Dr.
Atul D Dhale
#202-Savitri Nivas, New Sneh Nagar, Wardha Road, Nagpur 440015
Cell phone: +91-9766589213, Res: +91-712-2290376, Email:
atul.dhale@rediffmail.com
Profile
Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering having more than 10 years research and industrial experience in
Process Management, Project – Engineering and Production in Pharmaceutical and Chemical
Industry. The research experience includes postdoctoral studies in US in the field of chemical and
biochemical engineering, process development of APIs and intermediates, separation technologies
such as membrane processes, reactive distillation, liquid-liquid separation also extensively studies in
waste water management in CPI for its reuse and recycle.
Currently associated with 3A Chemie Pvt Ltd, the company is in the business of pharmaceutical API
and its intermediate and also offers Engineering and Technology services in the field of Industrial and
specialty chemicals. In present capacity I have been responsible for providing leadership to various
functions like manufacturing, quality, EHS, R&D, budget, sourcing, stores, statutory compliances,
liasoning, recruitment and also responsible for business development and project engineering
division.
Competency
• Process development, Process engineering and simulation, Technology transfer / Pilot Plant
management/ Scale-up and cost reduction techniques for new and existing molecules respectively.
• Strong exposure to project management, process engineering, execution and commissioning of
chemical plants.Some working knowledge of PLCs / DCS, AutoCAD.
• Expertise in plant and process HAZOP studies, risk assessment and other safety studies.
• Expertise in Process and technology development in the field of pharmaceutical APIs and
intermediate.
• Expertise in handling hazardous chemistry, high energetic molecule, and high pressure reactions.
• Knowledge and hands on experience in downstream processing in Pharmaceutical and Biotech
Industries.
• Research in chemical and biochemical technology pertaining to product and technology
development, separation process and waste water management in CPI. The simulation studies
using process simulators Aspen Plus and CHEMCAD.
• Successfully developed and implement commercial Technology for 2-ethyl hexyl nitrate (2-EHN)
as a cetane improver and mono-methyl nitrate solution (MMN) plant in India, both plants were
first in Asia.
• More than 10 international publications and two US Patents.
Industrial Experience
3A Chemie Pvt Ltd, Nagpur, India June’04 – Present
(Company Profile: 3A Chemie Pvt. Ltd. is a company engaged in the manufacture of APIs and
Pharmaceutical Intermediates and to develop advance intermediate. Company offers advanced stage
intermediates to the leading companies in India and does contract manufacturing as well. 3A Chemie
also offer technology and Engineering Services in the field of Pharmaceutical API, Industrial
Chemicals and Industrial Explosives)
Head (Operations)
• Providing leadership to various factories functions like Production, Quality, R&D, Budget,
sourcing, stores, statutory compliances, liasoning, recruitment and also responsible for business
development and project engineering division.
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• Business development and preparation yearly budget planning and management planning to
achieve the targets, creating infrastructure, start up activities, team building and management
• Responsible for implementing quality of product and operations, internal audits, implanting quality
standards like ISO, vendor approval.
• Responsible for process and product development of APIs and intermediates and performing
techno-economic feasibility studies, process design, scale up, technology transfer and validation of
production batches, and setting the production norms.
• Responsible for de-bottlenecking & process troubleshooting, planning for new product in multi-
purpose facility according to process, cost reduction techniques for new and existing molecules
respectively.
• Analyzing the existing production process & carrying out alternations for improving the plant
capacity and cost reduction.
• Project Engineering:
Heading a Project engineering activity to develop the suitable technologies
for specialty chemicals and accordingly design the plant and offer the plant to customer on
turn-key basis. It including development of basic engineering packaged, P&ID, Plat layout,
Instrumentation and control system, fabrication of equipment, erectioning and commissioning
the plant
Successfully developed and implement commercial Technology for 2-ethyl
hexyl nitrate (2-EHN) as a cetane improver and mono-methyl nitrate solution (MMN) plant in
India which was first plant in Asia.
Larsen & Toubro Technology Center, Baroda Nov’03- June’04
Sr. Executive, Process Engineering Solutions
• Process simulation and optimization using computational tool like Aspen Plus, Hysys, CFX to
evaluate the process or design and performing economic feasibility studies using simulation.
• Responsible for coordinating project activities, conducting project review meetings, interaction
with specialists to discuss critical project issues, involving in Pre-Front End Engineering and
Design (FEED) activities, participating in safe-guarding reviews, checking of flow sheets and
P&ID diagrams etc.
• Worked on San-oil refinery & Biodiesel projects.
