James Burrington
James Burrington
Symposium in Colorado Convention Center Mile High 3C Monday am, pm Tuesday am
Dr James Burrington of Lubrizol is being recognized for his original and important inventions and contributions to the research and development closely related to petroleum chemistry. A major focus of Dr. Burrington’s work has been the discovery, understanding and commercial application of novel chemical technologies for improved sustainability, reduced environmental impact, and enhanced activity/low treat, in the following areas. (1) Controlled Release Additive Technology. Dr. Burrington established a fundamental working understanding of petroleum-based lubricant additive component gelation and its use as a matrix for controlled release of additives as a means to enhance performance. These inventions have been incorporated into numerous commercialized products for enhanced performance in engine oils and industrial lubricants. This technology has extended the performance and applications of currently established additive chemistries beyond what would have been otherwise possible. (2) Solid Acid Catalysis: Dr. Burrington invented several patented processes based on novel applications of cost-effective heteropolyacid catalysts as a means to reduce waste, recycle raw materials and otherwise reduce the environmental impact of industrially significant cationic polymerization and alkylation processes including polymerization of isobutylene and alkylation of aromatic amines. (3) Succination Process Chemistry: Dr. Burrrington invented a novel process and identified fundamental mechanisms for production of polyisobutenyl succinic acid type ashless dispersants, which are used throughout the lubricant industry. (4) Selective Oxidation and Ammoxidation Catalysis: Dr. Burrington published mechanisms and fundamental understanding still acknowledged today as the detailed description of selective heterogeneous oxidation and ammoxidation catalysis for a broad range of catalyst systems, including molybdates and antimonates. (5) New Catalytic Process for Fine and Specialty Chemicals: Dr. Burrington’s innovative work on this topic area includes catalytic acrylic dimerization, catalytic amino-carbonylation to amino acid derivatives, and novel aromatic catalytic oxidation.
Dr. Burrington received his BS degree in chemistry from John Carroll University in 1973, and his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1977. He joined BP (formerly Standard Oil) in 1977 as a Senior R&D Chemist with assignments in fundamental and exploratory catalysis. He advanced to the position of Research Associate in 1982, Research Supervisor in 1984, and Research Manager in 1988. In 1993, he joined The Lubrizol Corporation in Wickliffe, Ohio, and was promoted to Senior Fellow in 1998, and to Lubrizol Fellow, the highest technical rank in the corporation, in 2006. At Lubrizol he has been responsible for applied research in catalysis, process chemistry and the development of new lubricant additive and performance chemical products. Dr. Burrington is an inventor of 51 US Patents and an author of 45 scientific and technical publications, which span Dr. Burrington’s 37-year career in catalysis and process chemistry, fine and specialty chemicals, lubricant and rubber additives, and controlled release technology.
Dr. Burrington is a Fellow (Class of 2013) of the American Chemical Society (ACS), and has held offices in the ACS within the Petroleum Division as Secretary (1983-86), Chair (1988-89 and 1991-92), Program Committee (1998-2001), and was co-developer/organizer of many Division Symposia, including those on “Solid Acid Catalysis (ACS Fall 1997 National Meeting), “Recent Advances in the Chemistry aof Lubricant Additives (ACS Spring 2000 National Meeting), and “Catalysis, Processes and Reactors for Ultra-Clean Gasoline and Diesel Fuels”, ACS Fall 2003 National Meeting).