Renewable and Fossil Fuels Catalyst Product and Process Development Consultant

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