Paul O'connor MSc

Paul O’ Connor was born in Curaçao, The Netherlands Antilles. He graduated at the Eindhoven University of Technology in Chemical Engineering in 1977 with a M.Sc. Thesis on Fluidization of powders with Prof. Kees Rietema. In 2006 he formed his first start-up: BIOeCON, which focused on the economical conversion of biomass to renewable fuels and energy. BIOeCON working with an international network of creative scientists has developed several breakthrough concepts laid down in patent applications. Part of this IP has been acquired by Khosla Ventures in the 2007 start-up KiOR, now INEARIS technologies.

In 2009 BIOeCON and PETROBRAS formed a partnership to develop technology based on ZnCl2 molten salts, for the selective conversion of agricultural wastes into oxygen containing fuel additives. This partnership has recently been discontinued. BIOeCON however has retained the technology and IP and has further developed the process towards a very selective biomass fractionation process producing 2nd generation sustainable biofuels, high value chemicals and specialty materials based on cellulose and lignin.