Process Engineering & Consulting for the Chemical Process and Bioprocess Industries

Responsible for delivering the process design licensing package for 2nd generation Lignocellulosic (LC) ethanol project in BrazilThe process integrates components from various industries including sugar, pulp and paper, yeast & industrial enzyme production, ethanol fermentation/distillation, and biomass powerEvaluation of high level business opportunity for various LC ethanol projects with focus on selecting technology and capital estimation, feed-stock availability, overall project return, and brownfield site integration options with emphasis on steam & power usageManaged a team of 2 process engineers

Process specialist on owner’s team for a first-of-a-kind vertically integrated commercial Lignocellulosic (LC) Ethanol Project in Highlands, FLKey contributor to the team that reduced CAPEX by 40% by generating cost reduction ideas and quantifying CAPEX/OPEX/Yield/Risk tradeoffs to enable management decisionsDeveloped the conceptual design for the enzyme, yeast propagation, and fermentation areas of the plant including CIP/SIP and supporting utilitiesKey contributor in development of PFDs, P&IDs, equip. datasheets in all process areas. Participated in PHA/HAZOP reviews.Managed interfaces with technology, demonstration plant personel, and between process design leads for each plant areaPerformed process calcs including - O2 mass transfer, heat exchanger sizing, batch reactor and unit op sizing, hydraulics, flammability limits, relief scenarios, batch scheduling, microbial kill kinetics

Operations & Process/Project engineering roles in 1.4MM gal/yr demonstration scale Lignocellulosic (LC) Ethanol Plant.Operations engineer for propagation, enzyme production, detoxification, and fermentation areas with supporting roles in the balance of the plant (chemical/enzymatic hydrolysis, distillation, utilities).Developed scope and FEL packages for improvement projects up to $12MM, including addition of a new fermentation train, CIP system, and detoxification reactor. Closely managed interfaces between technology, operations, and engineering contractors. Primary oversight of PFD/P&ID development, mechanical data sheets, and automation/control philosophy.Key contributor to commissioning/startup team - responsibilities included commissioning/operating procedures, control loop tuning, developing batch automation sequences, and operator training.Served as the TQI on the site biosafety committee and helped develop the philosophy for GMO containment in the plant.

Lab/Pilot scale fermentation process development for industrial enzymes and LC ethanol production using various yeast and microbial systems

Fermentation & Recovery Process development for recombinant protein/mAB therapeutics in microbial and mammalian cell culture expression systems up to 10,000L scale.