Summary
Source: O*Net |
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In Demand!Nature of the Work
Much of the energy that we use today comes from fossil fuels like coal and oil. But because fossil fuels come from the Earth, they are a limited resource. Scientists are looking at alternative sources of fuel, like the sun, wind, and water, to someday replace fossil fuels as our primary source of energy. These alternative sources of energy are renewable. This means that they are naturally replenished. Biofuel is an alternative source of renewable energy. Biofuels, like ethanol, biodiesel, and vegetable oil, are derived from plants and plant materials. Algae, switchgrass, and used vegetable oil from fast-food restaurants are examples of what can be used to create biofuel. Sources like these are called feedstocks.
Biofuel or biodiesel technology and product development managers are responsible for all aspects of converting raw plants and plant material into biofuel, including finding methods for growing feedstocks. They discover new ways to efficiently produce and use that energy. It takes energy to fertilize, cultivate, and process plants into biofuel. Biofuel or biodiesel technology and product development managers strive to make sure that the energy from using biofuels is greater than the energy used to create it. An early feedstock for ethanol biofuel was corn. However, the amount of energy required to create ethanol from corn is too great. Thus, biofuel or biodiesel technology and product development managers work on creating ethanol from lignocellulosic feedstock, like the byproducts from paper mills as well as stems and stalks from crops. These managers must understand the principles of microbial conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into biofuels. They must be familiar with genetic engineering of microorganisms and hydrocarbon synthesis pathways.
Another feedstock for biofuel (biodiesel) is algae. Two advantages of algae are that it can be grown in contaminated water or land that is not suitable for food production and that it generates 15 times more oil per acre than other kinds of feedstock. Some biofuel or biodiesel technology and product development managers work on creating new strains of algae, characterizing them using different kinds of analytical tools and comparing them to natural strains. They investigate different methods of growing algae, in open ponds or in photobioreactors, and evaluate the various strains under different growth conditions.
Because wide-scale use of biofuels relies on making them plentiful, biofuel or biodiesel technology and product development managers work on converting lab processes into a commercial, low-cost, and high-performance process. They troubleshoot process abnormalities and investigate the root cause of failures.
 This video from Washington State University highlights innovators Drs. Bill Pan and Su Ha and discusses biofuel production. |
Work Environment
Biofuel or biodiesel technology and product development managers work for universities, government, and oil and gas companies. Biofuel or biodiesel technology and product development managers work indoors, and they must perform their jobs accurately and with a lot of attention to detail in order to complete every task. Usually, they work regular hours in offices or laboratories and are not exposed to unsafe or unhealthy conditions. Biofuel or biodiesel technology and product development managers who work with dangerous organisms or toxic substances in the laboratory must follow strict safety procedures to avoid contamination. Some biochemists depend on grant money to support their research. They may be under pressure to meet deadlines and conform to rigid grant-writing specifications when preparing proposals to seek new or extended funding.
Training, Other Qualifications
It is common for biofuel or biodiesel technology and product development managers to spend a period of time working as a postdoctoral (after receiving a PhD) student in the laboratory of a senior researcher, especially for those who want to conduct research or teach at the university level.
Education and Training
The minimum degree required for a position as a biofuel or biodiesel technology and product development manager is a bachelor's degree in chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, chemical engineering, or related field. With a bachelor's degree, employers will require that candidates have five to ten years of extensive experience in the biofuels or biodiesels area. With a master's degree, candidates are expected to have two to five years of experience. In many cases, entry-level positions are open to candidates with PhDs with minimal work experience. Candidates with PhDs can teach and perform cutting-edge research at the university level.
Return to top of page...Other Qualifications
Biofuel or biodiesel technology and product development managers should be able to work independently or as part of a team and be able to communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing. Those in private industry, especially those who aspire to management or administrative positions, should possess strong business and communication skills and be familiar with regulatory issues and marketing and management techniques.
Return to top of page...On the Job
- Conduct research to breed or develop energy crops with improved biomass yield, environmental adaptability, pest resistance, production efficiency, bioprocessing characteristics, or reduced environmental impacts.
- Oversee biodiesel/biofuels prototyping or development projects.
- Propose new biofuels products, processes, technologies or applications based on findings from applied biofuels or biomass research projects.
- Analyze data from biofuels studies, such as fluid dynamics, water treatments, or solvent extraction and recovery processes.
- Conduct experiments on biomass or pretreatment technologies.
- Conduct experiments to test new or alternate feedstock fermentation processes.
- Design chemical conversion processes, such as etherification, esterification, interesterification, transesterification, distillation, hydrogenation, oxidation or reduction of fats and oils, and vegetable oil refining.
- Design or conduct applied biodiesel or biofuels research projects on topics such as transport, thermodynamics, mixing, filtration, distillation, fermentation, extraction, and separation.
- Design or execute solvent or product recovery experiments in laboratory or field settings.
- Develop methods to estimate the efficiency of biomass pretreatments.
- Develop methods to recover ethanol or other fuels from complex bioreactor liquid and gas streams.
- Develop separation processes to recover biofuels.
- Perform protein functional analysis and engineering for processing of feedstock and creation of biofuels.
- Prepare biofuels research and development reports for senior management or technical professionals.
- Prepare, or oversee the preparation of, experimental plans for biofuels research or development.
- Provide technical or scientific guidance to technical staff in the conduct of biofuels research or development.
- Develop carbohydrates arrays and associated methods for screening enzymes involved in biomass conversion.
- Develop computational tools or approaches to improve biofuels research and development activities.
- Develop lab scale models of industrial scale processes, such as fermentation.
Companies That Hire Biofuel or Biodiesel Technology & Product Development Managers
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Additional Information
Sources
- O*Net Online. (2009). National Center for O*Net Development. Retrieved May 1, 2009, from http://online.onetcenter.org/
- Thomson Reuters. (2008, August). Special Topics/Biofuels: Dr. Gerhard Knothe. ScienceWatch.com. Retrieved June 9, 2011, from sciencewatch.com/ana/st/biofuels/08augSTbioKnothe
- Washington State University. (2011, March 29). Growing a clean energy future: the power of renewable biofuels takes flight. YouTube.com. Retrieved June 23, 2011, from www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AyFR7qMWyA
- ExxonMobil. (n.d.). Energy & Technology: Algae biofuels. Retrieved June 23, 2011, from www.exxonmobil.com/Corporate/energy_vehicle_algae.aspx
- University of Virginia. (2008, August 19). Algae: biofuel of the future? ScienceDaily.com. Retrieved June 23, 2011, from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080818184434.htm
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