Torrent Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Ahmedabad June’95 - Feb’96
Scientist II (R&D)
• Work involved development and scale up of Penicillin fermentation process at pilot plant level
from shake flask data (June’95- January’96).
Apte Amalgamation Ltd, Taloja (Raigad) June’92 - Jan’93
• Jr. Executive (Production)
• The work involved plant operation for the production of diethoxylate and sodium methoxide by
reactive distillation as well as troubleshooting and whole shift activities. The process to
manufacture NaOCH3 involved packed column reactor with structured packing whereas bubble cap
tray column was used to produce diethoxyalte
Education
Doctor of Philosophy (Technology) in Chemical Engineering Feb '96-May '00
University Institute of Chemical Technology (Formally UDCT), University of Mumbai,
Matunga, Mumbai – 400 019, India
Master of Science (Technology) in Bioprocess Technology Aug' 93-May '95
(With especial emphasis on downstream processing)
University Institute of Chemical Technology (Formally UDCT), University of Bombay,
Matunga, Mumbai – 400 019, India
Bachelor of Chemical Engineering July '88-May '92
University Institute of Chemical Technology (Formally UDCT), University of Bombay,
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Matunga, Mumbai – 400 019, India
Research Experience
Visiting Research Associate June’00-July’03
Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
Dept of Chemical Engineering and Material Science Department and, Dept of Chemistry,
Research area: Reactive Separation Process
• Worked on the development of a separation process to recover polymer grade propylene glycol
(1,2-propanediol) and byproduct ethylene glycol produced from a bio-based route of sugar alcohol
hydrogenolysis by reactive distillation. The process has been investigated at bench and pilot scale
reactive distillation column and simulated using process simulation software such as Aspen Plus
and, CHEMCAD. The economic evaluation of process was also studied using CHEMCAD and
evaluate the feasibility of this novel process. The work resulted in US patent Application.
Senior Research Fellow (PhD) Feb’96 - May’00
Department of Chemical Technology, University of Bombay, Mumbai, India
Research area: Waste water Management in CPI
• Integrated processes, combined with membrane separation, sonication and wet oxidation were
developed and demonstrated to treat reactive and disperse dye bath wastewater for reuse and
discharge.
• Non catalytic and catalytic wet oxidation process developed to treat the refractory dye bath
auxiliary compounds such as, sodium salt of dodecyl benzene sulfonate
• Pretreatment method developed to reduce the load of COD and suspended matter in molasses
based distilleries waste water after biogas generation so that to treat further by
membrane/adsorption process.
Junior Research Fellow (MS) Aug’93 - May’95
Department of Chemical Technology, University of Bombay, Mumbai, India
Research area: Recovery of sulfur from H2S bearing waste gas.
• A biological process was developed for the recovery of sulfur from hydrogen sulfide bearing gas in
which absorption of gas takes place in an aqueous ferric sulfate to get elemental sulfur and reduced
ferric is oxidize in fluidized bed reactor with immobilized Thiobacillus ferrooxidans on a carbon
support
Teaching Assistantship
• Chemical Engineering Laboratory and Demonstrating Experiments for undergraduate students at
UDCT (1997-1999).
• Looked after analytical laboratory facility for research students in chemical engineering division at
UDCT (1997-2000).
• Coordinator for All India Industrial Tour for M.Sc. (Tech), Bioprocess Technology students thrice
during 1996-1998.
Experimental Skills
• Expertise in handling laboratory and pilot scale fermentors, laboratory scale high-pressure Parr
reactors, membrane separation units, pilot and plant level distillation columns, stirred tank reactors
• Experienced in design and construction of continuous catalytic distillation columns
• Expertise in performing various biological sterility tests
• Proficient in use of analytical techniques including UV spectroscopy, gas chromatography (GC),
high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), HPTLC, Coulter particle size analyzer etc.
Computer Skills
• Chemical Engineering Software: Aspen Plus, CHEMCAD, Hysys, Polymaths, MathCAD
• Proficient in UNIX, LINUX, Windows and Networking environments.
• Tools: MS offices, AutoCAD, Chem Window
• Competent in FORTRAN programming.
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Research Patent
1. Chopade S.P., Dhale A.D., Kiesling CW, Clark AM., Jackson J.E., and Miller D.J.;
Process for the Recovery of a Polyol from an Aqueous Stream, US Patent # 6,548,681, April 15,
2003.
2. Miller D.J, Jackson J.E., Chopade S.P., Dhale A.D., Kiesling CW, Clark AM., and.;
Process for the Recovery of a Polyol from an Aqueous Stream, US Patent # 6,713,640, March
30, 2004.
