Szabolcs Biro Ph.D.
Experienced in bitumen and asphalt, downstream technologies and hydrocarbon processing.
Most recently Szabolcs is a principal engineering consultant at Bitumen Engineering where he is involved at the highest level of decision making and budgeting besides engineering activities such as equipment design or new product development. His personality consists of a good blend of leadership (not just managing) and technical expertise.
World patent and US patent pending
know-hows
peer reviewed journal papers
technical conference presentations
In the USA, Szabolcs held an O-1 visa, which is given only to aliens with extraordinary abilities in the sciences etc.
Before joining STRATCO, Inc. Szabolcs worked at the Asphalt Rubber Technology Service (ARTS) research center in South Carolina, USA as a research engineer.
Representative accomplishments include:
• He is the main inventor of the world patented chemically stabilized asphalt rubber material and technology (WO/2007/068990). The biggest Oil & Gas Company in Middle Europe (MOL Group) has constructed and been operating a new plant based on this invention.
• Sold a $500,000.00 piece of STRATCO Contactor reactor for grease application within the shortest period of time in the company’s 82 years of history.
Before moving to the US, he was awarded one of the highest awards in chemical technology from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in his native country (granted for only one person each year under the age of 35).
He has been author to numerous technical papers and international presentations.
Holds a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from University of Veszprem (Hungary, Europe), a British IChemE accredited university with a concentration in bitumens / asphalts, hydrocarbon processing and petrochemistry. He graduated from the same university with a MEng is chemical engineering and a postgraduate degree in R&D engineering. During his engineering studies he completed two years of graduate economics studies as well.
Szabolcs lives in Budapest, Hungary with his wife and child. He leads a healthy and active lifestyle participating in healthy cooking, formulation of natural cosmetics besides various sport activities (he used to be the captain of the university’s soccer team for 4 years).
Recommendations
Experience & Achievements
Research Projects
Education and Awards
Publications
Recommendations
Here are a few lines as recommendations about my professional experience, work and attitude from various people around the world.
Experience & Achievements
Principal Engineering Consultant │ October 2011 - present
Principal Engineering Consultant │ October 2011 – present
Bitumen Engineering, Budapest, Hungary
Bitumen Engineering is a technical consulting group, which provides custom designed technically advanced and economically viable solutions for various industries whom are utilizing bituminous materials.
• Leading of a program to develop and introduce various asphalt rubber binder formulas and asphalts into Hungary.
• Development of a brand new approach in modified bitumen formulation focusing of feasibility aspects.
• Elaborating complete technology transfer projects in the bitumen area to open new markets.
• Planning and implementing majority of future strategies of the company including marketing.
• Meeting with clients and business partners.
• Managing research and consulting projects, while responsible for budgeting and expense activities for certain projects.
Senior Chemical Engineer │ June 2008 - Sept. 2011
Senior Chemical Engineer │ June 2008 – September 2011
STRATCO, Inc., Scottsdale, Arizona, USA
Since 1928, STRATCO has been a leading provider of specialized blending and reaction equipment for grease, lubricants, bitumen / asphalt, reformulated gasoline, biodiesel, roofing materials and other hydrocarbon processing and petrochemical areas.
Targeted experience in the areas of bitumen/asphalt technologies and lubricating grease; areas of material, equipment and feasibility.
• Involved in tender bids, technical proposal preparation, creating cost estimates, and quote projects.
• Creating engineering studies that include economic analyses and process simulations.
• Developing process flow diagrams (PFD), material specifications.
• Managing various sized, mostly technology transfer projects.
• Performing lab tests and preparing evaluations to correlate lab procedures to commercial scale operations and equipment.
• Managing relationships with third party partners, represent the Company at conferences, trade association meetings and sales calls.
• Serving as project manager for contracting subdivision of the Company when necessary; responsible for certain budgeting part in the given project as well.
Assistant Professor │ February 2005 - April 2006
Department of Hydrocarbon and Coal Processing, University of Veszprem, Hungary
Department of Hydrocarbon and Coal Processing of the University of Veszprem is the number one source of specialized chemical engineers for the largest Oil & Gas Company in Hungary (MOL Group).
• Lead a research group of eight people, whose goal was to solve various, existing industrial problems. Research required planning, execution and data analysis using lab, and pilot plant scale test units.
• Acquired broad teaching experience and presentation skills by running tutorials and laboratory work on hydrocarbon processing, equipment design (e.g. heat exchangers) and rheology (2000-2006).
