Expert Details
Mercury Recovery/Recycling
ID: 108169
New York, USA
• Large steel tanks nondestructive inspection with ultrasound, magnetic particle, dye penetrant, X-ray, and gamma-ray
• Large tank repair and corrosion protection
• fracture analysis of components made of metals, plastics, glass, rubber, ceramic, and concrete
• Aerial drone inspection of large tank-roofs, high rise structures, and real estate in association with pilots who are licensed by the FAA per CFR 14 Part 107 (Rule 107)
• PCB and mercury contamination issues
• He is an expert witness in metallic and non-metallic failures, plumbing fixtures, medical devices.
MERCURY RECOVERY. As a metallurgical engineer, Expert has more than five years of experience in air pollution control. He has used baghouses and electrostatic precipitators for particulate control. To remove hydrocarbons from water he has used bio-filters and stripping columns. He has also used bio-filters for odor control and activated carbon columns to strip hydrocarbons and mercury from reactor effluents-gases or liquids.
ACTIVATED CARBON. Expert has more than five years of experience in producing a variety of grades of activated carbon and its beneficial use, including air and mercury water pollution. He has devised a way to produce activated carbon from coal and coconut shells. He offers expertise in scavenging mercury from medical and municipal incinerators using activated carbon. He also provides expertise in the disposal of spent activated carbon that contains mercury.
CHEMICAL SOIL LEACHING. Expert is familiar with the leaching of lead-contaminated soil by water and acids.
CONTAMINATED SOIL; MERCURY REMOVAL; SOIL REMEDIATION. Expert is experienced with removing mercury from contaminated soil by soil washing, retorting soils and mercury bearing materials, and sealing mercury-contaminated soils in cement and polymers. In addition, he remediated soil contaminated with petroleum products by soil venting, bacteria leaching, and oxygen injection.
GOLD MINING. Expert has expert knowledge in recovery of gold from placer deposits using mercury amalgamation. He can answer questions on the treatment of blanket concentrates of gold with mercury and problems associated with mercury that has been discharged from gold amalgamation operations. He has also worked on remediation of former gold mining sites now contaminated with mercury.
HAZARDOUS WASTE. With more than three years of experience in mercury hazardous waste disposal, Expert has knowledge of the treatment of activated carbon saturated with mercury, acid water solutions containing mercury, and mercury salts and/or organo-mercury compounds.
HAZARDOUS WASTE RECYCLING. Expert has recycled elemental mercury from electronic components, thermostats, batteries, and contaminated soil by various means: gravity separation, retorting, metal precipitation, and regeneration of activated carbon.
HAZARDOUS WASTE TREATMENT. His experience has allowed Expert to gain expertise in treating hazardous wastes solutions containing mercury, chlorinated hydrocarbons, cyanides, and heavy metals.
HEAVY METAL. Familiar with lead, copper, nickel, and iron smelting and refining, Expert has in-depth knowledge of the recovery of heavy metals from ores by grinding, flotation, gravity separation, and tabling. He has worked with the cleaning of concentrates, smelting of ore concentrates, and slag and tailings disposal.
HEAVY METAL REMOVAL. Expert has worked with heavy metal removal from dilute and concentrated aqueous solutions by precipitation, adsorption, reverse osmosis, ion-flotation, liquid/liquid extraction, and ion exchange.
HEAVY METAL SOIL REMEDIATION. Expert has removed heavy metals from the soil by gravity separation washing, jigging, tabling, leaching, trench interception, retorting, and amalgamation with mercury.
WATER POLLUTION CONTROL. To prevent water pollution, Expert has been actively removing mercury from industrial effluents (gas, water, and soil). In addition, he can answer in-depth questions of in situ treatment of aquifers contaminated with heavy metals and mercury.
MERCURY SAFETY. Because of his extensive background working with mercury, Expert has gained knowledge of the safe handling of mercury metal and mercury compounds. In addition, he is familiar with the instrumental methods for detecting mercury vapor in confined spaces, ventilation requirements for handling mercury, and personal protective equipment for handling mercury.
