Expert Details
Bioenergy and Biofuels Development and Production; Thermal, Biological and Thermochemical
ID: 729213
Ohio, USA
Specialties:
Renewable energy, Cellulosic Ethanol, FT Liquids, Business Development, Asset Management, Project Management, Technology, Marketing, Waste-to-Energy, Power Purchase Agreements, Off-take Agreements, Biofuels, Bioenergy, Contract Negotiations, Profit and Loss, Siting and Permitting.
Confidential capital management firm ($1 billion) regarding acquisition of corn-to-ethanol plant.Confidential capital management firm regarding investment in biomass energy systems.Confidential capital management firm regarding potential of big-oil investment in cellulosic ethanol.Confidential capital management firm regarding potential of energy crop feedstocks.
Education
| Year | Degree | Subject | Institution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year: 1988 | Degree: MBA | Subject: Executive | Institution: Baldwin-Wallace College |
| Year: 1980 | Degree: BS | Subject: Chemical Engineering | Institution: University of Akron |
| Year: 1976 | Degree: BS | Subject: Biology | Institution: University of Akron |
Work History
| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
|---|---|---|---|
| Years: 2010 to Present | Employer: Undisclosed | Title: Founder/Managing Partner | Department: |
Responsibilities:Representative achievements:• $18 million renewable power co-generation facility consuming 160 dry tons per day and producing 9 MW electricity and process steam to on-site users. Site control. Series "A" funding committed. CEQA process initiated. • $74 million renewable power co-generation facility consuming 1000 dry tons per day of refuse derived biomass and producing 38 MW electricity for sale to grid. Site control. PPA proposal submission in process. • Managed start-up of independent firm specializing in the development of renewable energy production projects - strategic planning, corporate development, funding, organizational design, operations and market strategy and research. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2008 to 2010 | Employer: Rentech, Inc. | Title: Director, Business Development | Department: |
Responsibilities:Key individual responsible for transition in corporate direction from fossil to biomassRepresentative achievements: • Developed and implemented business plan establishing Rentech’s strategy transitioning to biomass utilization. • Directed feasibility and preliminary design of a first-of-a-kind $300 million biomass to liquids facility at commercial scale, also producing 35MW renewable power for sale under California’s Renewable Power Portfolio Standard (“RPS”) and compliant with AB32 carbon reduction regulation. • Worked directly with executives at the California Energy Commission, California Integrated Waste Management Board, and California Air Resources Board to introduce and vet unique project concepts. • Identified, selected, and negotiated acquisition of biomass gasifier technology. • Developed strategic relationship with a noted industry gatekeeper to commercialize and deploy biomass gasification technology into the biomass power marketplace, realizing 40% cost savings in process design stage engineering. • Developed an alliance with a leading manufacturer of heat transfer equipment to commercialize Fischer-Tropsch micro-reactor technology leading to 100:1 capital cost reduction. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2007 to 2008 | Employer: World Waste Technology (WWT) | Title: VP Engineering | Department: |
Responsibilities:Key individual responsible for project and process engineering activities.Representative achievements: • Directed proposal development for 4x20 MW MSW gasification power generation facilities in the CA Renewable Portfolio Standard (“RPS”) program. • Won $12 million US Department of Energy grant for development of a demonstration 1 MGPY renewable fuels production facility using novel technology for MSW. • Persuaded California Integrated Waste Management Board to define gasification of MSW as renewable for purposes of the Renewable Portfolio Standard. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2005 to 2007 | Employer: Delta-T Inc. | Title: VP | Department: Technology Development |
Responsibilities:Key individual responsible for strategy and internal development efforts to transition the $650 million per year revenue industry leader to biomass as a substrate for ethanol production.Representative achievements: • Represented industry interests at the U.S Department of Energy and with industry trade groups. • Directed biodiesel technology development and acquisition. • Directed successful start-up of extremely high-purity distillation facility. • Lead engineer for feasibility study for novel cellulose hydrolysis technology for the production of ethanol. • Negotiated SE Asia Joint Venture with Alfa-Laval India for ethanol production throughout SE Asia and India valued at $40 million turnover per year. • Developed and maintained engineering standards. • Managed in-house QA laboratory. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1994 to 2005 | Employer: Arkenol, Inc. | Title: VP Engineering/Project Development | Department: |
Responsibilities:Managed the development of domestic and international biomass conversion projects through all phases to construction and operations, providing overall advice to the CEO. Created strategic initiatives, developed business partners, obtained funding for support activities, negotiated with international entities, negotiated and executed contracts for business development, negotiated EPC contract process guarantees for construction of first commercial plant.Transferred technology to Japanese licensee of Arkenol Technology. Supervised design and operation of initial bench-scale pilot in Japan for licensee. Supervised design and operation of nominal 2 TPD pilot unit in Japan leading to commercial scale design of 50 TPD unit to process rice straw in Japan. Representative achievements: • $55 million award of European Union grant with JV partner toward development of $120 million biorefinery in Italy. • $4 million grant from US DOE for cellulosic ethanol demonstration program. • Negotiated technology license to leading Japanese contractor for funding and development of two (2) large scale pilot facilities converting biomass to ethanol. • Developed feasibility study for conversion of MSW to ethanol with major industry partners in the Netherlands. • Developed feasibility study for production of 5000 tons per year of xylose from sugar cane bagasse with US Trade and Development Agency and a major industry partner in South Africa. • Provide market analyses and documentation supporting development of a 150 MW cogeneration facility. • Developed and negotiated Memoranda of Understanding for commodity chemical sales. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1980 to 1994 | Employer: | Title: Manager - Business Development | Department: Power Generation Group |
