Biofuel or Biodiesel Technology & Product Development Manager

Overview and Key Facts

What Do They Do?

A biofuel or biodiesel technology and product development manager could...

Overview Listen to this section

Soybeans, corn, grass, algae, vegetable oil: What do these things have in common? The answer is that they can be used to create biofuels, which are derived from plants or plant material. These sources are called biomass. The procedure for converting plants or vegetable oil into a biofuel is a chemical reaction that has many steps. The biofuel or biodiesel technology and product development manager is a professional who develops ways to convert the raw material into fuel and improve the types, growth, and yields of biomass sources. This green job has the potential to greatly influence how we meet our future energy needs.

Do You Have the Skills and Characteristics of a Biofuel or Biodiesel Technology & Product Development Manager?

1. Writing: ? Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
2. Judgment and Decision Making: ? Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
3. Systems Analysis: ? Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
4. Complex Problem Solving: ? Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
5. Speaking: ? Talking to others to convey information effectively.

6. Reading Comprehension: ? Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
7. Critical Thinking: ? Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
8. Active Listening: ? Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
9. Systems Evaluation: ? Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
10. Coordination: ? Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

Core Tasks

Think about if you'd like the typical tasks a Biofuel or Biodiesel Technology & Product Development Manager might do:

• Design or conduct applied biodiesel or biofuels research projects on topics, such as transport, thermodynamics, mixing, filtration, distillation, fermentation, extraction, and separation.
• Analyze data from biofuels studies, such as fluid dynamics, water treatments, or solvent extraction and recovery processes.
• 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.
• Propose new biofuels products, processes, technologies or applications based on findings from applied biofuels or biomass research projects.
• Conduct experiments on biomass or pretreatment technologies.
• Prepare biofuels research and development reports for senior management or technical professionals.
• Develop lab scale models of industrial scale processes, such as fermentation.
• Oversee biodiesel/biofuels prototyping or development projects.
• Conduct experiments to test new or alternate feedstock fermentation processes.