Education
| Year | Degree | Subject | Institution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year: 1969 | Degree: PhD | Subject: Metallurgical Engineering | Institution: University of Missouri-Rolla |
| Year: 1965 | Degree: MS | Subject: Metallurgical Engineering | Institution: McGill University |
| Year: 1961 | Degree: BS | Subject: Metallurgical Engineering | Institution: McGill University |
Work History
| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
|---|---|---|---|
| Years: 2000 to Present | Employer: Undisclosed | Title: President/Consultant | Department: |
Responsibilities:Corrosion Services specializes in the protection of metals against corrosion.• He has conducted tank inspections material failures investigations, steel, plastic, and fiberglass-reinforced plastic • External and internal cathodic protection of large steel water and fuel oil tanks • Cathodic protection of gas pipelines • He writes protocols and witnesses nondestructive/destructive tests in material testing laboratories related to metal, plastic, glass, and concrete failures. • He has consulted in all matters related to emissions from non-ionizing sources such as telecommunication cellular antennas, dish antennas, radio, and TV antennas. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1998 to 2000 | Employer: Plug Power, Inc. | Title: Fuel Cell Metallurgist | Department: |
Responsibilities:Investigated corrosion failures and recommended fuel cell materials on construction: stainless steel, rubber gaskets, epoxy coatings, etc. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1998 to 2000 | Employer: Plug Power | Title: Senior Engineer | Department: |
Responsibilities:Investigating failures and design problems in experimental fuel cells (5-15KW). |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1995 to 1998 | Employer: Mercury Refining Company | Title: Chief Engineer | Department: |
Responsibilities:Refining of mercury and precious metals from electronic scrap. In charge of all technical aspects of mercury retort plant operations, air pollution abatement, water disposal, and mercury recovery. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1992 to 1994 | Employer: Ernie Morris, Inc. | Title: Metallurgical Engineer | Department: |
Responsibilities:On assignment to GE Plastics, Selkirk performed corrosion failures investigations, scale removal from water mains. In addition, chemical engineering investigations included cost analysis of utilities: steam, nitrogen, oxygen, plant-air, and water solutions. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1990 to 1992 | Employer: Domermuth Enviromnmental Services | Title: Lead Engineer | Department: Metcalf and Eddy, Anderson Division, Rensselaer and Petrochem |
Responsibilities:Performed nondestructive testing of above-ground storage tanks; planning and fieldwork related to contaminated soils; project cost estimates and numerical simulation of the spread of contaminated groundwater using MODFLOW simulator. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1984 to 1990 | Employer: Occidental Petroleum/Cities Service | Title: Senior Advisor | Department: |
Responsibilities:Worked on reservoir size and production simulation. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1978 to 1984 | Employer: Occidental Petroleum/Cities Service | Title: Senior Process Engineer | Department: |
Responsibilities:Supervised a high-temperature and pressure hydrogen-based pilot facility for conversion of coal and shale oil into liquid hydrocarbons. Modeled operations of a high-viscosity crude in a 160-mile long pipeline, gas, water, and steam metering and flow simulation in pipelines. Winner of an R&D pilot operation of a grant from the US Department of Energy, the US Maritime Administration, he budgeted and carried out the experimental fueling program of an ocean vessel using an experimental fuel. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1973 to 1977 | Employer: Union Carbide Corp. | Title: Senior Engineer | Department: |
Responsibilities:PILOT Plant on a refractory failure investigation, a 3500 Degree Fahrenheit hearth designed for waste incineration in a pure oxygen atmosphere, electrostatic precipitators, water clarification in a closed system loop, optimization of a wet scrubber, and electrostatic precipitator operations. Coalcon – Pilot Plant design and operations of fluid bed conversion of coal into transportation fuel (projects were financed by USDOE), operations of a mini-plant, and cold modeling of a fluid bed system. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1972 to 1973 | Employer: Acres American and Acres Consulting Services | Title: | Department: |
