Nelson Brown

About Nelson Brown

I am a Chemical Engineer who enjoys seeing processes be developed, optimized, and, ultimately, scaled to commercialization. Inventure’s core business focuses on using renewable resources to create value out of streams traditionally seen as low or zero-value waste via novel sustainable chemical processes. Working at Inventure has given me the opportunity to take on multiple roles (bench-level R&D, pilot plant operation, plant engineering/scale-up, plant commissioning/start-up, toll manufacturing, client interaction, economic analysis, analytical chemistry, etc.) and develop my skills as an engineer.

Experience

1. Chemical Engineer

   Inventure Renewables, Inc

   Jul 2019 — Present · Birmingham, AL, US

   Co-developed a novel process to convert acid-containing waste feedstocks into renewable biofuel and spearheaded efforts to engineer and scale the process to commercial level - Guided the start-up and commissioning of a \"first of its kind\" facility designed to valorize waste streams from edible oil refining into usable oleochemical building blocks- Provided technology/engineering input for the engineering/construction of a plant using patented Inventure technology to convert waste oils into biodiesel without the use of catalyst. Upon mechanical completion of the project, I went on-site to guide the client and ensure successful start-up and commissioning of the plant- Assisted with the research and development of a \"green\" process to convert woody biomass into dissolving pulp (contrasted with standard Kraft pulping methods)- Optimizes and improves chemical processes using a variety of laboratory and pilot scale equipment. Heavy emphasis on valorizing streams that are traditionally seen as waste by-products from other processes (e.g. used cooking oil, beef tallow, poultry fat, distillers corn oil, baghouse dust, coal fly ash, soapstock, etc.)- Ensures successful execution of capital projects via detail-oriented generation/review/editing of relevant documentation, such as: Mass and Energy balances, Process Flow Diagrams (PFDs), Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams (P & IDs), Equipment sizing (pumps, heat exchangers, vessels, etc.), HAZOP, SOPs, etc- Utilizes bench and pilot data (reaction rates, equilibrium, separations, etc.) to scale processes to commercial scale (up to >100x scale-up ratio)- Uses process simulation software (ASPEN Plus) to aid in scale-up/commercialization efforts (equipment sizing, mass and energy balances, process optimization, etc.)- Assists with the toll manufacturing of a variety of specialty chemicals for various customers- Improves existing 3rd party industrial processes via structured research programs

Education

• The University of Alabama

  Bachelor of Science (BS)