Research Publications
1. Dhale A.D., Jackson J.E., and Miller D.J.; Process to Recover Selective Glycol from Aqueous
Stream of Mixed Polyols via Reactive Distillation, Chem. Eng. Process, 2007
2. Dhale A.D., Myrant L.K, Chopade S.P. , Jackson J.E., and Miller D.J.; Propylene Glycol and
Ethylene Glycol Recovery from Aqueous Stream via Reactive Distillation, Chem. Eng Science,
2004, 59, 2881
3. Dhale A.D., Chopade S.P., Clark AM., Kiesling CW, Myrant L.K., Jackson J.E., and Miller
D.J.; Vopor-Liquid-Liquid-Liquid-Equilibrium (VLLE) and Vapor Pressure Data of the Systems
2-Methyl-1,4-Dioxolane (2MD) + Water and 2,4-Dimethyl- 1,4-Dioxolane (2,4DMD) + Water, J.
Chem. Eng Data, 2003, 48, 44
4. Dhale A.D., Chopade S.P., Jackson J.E., and Miller D.J. Recovery of Glycols from Aqueous
Stream, AICHE Symposium, Nov 2001, Annual Meet, Reno, Nevada.
5. Dhale A.D. and Mahajani V.V., Subcritical Mineralization of Sodium Salt of Dodecyle Benzene
Sulfonate Using Sonication – Wet Oxidation (SONIWO) Technique. Water Research, 2001, 35
(9), 2300.
6. Dhale A.D. and Mahajani V.V., Environment Management by Wet Oxidation: Wet Oxidation of
Distillery Waste after Bio-gas Generation, J. Inst. Eng. (Ind.), 2001, 81 (2), 52.
7. Dhale A.D. and Mahajani V.V., Treatment of Distillery Waste after Bio-gas Generation: Wet
Oxidation. Ind. J. Chem. Tech., 2000, 7(1), 11.
8. Dhale A.D., and Mahajani V.V., Studies in Treatment of Disperse Dye waste: Membrane -Wet
Oxidation (MEMWO) Process. 2000, Waste Management, 20 (1), 85.
9. Dhale A.D., and Mahajani V.V., Reactive Dye House Wastewater Treatment. Use of Hybrid
Technology: Membrane, Sonication Followed by Wet Oxidation. Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 1999,
35(5), 2573.
10. Dhale A.D., and Mahajani V.V., Recovery of Sulphur from H2S Bearing Gas with the Help of
Thiobacillus ferrooxidans. Ind. J. Chem. Tech. 1999, 6 (1), 120.
Other Publications
11. Dhale A.D. et.al., Environmental Pollution in Sugar Industries, Chemical Weekly, 1999, III (35),
120.
12. Dhale A.D. and Mukhopadhay S., Environmental Management System, 1998, Chemical Weekly,
XLIII (34), 145.
Research Presentations
13. Dhale A.D., Jackson J.E., Lira C.T., and Miller D.J. Reactive Distillation Strategies for Recovery
and Purification of Bio-based Chemicals, Poster presentation, AICHE Annual meet, Indianapolis,
November 2002
14. Dhale A.D., Chopade S.P., Jackson J.E., and Miller D.J. Recovery of Glycols from Aqueous
Stream, AICHE Annual Meet, Reno, Nevada, November 2001
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Awards & honors
• “Shrimati Saroma Sanyal Memorial Medal” for best paper by Institution of Engineers (India) for
the paper entitled “Environment Management by Wet Oxidation: Wet Oxidation of Distillery
Waste after Bio-gas Generation” appeared in J. Inst. Eng. (Ind.) in year 2001
• Awarded senior research fellowship for the period of February 1996-February 2000 by the
University Grant Commissions, Government of India, New Delhi
• Awarded junior research fellowship for the period of Sept 1993 – April 1995 by the Department of
Biotechnology, Government of India, New Delhi
Professional Affiliation
• AIChE associate member
• Life member of UDCT alumni association
Other achievements and activities
• Nominated twice for "Best UDCT PG Student" of the year 1999 and 2000.
• Member of the Hostel Student Committee of UDCT New Hostel, 1991-92
• Participated and involved in Two days workshop and seminar on "Water Recycle and Recovery in
CPI" organized by Indian Chemical Manufacture Association of India (ICMA) at World Trade
Centre, Mumbai, November, 1997.
• Underwent training program on Gas Chromatography at Toshniwal Instruments Ltd, Nasik,
Maharashtra, December, 1996.
Personnel
• Date of birth : November 24, 1970
• Nationality : Indian
• Marital Status : Married
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