Engineer Process
Resume:
Christina Houston (Karni)
*******@*****.***
Education
B.S.: Chemical Engineering, Minor: Materials Science and Engineering,
University of Tennessee, 2009
Summary of Qualifications
Three years of experience in pilot plant process development, operation,
and analysis, and two years of experience in extraction research. Specific
technical experience includes design, operation, and research of advanced
energy and biofuels research programs including biomass gasification,
syngas to liquid fuels catalysis, Fischer-Tropsch related processes, acid
hydrolysis, sugar refining, and a variety of separation processes including
CO2 absorption, HCl absorption, waste evaporation, solid-liquid separation,
sugar fractionation, distillation (including azeotropic distillation), ion-
exchange, solvent extraction, solvent purification, and microfiltration.
Professional Experience
Virdia, Process Engineer II, Danville, VA (10/11 - Present)
Supporting the design, construction, operation, and research of an acid
hydrolysis biomass to fermentable sugars pilot plant demonstration.
. Process Development
o Led and aided development and research of 5 plant trials on
different process configurations and/or feed stocks and established
associated documentation for each unit operation
o Successfully validated 3 feed stocks on optimal process
configurations
. Process Engineering
o Developed and continuously improved standard operating procedures
and control narratives for acid hydrolysis, solvent extraction,
solvent purification, secondary hydrolysis, distillation, and ion
exchange
o Developed material balances for several systems including acid
absorption, acid hydrolysis (including different configurations),
solvent extraction, and ion exchange
o Developed and updated process and instrumentation diagrams for
pilot plant
. Project Support
o Shift supervision, training, and leading operations
o Coordinate safety training for OSHA General Industry Outreach
Training, (personal protective equipment, hazard communication,
control of hazardous energy, etc), and Compliance, (waste
management and compliance, air permit compliance, chemical
reporting/recordkeeping, DOT hazardous materials, accident
investigation)
o Aided each PHA and HAZOP for startup as well as new system designs
o Developed and updated sample key for process evaluation
. Selected many of the analysis needed for operational control
and research needs
. Coordinate analysis and schedule with analytical team
Southern Research Institute, Process Engineer, Durham, NC (1/10 - 09/11)
. Supported the operation of thermochemical and catalytic conversion
processes for production of syngas from biomass and municipal solid
waste, cleaning of syngas, and conversion of syngas to liquid fuels
including ethanol and diesel
. Acted as process engineer and lead operator of process development units
(PDUs) supervising safe operations and staff activities. Responsible for
analyses of PDU process and operational data and recommendations for
operational advancements
. Served as the analytical supervisor of an acid hydrolysis biomass to
fermentable sugars pilot plant demonstration. Responsibilities included:
o Development and implementation of Standard Operating Procedures
o Material balances and data and engineering analyses
o QA/QC adherence
o Analytical support and operator training and supervision
Department of Homeland Security, Internship, (December 2009)
Utilizing open literature and PHREEQC to model and predict solid-liquid
distribution coefficients and contaminant transport of a variety of systems
that include dissolved metals/radionuclides, water, and various solids
. This research also entails an intense understanding of geochemical
properties
. Paper regarding research submitted for publishing
The University of Tennessee, Undergraduate Research Assistant, (2007-2009)
. Extraction Testing for different aqueous and organic ratios and
calculated distribution coefficients for the removal of acetic acid as
a waste stream in the UREX+ process
. Solubility testing to determine water content of different aqueous and
organic ratios
. Break testing in order to find continuous phase and dispersion numbers
of the aqueous-organic solution in order to facilitate Annular
Centrifugal Contactor research and worked with Annular Centrifugal
Contactor
. Developed prediction of mean ionic activities for an aqueous
electrolyte solution using the extended adsorption isotherm through
which paper was published
Publications
. Published Paper: Karni, C. M., Rains, W. O., Counce, R. M.,
Watson, J. S., Spencer, B. B. and Cul, G. D. Del(2010) 'Water and
Mean Ionic Activities of Aqueous HNO3 Solutions Calculated from an
Extension of the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) Model', Separation
Science and Technology, 45: 12, 1894 - 1900.
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