Responsibilities:Representative achievements:• Negotiated successful partnership leading to development of $120 million cogeneration plant. • Established equity position and exclusive EPC contract for a $40 million proof-of-concept ethanol facility. • Lead regional annual sales of power plant retrofits totaling more than $60 million. • Lead sales for $26 million and $17 million retrofits using state-of-the-art technology for emissions control. • Increased operating revenues over 30% via development of an on-line operations monitoring and advisory system for a 45 MW cogeneration facility. • Developed software for featuring on-line process advisory calculations in real-time mode. • Served as alternate to American Society of Mechanical Engineers Power Test Code 4.1 Committee. Assisted in standardization of industry-wide procedures for performance analysis of power generation equipment. • Lead engineer for performance testing of utility boilers in the United States and Europe. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2011 to 2013 | Employer: | Title: Senior Director Process Engineering | Department: Engineering |
Responsibilities:Directed startup of a $33M proprietary algal sugar to tailored oil technology platform. Managed everything from engineering and retrofit to regulatory compliance. Overcame technologic obstacles in design of a 50,000-metric ton plant. Solazyme was designing an algae facility with fermenter reactor of unprecedented size. Faced with unacceptably long lead times from traditional mixing technology vendors, overcame stiff resistance to commission a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) study instead for determining the optimum mixer/impeller technology and parameters. Completed the study in only two months, one-fourth of the time required by traditional vendors. Captured significant operating and capital cost savings for the $150M project. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2013 to 2014 | Employer: | Title: Senior Director Technical Services | Department: Operations |
Responsibilities:Recruited for a key role in the development and commercialization of novel processes utilizing GMO algae for biotech applications, including expression of mammary amyloid proteins for use in treating gastrointestinal disorders. Developed and demonstrated a manufacturing solution projected to generate a $100M annual revenue stream. Managed retrofit of a $30M photobioreactor plant in Indonesia. Fast-tracked commissioning of a $14M plant. Heliae faced a compressed startup schedule at a new algae production facility to due construction delays. Assembled and led a team that built an advanced MS Access database (converting hardcopy data to electronic form) to manage the process of commissioning 500+ pieces of equipment. Coordinated a vast array of engineers, operators, trade labor and equipment vendors. Brought plant online on time and within budget. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2016 to 2016 | Employer: | Title: Director | Department: Product Development R&D |
Responsibilities:Responsible for transforming legacy products that utilize PCE and PCBTF to more sustainable versions using bio-derived formulations. Responsible for milspec compliance for lubricants and degreasers. Two patents applied for. |
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Government Experience
| Years | Agency | Role | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Years: 2017 to 2017 | Agency: US DOE | Role: Grant Proposal Reviewer | Description: BETO |
| Years: 2018 to 2018 | Agency: US DOE | Role: Grant Proposal Reviewer | Description: BETO |
International Experience
| Years | Country / Region | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Years: 2002 to 2004 | Country / Region: Japan | Summary: He led the start-up of two pilot scale lignocellulosic to ethanol facilities, working daily with his Japanese counterparts at a major Japanese EPC firm. |
| Years: 2000 to 2000 | Country / Region: Italy | Summary: Developed proposal concept for 1000 TPD waste to ethanol facility submitted to EU for funding. |
| Years: 1999 to 1999 | Country / Region: Netherlands | Summary: Managed feasibility study with major ethanol producer and waste handler for production of ethanol from municipal solid wastes. |
| Years: 1998 to 1998 | Country / Region: South Africa | Summary: Managed feasibility study with major sugar producer and developed technology for production of xylose from sugar cane bagasse. |
| Years: 1985 to 1985 | Country / Region: Spain | Summary: Managed installation of real-time assessment of utility boiler cleanliness on low-rank coal. Developed report from testing program and submitted to client. |
Career Accomplishments
| Associations / Societies |
|---|
| AIChE, ACS |
| Professional Appointments |
|---|
| Alternate Committee Member ASME PTC 4.1 |
| Publications and Patents Summary |
|---|
| He has been published in industry journals and presented at major industry conferences. He has several patents on the separation of glucose and xylose. Two patents for the use of a novel bio-derived ester in degreasing and dry-cleaning processes. |
Additional Experience
| Expert Witness Experience |
|---|
| Deposed in a case involving impact of poor water quality on ethanol plant dry mill. |
| Training / Seminars |
|---|
| Completed training as a Project Management Professional. Have spoken at seminars and workshops, domestic and international, on industry topics (eg, water conservation in ethanol dry mills, conversion of sugar mill wastes to ethanol, efficiency improvement in fossil fueled power boilers, impact of urban waste conversion project on local economic development). |
| Vendor Selection |
|---|
| Evaluated/selected A/E, EPC contractors, piping and reactor suppliers, various equipment suppliers. |
| Marketing Experience |
|---|
| Marketed equipment, technology and construction services to US and International power utilities. Worked with local, state, and federal agencies to market interest in greenfield bio-based projects (biochemical and thermochemical). |
Language Skills
| Language | Proficiency |
|---|---|
| Italian | His command of the language is conversation, resulting from his upbringing in a bilingual home. He has conducted training sessions in Italy for Italian nationals in the native language. |