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Expert focuses on separations and bioprocess development. His experience including identifying alternate process technologies and configurations; evaluating, modeling, specifying and supervising necessary laboratory and pilot testing; interpreting data, design, and startup; and measuring and predicting vapor-liquid and liquid-liquid equilibrium data. He has worked with the selection and design of solvents for liquid extraction. He is familiar with new process development and evaluating the impact of raw materials, processes, and product specifications on the separations process. Expert is knowledgeable of project risk factors for new technology startups for chemical and biochemical product recovery facilities with capital costs from $2 to 200 million. He can identify cost saving opportunities and perform technical and economic evaluations of emerging technologies.

He has a particular interest in lactic acid, organic acids, amino acids, alcohols, glycols, esters, amides, antioxidants, animal and plant growth factors, proteins, vitamins, microbial gums, and bio-pulp. He has identified options for recovery of antibiotic from fermentation broth.

Expert's experience includes all aspects of separations process development, from a sketch on paper to an operating 1-ton/hour facility. Some of the projects he has completed include evaluating options for recovery of insulin-like growth factor (somatomedin) from horse blood, identifying a process to remove inhibitory components from fermentation broth, and allowing reuse and effluent reduction (with potential to save over $250,000/year). He supervised and conducted hands-on bench and pilot-scale separations and reaction testing. He directed computer simulation (PROCESS½) modeling. He designed distillation, filtration, drying, ion exchange, and reaction equipment with scale-up factors of 1:40,000 and greater. Expert also developed a new hydrolysis column system using batch data and simulations that, after startup, operated and exceeded a design target of 95% conversion at 2500 lb/hr.

Expert has specified quality control laboratory setup and a process control system. He acted as the lead technical liaison person to the full-service design contractor for separation process design. He managed research and development projects and helped meet aggressive timing and budget objectives (50 months from concept to startup with completed facility budget $15 million less than the initial estimate). He has written patents and patent drafts for various new process concepts.

Expert has experience in the brewing and fermentation industry. He has completed various assignments, including identifying processes to remove inhibitory components from fermentation broth and allowing the reuse and effluent reduction (with potential to save over $250,000/year). Expert has reviewed business and research plans for a proposed $125 MM/yr business venture. He evaluated and tested pilot-scale solid-state fermentation. He recommended directions for lactic acid fermentation research program. He has analyzed the economics and recommended research directions for fermentation procedures to produce 1,2-propanediol from glucose. He has also performed routine quality control tests for a beer manufacturing facility.

Expert has experience with solvent selection and extractant design using a combinatorial program, property databases, and heuristic rules.

Expert has extensive experience with esterification and hydrolysis process system design, testing, modeling and scale-up.

At Kiwichem, Expert uses in-house software packages to model aeration in fermentation and mass transfer in gas-liquid mixing systems.