• Primary focus on applied research and development projects for commercial companies.
• Experience also includes refining technologies, hydrocarbon testing methods, design on process, equipment and experiments, technical reporting and literature review writing.
Research Engineer │ May 2006 - December 2007
Research Engineer │ May 2006 – December 2007
Asphalt Rubber Technology Service (ARTS), Department of Civil Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, USA
Asphalt Rubber Technology Service promotes the practical utilization of scrap tires in hot mix asphalt as well as other civil engineering applications through research, training, education, and technology transfer.
• Research on stabilization methods, flow property improvers for modified bitumen, warm asphalts and mixtures.
Graduate Research Assistant │ Sept. 2000 - Jan. 2005
Department of Hydrocarbon and Coal Processing, University of Veszprem, Hungary
At the Department recipient of an industrial scholarship funded by the Hungarian Oil and Gas PLC, which required to work on practical, real life problems instead of theoretical research.
• Supervised 13 graduate students during their scientific research (2002-2005). Worked on experimental design, data analysis, report writing and technical presentations.
• Performed applied research on various hydrocarbon related fields for the MOL group, the leading O&G Company in Middle Europe.
Education and Awards
Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering │ 2005
Department of Hydrocarbon and Coal Processing, University of Veszprem (lately renamed to University of Pannonia), Hungary
• Graduated with summa cum laude.
• Recipient of an industrial scholarship funded by the Hungarian Oil and Gas PLC, which aimed to work on practical, real life problems instead of perform purely scientific research.
• Research topic: polymer modified bitumens and asphalt │ hydrocarbon processing.
Postgraduate degree* in Research and Development Engineering
Department of Hydrocarbon and Coal Processing, University of Veszprem, Hungary
• Major in hydrocarbon processing │ bitumens and asphalt │ rheology │ 2005
* Postgraduate degree hierarchically lies between MEng and Ph.D. To start the course MEng studies have to be completed.
MEng in Chemical Engineering (accredited by the British IChemE)
Department of Physical Chemistry and Department of Hydrocarbon and Coal Processing, University of Veszprem, Hungary │2000
• Major in corrosion protection │ downstream technologies │ hydrocarbon processing
Studies of Economics │ 2000-2002
Department of Applied Economics, University of Veszprem, Hungary
AWARDS / SCHOLARSHIPS
• Researcher of the Year Award │ 2005
Granted to only one person annually in the entire country by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences for contributions in chemical technology.
• Best Presentation Award │ 2004
First place in a national competition granted by the Hungarian Oil and Gas PLC (MOL group).
• Eotvos State Scholarship │ 2006
Granted to only 4 people in entire Hungary each year.
List of Publications
Complete and up to date list of peer reviewed journals and other papers.
Research Projects
MAJOR RELEVANT RESEARCH PROJECTS, September 2000 – Present
In almost all projects responsible for: group leading, literature review, experiment design, problem solving, test method development, economical calculations, involved in sample testing, data collection, result analysis, technical report / feasibility study / patent writing.
- Viscosity decreasing additive and its application method to reduce viscosity of modified bitumens on a new, economically efficient way (US patent application was submitted (serial: 61/097,992 – main inventor)).
- Warm asphalt like additive with activated surface to reduce asphalt mixing temperature.
- Chemically stabilized rubber bitumens and their production methods to decrease industrial production cost, improve performance. Applications include road construction for the Hungarian Oil and Gas PLC (patented (WO/2007/068990) – main inventor).
- Rheology-based measurement technique aiming to determine phase viscosity for crude oil – water emulsions.
- Bitumen aging model to estimate changes of flow properties of polymer modified bitumens caused by heat and oxygen hardening (applied by Danube Refinery of Hungarian Oil and Gas (MOL) Group).
- Modified bitumen-water emulsion for sealer (patent in preparation).
- Development of high performance hybridized modified bitumens for paving.
- Storage stability improver additives for modified bitumens using pure and waste polymers (3 know-hows obtained).
- Polymer modified bitumen to improve the high temperature performance of roofing bitumen in an economically feasible way.
- Solvent based sealer for building industrial applications, containing SBS, SIS and CRM.
- Development of a viscosity decreasing method for an existing commercial sealer (served as a technical consultant).
- Develop modified bitumen standard for Colorado Department of Transportation, USA for a new type of modified bitumen.