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 Diane Saber – Curriculum Vitae

DIANE L. SABER, Ph.D.
President and Founder
REEthink, Inc.

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

Diane Saber is a Director of Research, Project Manager and Scientist (microbiologist) in the areas of Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) and environmental science, primarily for the energy industry worldwide. She has over 30 years of experience in constructing, executing and managing a wide range of individual and multi-corporation collaborative research projects in the areas of waste to energy systems and hazardous waste treatment.

The past 25 years have been devoted to research and projects specifically for the natural gas industry; the past 15 years have been focused on pipeline quality RNG for introduction to the pipeline grid, vehicle fuel applications or other uses.

Areas of research and expertise also include development of forensic chemistry techniques for hazardous waste source identification, greenhouse gas tracking and abatement, biotechnology applications environmental restoration, and advanced techniques pertaining to microbial-induced corrosion.

EDUCATION

Post-Doctoral Fellow, Yale University, New Haven, CT

Ph.D., Microbiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN

M.B.A. minus thesis, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Rutherford, New Jersey

B.A., cum laude, Biology, Macalester College, St. Paul, Minnesota

PATENTS

Biodeterioration of Pentachlorophenol, #4713340

Portable Microbiological Testing Devise for Gases, #20100330603

MEMBERSHIPS

American Biogas Association

The Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas

ASTM

Career Highlights

Dr. Saber is the founder of REEthink, Inc, a high talent research and consulting company devoted to renewable energy and environmental issues specific to the natural gas industry.  REEthink was founded in July, 2010.

Dr. Saber was previously the Director of the Environmental Science & Forensic Chemistry Center at the Gas Technology Institute (GTI), where she managed up to 24 staff members, including 7 Ph.D. level scientists.  Her responsibility was oversight of staff, research, budgets, project execution and marketing for this Center focused in two areas: 1) service orientated projects, and, 2) applied research.  She was at GTI for over 16 years.

Dr. Saber is a nationally recognized expert in the area of production and characterization of RNG, having conducted the largest collaborative research projects in this area to date.  In 2008, the industry-funded (22 natural gas companies world-wide) report, Pipeline Quality Biomethane: North American Guidance Document for Dairy Waste Conversion was produced; this served as a template for a second study, funded by DOT/PHMSA, Pipeline Quality Biogas: Guidance Document for Dairy Waste, Wastewater Treatment Sludge and Landfill Conversion. These reports serve as seminal works in the development of pipeline quality RNG in North America, with particular insights into trace constituents in biogas/RNG and natural gas, including biologicals.  She was also responsible for the creation and management of a wide variety of projects associated with RNG, including analytical techniques, database construction and company-specific specifications.

Dr. Saber served as the only industry representative for the Canadian Gas Association’s Standing Committee on Operations: Biomethane Task Force for creation of the document Biomethane Guidelines for the Introduction of Biomethane into Existing Natural Gas Distribution & Transmission Systems (Feb. 2012). This document serves as the industry standard for Canadian Renewable Natural Gas programs. Further, she served with the California Council on Science & Technology to produce the document, Biomethane in California Common Carrier Pipelines: Assessing Heating Values and Maximum Siloxane Specifications, June, 2018. Dr. Saber contributed to two collaborative studies funded through the Pipeline Research Council International (PRCI) specific to RNG to the pipeline, Emerging fuels, MEAS 15-03, SOTA ANALYSIS Meeting Renewable Natural Gas –SOTA, Gap Analysis, Future Projects, Roadmap and a second project focused on hydrogen to the natural gas pipeline, Emerging fuels, MEAS 15-02, Hydrogen SOTA, Gap Analysis, Future Project Roadmap, September, 2020. Dr. Saber has served on the Task Force for revising and updating the American Gas Association’s (AGA) Report 4a (fall, 2009).  This work product covers the analytical profile, testing and verification of natural gas in North America.  She was responsible for language regarding biomethane.

Since the inception of REEthink, Dr. Saber has worked on numerous projects specific to the introduction of RNG to the pipeline grid and shale gas-related projects for US and Canadian Gas Companies and RNG project developers. She has constructed over 15 RNG Quality Specifications and Verification and Monitoring Programs for both transmission and local distribution companies in North America.

She acquired over 10 million dollars through industry collaborative research, DOE and the California Energy Commission for the advancement of the technique of forensic chemistry for use by the natural gas industry.  Forensic chemistry is the ability to discern trace amounts of compounds in complex mixtures, in air, water and soil; forensic chemistry is now considered routine in the area of source attribution.  These techniques were extended to work in natural gas and biogas/RNG trace constituent analysis in 2006.

Dr. Saber is highly regarded in the areas of biological applications to environmental remediation.  She has management multi-million-dollar projects with multiple investors, including Superfund (RCRA) and NPL projects: site investigation, RI/FS and remediation.

