George Trezek received his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois. He began his professional career as an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, becoming a Full Professor in 1974. Upon retiring from full-time teaching in 1990, he is now a Professor Emeritus.

Beginning with a specialization in the thermal sciences in heat and mass transfer, thermodynamics, and fluid dynamics, his subsequent teaching, research and professional activities included the conversion of waste materials and biomass into product feedstocks and energy, as well as various types of alternative energy systems.

During the late 1960’s, Dr. Trezek established the Waste Processing Laboratory at the University’s Richmond Field Station. Here packer-truck quantities of municipal solid waste could be shredded and processed for materials and energy recovery. Studies in this laboratory progressed from fundamental investigations of identifying and quantifying parameters governing the behavior of waste processing unit operations, to the eventual field testing and evaluation of the unit operations in commercial plants.

Later studies in the mid-1980’s involved the management and treatment of hazardous wastes. A polysilicate technology was developed for mitigating heavy metals in soils, sludges, and industrial wastes. This process was the first to be approved by the State of California for treating auto shredder residue. Other activities included the use of infrared and pyrolytic methods for treating VOC’s as well as the review and analysis of remedial action/feasibility studies.

In 1990 Trezek joined the BKK Corporation as the Director of Recycling Operations, as well as the Vice President of Research and Product Development for Greenfield Environmental, BKK’s subsidiary company. He was instrumental in establishing Regenesis Recycling, Inc. as a means of focusing the recycling activities within BKK, which included the construction of three processing facilities for wood and yard waste, material recovery (MRF) and post consumer Film processing (PRF).

At Greenfield Environmental, Trezek was responsible for

• establishing a mechanical and analytical GCMS, ICP laboratory for conducting bench scale treatability studies
• commercial application of the polysilicate technology
• developing a BDAT technology pilot program for the solvent extraction and recovery of hydrocarbons from contaminated solids
• technology development of pilot scale and commercial scale plant construction for remediating marine sediments

After BKK ceased operations in 1997, Trezek concentrated his professional activities within The Trezek Group, Inc. Acting through his company, he was responsible for establishing the microbiological technology for the conversion of cellulosic waste streams, such as waste paper, sugar cane, etc., into liquid fuels. Together with a group of biological scientists and engineers, facilities were established for conducting bench and small pilot scale studies which included culturing and preserving aerobic and anaerobic organisms and the analytic modeling of biological systems and processes.

Dr. Trezek conducts forensic investigations for the legal profession and insurance companies focused in the thermal science area and include heat and mass transfer, combustion, energy conversion, process and intellectual property evaluation. (See Services section.)

As a consultant to local, state, federal and foreign governments, Dr. Trezek has rendered services to such professional organizations as the ASME and ASTM. He completed projects for the State of California Integrated Waste Management Board, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the Office of Technology Assessment of the U.S. Congress.

He was appointed as a member of the State of California Toxic Waste Assessment Group in the Governor’s Office of Appropriate Technology. He serves on the Alumni Advisory Board of the University of Illinois, Mechanical Engineering Department.