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Associate Professor Don White

Consultant to Petrochemical and Chlor-Alkalai industries, and lecturer and supervisor in Professional Engineering Management
School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

J01 - Chemical Engineering Building
The University of Sydney

Telephone +61 2 9389 6728

Website School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Biographical details

Don has thirty years' experience as a manager and engineer and in manufacturing and engineering for the process and chemical industries. His career was largely with ICI, later renamed Orica, and now some components are known as Qenos. More recently he practised as a Consulting Engineer and engaging in University teaching. He has managed large petrochemical and Chlor-alkalai plants and been responsible for the supply of Engineering Services. Particular highlights included:

  • Specification for a new ethylene plant ($198 million) and
  • Feasibility study for a replacement chlorine plant ($60 million)
  • Management of a major Ferric Chloride initiative
  • Construction and commissioning management of a $36 million Ethylene Plant upgrade (part of a $280m project)
  • Construction management of a $20 million upgrade of a Surfactants Plant.

Don was also Commissioning Manager for the Australian Magnesium Corporation in Gladstone, Qld, for their $48 million demonstration plant and later provided consulting services for the $1,000 million magnesium plant during its design stage.
He left Orica in 1998 and consults to the Petrochemical, Chlor-alkalai, Chemical and Magnesium metal industries. Recent assignments include

  • Review of the operations of an Ammonium Nitrate facility for a consortium of financiers.
  • Survey of chlor-alkalai and plastics plants operations in Indonesia
  • Review of the safety of operations of a Chemical Manufacturing plant
  • Advice to Lawyers and an International Engineering Contracting firm on opportunities to defend a claim against them.

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Teaching and supervision

The Engineering Faculty appointed Don White as an Adjunct Associate Professor in 2003. In this role he is engaged in passing on professional knowledge and experience to postgraduates and students in their final year before graduation. This currently includes:
CHNG3806 - Management of Industrial Systems
CHNG4203 - Major Industrial Project
CHNG4802 - Chemical Engineering Design A
CHNG4806 - Chemical Engineering Design B
CHNG5112 - Foundation of Chemical Engineering Design A
CHNG5116 - Foundation of Chemical Engineering Design B
CHNG5205 - Major Industrial Placement Project
CHNG5806 - Foundations of Management of Industrial Systems
ENGG4064 - Advanced Engineering Design A
ENGG4065 - Advanced Engineering Design B

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Associations

Chartered Engineer, CEng (UK), CPEng (Aust)
Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers, FIChemE

Other Associations

Don has considerable interests in Sustainability, Conservation and local government issues. Particular roles include

  • Board member of the Environmental Protection Authority of NSW (Part of the NSW Department of Conservation and Climate Change)
  • Chairman of the Nature Conservation Council of NSW (the peak group for non-government conservation groups) and active on several of its committees
  • Director of the Nature Conservation Water Fund Pty Ltd and its Water Trust
  • Membership of several consultative committees including State Water Community consultative Committee, Load Based Licensing Technical Review Panel and member of the Environmental Trust - Waste Advisory Committee
  • Trustee of Paddy Pallin Foundation Pty Ltd and Management Committee member of the Paddy Pallin Natural Environment Fund.
  • Local Resident Group, Woollahra - Coordinator.
  • Community Safety Committee Member - Woollahra , and Police Accountability Community Team Member - Rose Bay Local Area Command.
  • Rural Fire Service - Volunteer Fire-fighter and Publicity officer - Laguna Brigade, Hunter Valley.

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Selected publications

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Journals

  • Gomes, V., Barton, G., Petrie, J., Romagnoli, J., Holt, P., Abbas, A., Cohen, B., Harris, A., Haynes, B., Langrish, T., Orellana, J., See, H., Valix, M., White, D. (2006). Chemical Engineering Curriculum renewal. Education for Chemical Engineers, 1(1), 116-125.
  • Glover, J., White, D., Langrish, T. (2002). Wood versus concrete and steel in house construction: a life cycle assessment. Journal Of Forestry, 100(8), 34-41.

Conferences

  • White, D., Johnston, R., Currie, J. (2011). Challenging Talented Students in the Engineering Stream. Chemeca 2011: Engineering a Better World, Sydney, Australia: Engineers Australia.
  • White, D. (2011). Running a World-class 4th Year Design Project. Chemeca 2011: Engineering a Better World, Sydney, Australia: Engineers Australia.

2011

  • White, D., Johnston, R., Currie, J. (2011). Challenging Talented Students in the Engineering Stream. Chemeca 2011: Engineering a Better World, Sydney, Australia: Engineers Australia.
  • White, D. (2011). Running a World-class 4th Year Design Project. Chemeca 2011: Engineering a Better World, Sydney, Australia: Engineers Australia.

2006

  • Gomes, V., Barton, G., Petrie, J., Romagnoli, J., Holt, P., Abbas, A., Cohen, B., Harris, A., Haynes, B., Langrish, T., Orellana, J., See, H., Valix, M., White, D. (2006). Chemical Engineering Curriculum renewal. Education for Chemical Engineers, 1(1), 116-125.

2002

  • Glover, J., White, D., Langrish, T. (2002). Wood versus concrete and steel in house construction: a life cycle assessment. Journal Of Forestry, 100(8), 34-41.
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