Dr. Saber’s work in the biodegradation of pentachlorophenol and associated graduate work helped to coin the phrase “bioremediation”.  She co-founded the company Biotrol (Chaska, Minn.), a remediation company devoted to soil washing, biotreatment and solidification of pentachlorophenol-contaminated wastes.

HIGHLIGHTS: PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

PRESIDENT                       REEthink, Inc.                                                               Founded 2010

Dr. Saber serves as a Subject Matter Expert to the natural gas industry in the areas of renewable energy, environmental concerns and natural gas pipeline integrity. She is considered an international expert in the area of RNG to the pipeline grid and RNG verification program development.  Importantly, she negotiates between producer and buyers for smooth project execution and is expert in gas quality.

REPRESENTATIVE REETHINK PROJECTS:

Confidential Clients: Gas Industry, RNG Specifications, Guidance Documents, Verification Programs and other company-specific work, North America

Consultant to RNG investors and investor groups

Consultant to Biogas/RNG Project Developers, US and Abroad

Safe Transportation of Landfill Gas a Designated Consumer for Electricity Generation

Degradation of Odorant in the Natural Gas Pipeline

Biomethane to the Pipeline: California Dairy Digester project

Biological Study: Microbial Degradation of Compounds in Shale Gas Supplies

Introduction of Shale Gas into the Pipeline Network, UK: Gas Quality and Trace Constituent Analysis

Preparation of FACT SHEETS and Technical Bulletins Specific to Biomethane Production, Cleanup, Quality, etc. for the State of New York, Cornell University, 2013

Oversight of Biomethane Upgrade Facility, Gas Quality Testing and Technical Council, King County, WA for Brown and Caldwell, 2012

PIMA County System Wide Biosolids and Biogas Utilization Mast Plan Project, Brown and Caldwell, 2012

Biomethane to the Pipeline Project, Michigan: Technical Oversight of Gas Quality, Clean Fuels, 2013

Biomethane to the Pipeline, Toronto Digester, Oversight of Biomethane Gas Quality Verification Program for Enbridge, 2011

Consultant to the Iowa Energy Center: Renewable Natural Gas expert

MANAGING DIRECTOR   Environmental Science & Forensic Chemistry Center  2003 – 2010

Gas Technology Institute

Dr. Saber has also served as Principal Scientist and Center of Excellence Lead for large consulting companies such as Fluor Daniel and Ebasco. 

REPRESENTATIVE GTI RESEARCH PROJECTS:
PROJECT MANAGER and TECHNICAL LEAD

“Pipeline Quality Biomethane: North American Guidance Document for Dairy Waste Conversion”

“Pipeline Quality Biogas:  Guidance Document for Dairy Waste, Wastewater Treatment Sludge and Landfill Conversion”

“Successful Integration of Biomethane into a Natural Gas Pipeline System”

“Developing an In-Line Devise for Biocleaning of Biomethane”

“Biodiversity and MIC Analysis”

“Analytical Techniques for Biomethane”

“GC/IRMS as a Source Identification Tool for Urban Background Concentrations of PAHs”

“Tracking Methane Emissions Through Forensic Chemistry”

“Biocatalytic CO2 Sequestration”

“Elucidating Sources of VOCs to Indoor Air Near Former MGP Sites”

“Monitoring Natural Attenuation”

“Age Dating of MGP Waste Using Isotopic Chemistry”

“Linking MGP Fuels to MGP By-Products Through Forensic Chemistry Techniques”

“Methane Leak Detection By Application of Biosensors”

“Tracking Methane Emissions Through Environmental Forensics”

“Elucidating the Effect of Treatment with Oxidative Agents on Metal Mobility in Sediments”

“Monitoring Natural Attenuation through Forensic Chemistry”

“Site-Specific Risk Assessment for Mercury Contaminated Sites”

“Indoor Air Monitoring Using Isotopic Chemistry Techniques”

“Correlation of Data: Real-Time Monitoring Vs. Laboratory High Quality Analysis of Mercury Vapor in Indoor Air”

“Estimating the Quantitative Relationship Between Microbially-Induced Corrosion (MIC) Rate and the Microbes Typically Found in Natural Gas Pipelines”

“Metabolic Engineering to Develop a Pathway for the Selective Cleavage of Carbon-Nitrogen Bonds”

“Evaluation of Risk Based Management Strategies For Naphthalene Contaminated Sites”

“Developing & Demonstrating Rapid Quantitative PCB Analysis in the Field”

“Black-Powder” Contamination in the Gas Industry: Survey and Best Practice Manual”

“Methods Development for Perimeter Air Monitoring During MGP Site Cleanups”

“Mercury Vapor in Indoor Air: Testing and Correlations Between Monitoring Techniques”

“Characterization and Inventory of Methane and Carbon Dioxide Emissions in California”

“Sequestration of CO2 Emissions through Biocatalytic Mineralization”