simon west: Doctor of applied science honoris causa
In the 1960s Simon obtained a Bachelor of Science from THE UNIVERSITY OF Melbourne with majors in Chemistry and Physics AND WITh a strong focus on Mathematics.
Shortly after his graduation, Simon was employed with Kraft Foods LIMITED IN Port Melbourne as an Analytical Chemist and Food Technologist. Simon was given almost a carte blanche to work on projects that he felt were beneficial to Kraft based on his creative approach. He was involved in a wide variety of projects, such as the modification of curd, ‘magnetic carbon’ separation, automation of jar arrangement and on a new calcium ion sensor transistor.
Simon resigned from Kraft some 17 years later, to commence work with his friend Harvey Snook, on several projects which, in the long term, were to lead to his career as an inventor.
Simon has many patents in industrial chemistry and inventions covering a variety of fields, including mineral extraction, plastics recycling, food technology and natural health care products. His production method for extracting beta-carotene from algae was successfully commercialiSed in Australia and remains, 20 years later, the world-leading technology for the production of natural beta-carotene and this is the basis for the commercial success of Betatene LIMITED.
Simon invented the zinc tailings recovery process that was implemented by Denehurst LIMITED. WhilE associated with Denehurst, Simon took on a small goldmine ‘Sambas” within the Harrietville area in Victoria where he worked on changing the extraction of gold fROm the traditional stamp battery mercury system to the modern floatation practice. This resulted in an increase in gold recovery from 30 PERCENT to 95 PERCENT as well as being environmentally clean, which has always been a major concern for Simon. His explicit intent was to reduce the environmental impact of mining, THUS increasing ITS viability.
Simon next went to work on the recycling of P.E.T., which is the thin, transparent, rigid plastic seen most commonly as soft drink bottles. It is also the most recycled plastic packaging material, with North American recycle rates as high as 30 PERCENT, but re-use in the food industry was an impasse due to hygiene issues.
While working on this project, Simon made a large breakthrough by crumbing the P.E.T. Working on partial depolymerisation, he created a very cheap and efficient crumbing process with a highly economic and efficient rejection system of foreign plastics and other contaminants, thereby solving the problem of contact with foods, even for coloured plastics. This plant was constructed under Simon’s supervision in West Virginia, USA.
Simon’s current P.E.T. plastics recycling system has the lowest environmental impact of any recycling process of P.E.T. in the world.
Currently, Simon is working on the phosphate form of Vitamin E and finding some very useful properties, particularly in the treatment of skin conditions. His research is slowly working to provide a new understanding of how tocopherols work in human physiology and enabling him to discover other pathways for delivering a variety of drugs for the phosphate form. This work is likely to have enormous ramifications for the health care market. A plant for skincare products has been designed and commissioned by Simon in Toronto, Canada.
Not only has he had a successful career within the scientific arena, but for many years he has actively supported the community primarily as a councilLor and Mayor for Williamstown (now THE CITY OF Hobson’S BAY) and his involvement included input in the areas of town planning, electricity and water supply. More notably he heavily campaigned for the re-design and construction of the Newport Power Station so that it would be environmentally responsible. He unambiguously forced the downsizing of the original plant to the final size.
Simon’s breadth and depth of innovation AROSE not only thRough conceptualiSing possible problems, but BY personally working out the scientific solutions in detail.
Simon’s contribution to the Australian economy and society through his environmentally sensitive and friendly scientific solutions and technical problem-solving makes him an “Edisonian” talent worthy of an RMIT honorary doctorate.