Responsibilities:On assignment to Republic Steel Co., Buffalo, NY. Redesign of the water recirculation system for blast furnaces, coke ovens, and rolling mill. Surveys of landfills, incinerators, and design of treatment for disposal of industrial wastes. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1969 to 1973 | Employer: Falconbridge Nickel Mines | Title: | Department: |
Responsibilities:Responsible for disposal of mine-mill tailings and wastewater treatment. Specified pumps and pipeline materials for handling high acidity mineral slurries for treatment and disposal. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1961 to 1961 | Employer: Canadian National Railways | Title: Metallurgical Engineer | Department: Metallurgical Laboratory |
Responsibilities:Performed metallographic failures investigation, an inspection of plating quality, fatigue testing of critical rolling stock. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1959 to 1959 | Employer: Rolls Royce of Canada | Title: Student in Training | Department: |
Responsibilities:Welding Tester, Metallographic preparation, and microscope inspection of failed components. Investigation of failure of the beryllium-copper alloy due to faulty heat treatment. Investigation of heat-affected zones due to welding on failed 17-4PH aircraft engine components. |
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Career Accomplishments
| Associations / Societies |
|---|
| American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AICE), Member National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE), Member The Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industries (TAPPI), North Eastern, New York, Member |
| Licenses / Certifications |
|---|
| Licensed Professional Engineer: New York, Vermont, California, and Texas Senior Corrosion Technologist, National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE) |
| Awards / Recognition |
|---|
| He received a "Corrosion Engineer Recognition" from the National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE). |
| Publications and Patents Summary |
|---|
| Presentations: During the past 10 years, Expert presented to several forums of Northern New York engineering societies on cathodic protection of steel in concrete, soil, and structures such as geothermal wells and water tanks, and sewage plants. US Patents: 7 Patents pending: 4 Articles: 16 Books: 2 |
Additional Experience
| Expert Witness Experience |
|---|
| Cases to date: 10 |
| Training / Seminars |
|---|
| Education and Training • NY Pulp and paper industrial safety TAPPISAFE with current 2018-2019 ID Number 1200582166 and ISN safety certification for the safe operation of storage and chemical tanks in the pulp and paper and mining industries • NACE International 5-day course “CP Certification & Training, Level 3,” 2013 • 10-Hour OSHA Hazard Recognition Training for the Construction Industry, UC San Diego Extension, October 2014 • Lectured on corrosion of steel in concrete and in soil, March 2006, Society of Professional Engineers, Albany, • ASM International 3-day course in Thermal Spray Technology, Montreal, Canada, June 2000 • NARDA Microwave East, 5-day course in Non-Ionizing Radiation Survey, Hauppauge, NY, January 2000 • NACE International, “Certified Senior Corrosion Technologist, Certification,” 1997 • NACE International 5-day course “CP Certification & Training, Level 3,” 2001 • 16-hour examination requirement for Chemical Engineer’s Professional Engineering Licensure in the State of New York, June 1995 • Tulsa University, Tulsa, OK, “Numerical Methods,” Fall 1988; “Fundamentals of Scientific Computing,” Spring 1989 • Ph.D., Metallurgical Engineering, University of Missouri, Rolla • Master of Science, Metallurgical Engineering, McGill University • Bachelor of Science, Metallurgical Engineering, McGill University |
Fields of Expertise
activated carbon, air pollution control, chemical soil leaching, contaminated soil, contaminated soil treatment, gold mining, hazardous waste recycling, hazardous waste treatment, heavy metal analysis, heavy metal removal, heavy metal soil remediation, mercury, mercury recovery, mercury recycling, mercury removal, metal amalgam, soil remediation, soil leaching, soil contaminant, surface mining, heavy metal removal equipment, mercury regulation, heavy metal chemistry, mercury barometer, mercury porosimetry, soil washing, high-purity mercury, mercury cell, air pollution control system, mercury control technology, hazardous waste remediation, heavy metal toxicity, hydrogen sulfide removal, electronics metallurgy, vapor control, mercury compound, air pollution process, soil venting, water pollution control, heavy metal soap, hazardous waste, mercury chemistry, metal removal, mercury environmental effect, iron removal, heavy metal, hazardous waste removal operation, hazardous waste materials reuse