Environmental Engineer Secondment, Charleston, WV, Clearon CorporationAfter the vacancy of an environmental engineer position at a client’s facility, I filled the position in the interim until such a time that the client could find a replacement. My job duties included conducting environmental inspections in the plant, generating Title V, RCRA, and NPDES records for recordkeeping, and advising the client on environmental issues as they arose.Air Emissions Inventory/Green House Gas/Toxic Release Inventory Reporting, Apple Grove, WV, M&G PolymersFor the reporting years 2016 and 2017, I calculated the air emissions for the M&G Polymers facility in Apple Grove, WV. This involved using EPA emission factors to determine the emissions of criteria pollutants using client-supplied data of each of their respective process units, including process heaters. To provide the client with insight into their facility’s emissions as it related to their increase in production, I created a sensitivity analysis using Microsoft Excel which showed the relationship between production and emissions.Total Residual Chlorine Investigation, Belle, WV, Kureha PGA, LLCTo alleviate national pollutant discharge elimination system (NPDES) permit conditions, I conducted a technical investigation of the appropriateness of a TRC limit on Kureha’s cooling water effluent. This investigation involved using a chemistry-based argument to demonstrate the effect of naturally occurring interferences which give false positives for TRC.

Environmental ConsultationChemical EngineerNutraSweet Plant Closure | NutraSweet | Augusta, GAI assisted in the final Title V Emissions report submittals of a now defunct NutraSweet production facility in Augusta, GA. The work entailed reading block flow diagrams so as to understand the process and where atmospheric venting occurred, and preparing spreadsheets of quantities and example calculations used to ascertain said quantities in a format friendly with state and federal submission standards. Using EPA emissions factors, I provided emissions calculations for fermenting processes, baghouses, engines, and storage tanks.EngineerChevron Site Remediation | Chevron | Muskogee, OKI assisted in the site remediation planning stages for the Muskogee, OK acid pond neutralization and solidification as a supporting engineer in the preparation work leading up to the pilot test. The effectiveness of the pilot test will determine the implementation of full scale remediation.Chemical EngineerWastewater Treatment Process Optimization | CertainTeed | Meridian, MSI provided process and instrumentation assessment in support of a wastewater treatment process optimization for a client located in Meridian, MS. The client had been discharging heavy-solids effluent off-site and required an engineering assessment and process recommendations to bring the client back into compliance with state and federal regulations as prescribed in their surface water permits. This involved the generation of PFDs to show the process changes that were recommended as well as a report that detailed the issues with the process, the short-term fixes available, and long-term solutions, taking into account the economic considerations and engineering constraints.

Polymer Science ResearchStudent ResearcherBiofuel Production and Optimization | Mississippi State University | Mississippi State, MSIn the hopes of optimizing Biofuel production and transportation, working materials and methods are continuously the subject of academic research. Working for Dr. Keisha Walters, I performed day to day tasks of Ellipsometry, IR Spectroscopy, and Zeta Potential Analysis on silicon and gold plated wafers under various in situ and dry conditions at the Swalm School of Chemical Engineering to determine their surface properties under such varied conditions as temperature, pre treatment, and pH.

Environmental RegulationsCoop EngineerTitle V Emissions Report Review | Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality | Jackson, MSUpon submittal of Title V emissions inventory reports, I would check each facility’s submitted reports for accuracy of content and calculations. In the case that a facility would need to resubmit their forms, I would contact the representatives from those facilities and walk them through what was needed to comply with applicable state and federal regulations.Coop EngineerBoiler MACT Standards | Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality | Jackson, MSDecember 20, 2012, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued final changes to the Boiler MACT standards as a part of the Clean Air Act. Many smaller state facilities are unaware of environmental regulations revisions. So as to keep unassuming businesses in compliance with state and federal rules, I assisted the Major and Area source boiler group in advising these businesses on the recent revisions.Coop Engineer/Assistant to Energy Conservation ManagerMDEQ Green Team | Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality | Jackson, MSServing as an example to the rest of the Mississippi State Government organizations, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality lead the charge in low cost/no cost implementation of good practices and technologies for the purposes of reducing the usage of resources and energy in a commercial setting. This includes gas, water, and electric utilities. As a result of the institution of these practices, including leading a culture change among employees and retrofits with modern technology, MDEQ was able to save tens of thousands of dollars of taxpayer money per year compared to previous years.