
• Led a technical team for the transfer of acetic acid technology.

Standard Oil Company

• Developed the design package for the acrolein process.

International Experience

• Successfully negotiated supply contracts with clients in Asia, Europe, North and South America, the Middle East, Africa and Australia.
• Well versed in understanding international cultural differences for obtaining best results.

Managerial

Scientific Design

• Supervised research and development and the catalyst business.
• Implemented the production of several new products in the U.S. and Europe.
• Successfully negotiated improved price contracts with suppliers of chemicals and precious metals.

Project Management

Scientific Design

• Automated and increased catalyst production capacity by a factor of ten at the space limited site in Little Ferry, NJ. Significantly improved cost of production.
• Implemented several projects at Scientific Design - all within budget and on time.
• Supervised the construction and started up the new facility in Port Newark for Firmenich in record time.

Technology Transfer

• Transfer and sale of technology for several products including acetic acid and acetic anhydride.
• Assisted in the technology transfer of ethoxylation technology from Pressindustria (an Italian technology and engineering company).

Expert Witness Experience

• Provided Expert Witness Services for a Major Petrochemical Company in several patent litigation cases.

Experience

Independent Consultant, 2010 - Present

• Senior chemical industry executive with a proven track record of success in strategic planning and business development, process research and development, commercializing new technology, plant operations, project management, and providing consulting services.

Recent Assignments

• National Science Foundation: Evaluation of Phase I proposals in bio-chemicals and separations technology.
• Identified new catalyst opportunities for a ceramics manufacturer.
• Replace homogeneous catalysis with heterogeneous catalysis.
• Designing a precious metals recovery plant.
• Prepared multi-client study for olefins production.
• Developed a plan for a NJ based engineering company to enter the environmental business.

Scientific Design Co. Inc., Little Ferry, NJ, 1990 - 2010

• Licensing process technology to the petrochemical industry and supplying catalysts for these technologies.
• Held a series of managerial and executive positions and made key contributions for achieving company goals.
• Responsible for precious metal recovery from used catalysts and developed the plan for a silver reclamation facility.

Vice President, Technology and Catalyst Operations

• Responsible for managing catalyst sales, production and research and development.

General Manager, Ethylene Oxide

• Responsible for managing catalyst sales and research and development.

Director, Production

• Responsible for the cost effective and quality production of catalysts.

Product Manager, Ethylene Oxide

• Responsible for managing the ethylene oxide business.

Firmenich Inc., Port Newark, NJ, Production Manager, 1987 - 1989

• A leading producer of fragrance and flavor chemicals, responsible for the construction and operation of the units for the production of fragrance chemicals at the new site in NJ.

IT Corporation, Edison, NJ, Program Director, Process Technology, 1986 - 1987

• Responsible for finding ways to utilize chemical technology to solve environmental problems provided by this leading company for services in environmental remediation and cleanup of contaminated sites.
• Consultant for the U.S. EPA.
• Developed a plan for the remediation of a PCB contaminated site and developed plans for the cleanup of several other contaminated sites.

Halcon SD Group, Montvale, NJ and New York, NY, 1976 - 1986

Positions

• Manager, Economic Evaluation
• Manager, Market Development
• Senior Development Engineer
• Held an unequaled record in developing and licensing process technology for the petrochemical industry; much of the world's production of commodity chemicals is based on technology developed by this company. Held a series of positions of increasing responsibility and contributed to the development of new technology.

Standard Oil Company, Cleveland, Ohio, 1968 - 1970

• Process Engineer

Honors & Publications

Academic and Professional Affiliations

• American Institute of Chemical Engineers - AIChE
• American Chemical Society - ACS
• ChemPharma

Patents

7 U.S. patents

Education

• Sc.D. Chemical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY
• M.S. Chemical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY
• B.Tech. Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi, India