Mike Cockrem

Consultant, KiwiChem International Inc.

Commercialization: With detailed involvement in technology and/or scale-up: 300 - 3000 hour effort

  • 1,3-propanediol              > 50,000 tonne/year       Loudon, TN                       Startup 2006     
  • Methylene-malonates     mini-works                     Cincinnati, OH                  Startup 2013
  • Succinic acid                  > 30,000 tonne/year       Sarnia, Ontario, Canada      Startup 2015
  • Isoprene                          > 10,000 tonne/year      S.E. Asia                              Startup 2017
  • 1,4-butanediol                > 100,000 tonne/year     North America                    Startup 2018

Commercialization: With limited involvement as technical advisor: 30 - 300 hour effort

  • Glycerine                       > 50,000 tonne/year        Frankfurt, Germany      
  • Ethanol from CO          > 50 tonne/year                New Zealand               

Technology Innovation:  Including 14 issued & 5 pending US patents

  • BioAmber, Cargill, DuPont, KiwiChem, LanzaTech, LS9, Tate& Lyle, WARF
  • Separation & reaction technologies for chemicals

Due Diligence: For Venture & Corporate Investors

  • Approximately 20 technical & economic analyses for $2 to $300 Million investments
  • Follow-on early stage consulting and guidance

Process Development Consulting: Guiding Concept to Commercialization:  New Chemical Processes

  • Conceptualize, design, scale-up, scale-down, & test reaction & separation technologies
  • Prepare detailed mass & energy balances, capital and operating costs, FEL-I and II estimates
  • Prepare rigorous process & economic models using industry benchmark ASPEN software
  • Lead or advise teams of up to 20 people to implement manufacturing process scale-up
  • Run experiments (on site, hands-on, at the bench or in the pilot plant)
  • Analyze data - detailed data review, attention to details
  • Specify raw material and product quality needs and controls, analytical methods

Scientific Advising

  • Provide scientific guidance to BioAmber, Bioformix, and others

Training and Awards

  • B. Tech (Biotechnology), Massey University, New Zealand                                1980
  • Fulbright Scholar                                                                                                1980
  • Ph.D. (Chemical Engineering), University of Wisconsin-Madison                     1987
  • DuPont Sustainable Growth Award                                                                    2005
  • Presidential Green Chemistry Award                                                                  2011