Dr. Madan Bhasin

• December 2008-2009 – Retired from the Dow Chemical Company December 31, 2008. Founded Innovative Catalytic Solutions LLC, on January 14, 2009. Also founded Innovative Patent Solutions LLC – a Joint Venture with Scitech Patent Art Services, to provide value added IP and patent analysis services to law firms and the industry, in general, by optimal utilization of resources in India (through SPA) and the technical experts in the U.S. ICS, LLC has also partnered with The Catalyst Group and MATRIC (Mid-Atlantic Technology Research & Innovation Center) a non-profit of R&D organization in Charleston, W.V.

• 2001-December 2008 – In 2001, post acquisition of Union Carbide by The Dow Chemical Company, Bhasin was first recognized as Scientist (equivalent Technical Ladder position to Corporate Fellow in Union Carbide) and shortly after a few months was promoted to Senior Scientist – a Director level equivalent Technical Ladder position.

• Bhasin was also elected to Leadership roles in Union Carbide and Dow, as Chairperson of the respective Scientists organizations-thereby interacting closely with Chief Scientist and the senior management of both companies. Post acquisition, Bhasin received two of the highest awards from Dow Chemical, The Herbert H. Dow Medal – given typically to only 2-4 scientists/engineers every 3-6 years (only 25 such awards have been given since 1979). Named after Company’s Founder and an exceptional scientist, Herbert H. Dow, this most prestigious Gold Medal award is given for continuous career achievements having significant impact on Dow business.

• The second award was the Dow President’s Award, which is the highest award given by the President and CEO, Andrew Liveris. This was the very first award given to any one in R&D.

Accomplishments in Intellectual Property and Patents

• Dr. Bhasin is an inventor or co–inventor of 22 U.S. Patents and four recently filed patent applications (2003-08). Out of these total patents/patent applications, 6-7 have been commercially utilized. This is an impressive commercial success rate for patented concepts.

• Dr. Bhasin is the inventor on US Patent No. 4916243, which the jury found to be infringed in Union Carbide Chems and Plastics Tech Corp v Shell Oil, No. Civ. 99-CIV-274-SLR, Civ. 99-846-SLR, 2004 WL 1305849 (D. Del); this finding was affirmed on appeal. In addition to his involvement in pre-trial litigation, Bhasin appeared as a witness at the trials. After the jury verdict in 1994 and adjustment by the court, Union Carbide was awarded more than $153 million in damages. Bhasin also provided litigation support in another patent litigation in the 1980s and more recently in an R&D Tax Credit Litigation in 2007/08.

Recent Accomplishments in Methane Coupling

• With a team of scientists and engineers, recently discovered several classes of catalysts that give 65-70+% selectivity to ethylene and ethane and C3s by oxidative coupling of methane at high pressures of 10+ atm., by the use of novel defect/disordered lanthanum oxycarbonate based catalytic compositions. This represents an important paradigm shift since no one has been able to achieve higher selectivity at higher pressures – where process economics is best. All known prior-art catalysts give 3-4% lower selectivity per one atmosphere increase in pressure. This is a significant development but important challenges remain before this route is commercially viable. This work was presented at the 14th International Congress on Catalysis, South Korea, July, 2008.

• Earlier on, Bhasin working with Keller led the pioneering discovery of several highly selective catalysts (oxides of Mn, Pb, Sb, Bi, etc.) for methane coupling to produce ethylene via unsteady state catalysis (published in1982).This work has provided a stimulus for many scientists worldwide and has now become an area of active research worldwide (over 1500 publications since the first 1982 publication (See Publications and Presentations). Though the interest in methane coupling declined in the mid- to late-1990s, it has recently (1990s to 2009) been revived. Once again, the use of methane as an alternate feedstock has become an active area of research.

• 1988 – 2001 Bhasin was promoted to Corporate Fellow in 1988, one of the top two technical positions (only 20-30 totals) for his technical contributions to Ethylene Oxide/ Ethylene Glycol business. In this role, he discovered, led a team of scientists and engineers to continuously improve the ethylene oxide catalyst and process to achieve improved efficiency and/or the production rate to the product ethylene oxide (and ethylene glycol), while reducing the emissions of greenhouse gas, carbon-dioxide.

• 1960s – 1980s In total, 11 generations of successively improved efficiency catalysts for ethylene oxide production have been developed and successfully commercialized while reducing greenhouse gas emissions of carbon dioxide. Bhasin had the dual role of both in technical as well as in supervisory capacity.

1960s – 1970s and General Accomplishments

• Developed and a variety of surface science analytical techniques (Auger, XPS, SIMS, ISS, High Resolution Scanning Auger) for characterization of various commercial and developmental catalysts. (See Patents, Publications, Presentations, etc.)

• Infrared and ESR investigations of chemisorbed species, heterogeneous and some homogeneous catalysts. (See Patents, Publications, Presentations, etc.) Also, lead the development of state-of-the-art in- situ Raman studies of working catalysts at high temperatures and pressures (Operando Spectroscopy).

• Discovered and improved Rh, Rh-Fe, and other Rh catalysts for the selective conversion of synthesis gas to ethanol, acetic acid and acetaldehyde. This work was the first reported in early 1970’s for the selective synthesis of C2- chemicals from CO + H2. These catalyst systems are still being studied and are at the corner-stone of a semi-commercial scale plant in China. (See Patents, Publications, Presentations, etc.)

• Discovered and developed highly active and selective noble metals on alpha – alumina catalyst for selective hydrogenation of diolefins that was better than those commercially available. (See Patents, Publications, Presentations, etc.). The high activity and selectivity of these catalysts stem from achieving high (10 – 40%) noble metal dispersions on macroporous alpha-alumina having only ~1 m2/g surface area.

• Discovered a toluene coupling process, using sulfur to provide bibenzyl and stilbenes in widely varying ratios. (See Patents, Publications, Presentations, etc.)

• Lead the discovery and development of auto exhaust emission control catalyst on a ~1 m2/g surface area, alpha-alumina monoliths (without any high surface area transition alumina wash coat) that were better than the “best” then current and developmental catalysts in an automobile company. High temperature thermal stability was shown to be far superior than those of the best, transition alumina wash-coated, high surface area (~100 m2/g) commercial catalysts.

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