Grace Refining Catalyst Researchers Selected for Innovation Award

Researchers at W. R. Grace & Co. (NYSE: GRA) have been selected to receive an Innovator of the Year Award from The Daily Record for their work to develop a new fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) catalyst for the refining industry.

The catalyst (sold under the brand name ALCYON™) is used by petroleum refiners to “crack” the hydrocarbons in distilled crude oil—in order to produce transportation fuels such as gasoline and diesel. ALCYON™ catalyst maximizes the amount of transportation fuel a refiner can obtain from each processed barrel of crude oil by suppressing undesirable side reactions that constrain refinery operations.

The award will be officially presented during an event scheduled for October 21, 2010 at the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland that is being organized by The Daily Record, a business publication with 122 years of reporting history.

Shawn Abrams, General Manager and Vice President of Grace Davison Refining Technologies, commented, “ALCYON™ catalyst is the latest example of our research community’s innovative efforts to help refiners maximize the production of valuable transportation fuels while reducing daily operating expenses, which is especially critical in today’s business climate.”

Officially accepting the distinction will be Yuying Shu, Ph.D, a Senior R&D Engineer for Grace Davison Refining Technologies and primary contributor on the ALCYON™ catalyst product team. She is an inventor listed on 15 patents and pending patent applications in the United States and China, and a published contributor to more than 50 publications.

Dr. Shu remarked, “In commercial applications, ALCYON™ catalyst has delivered enhanced catalytic activity and overall performance at lower catalyst replacement rates. This development effort has greatly advanced our understanding of catalytic science in a mature field.” Several patent applications with respect to the proprietary modification are pending.

She continued, “This success was only possible with the important contributions of many of my colleagues. I’m proud and honored to represent them at the event.” Other significant contributors were Jeff DelMartin, Senior Technician Specialist; Ruizhong Hu, Manager of Research and Technical Support; Brent Machado, Development Engineer; Rosann Schiller, Marketing Manager; Wilson Suarez, Senior Principal Scientist; and Rick Wormsbecher, Manager of Exploratory Catalysis Research.

This award is the second distinction for Grace in 2010 recognizing products developed for the petroleum refining industry. In January, the company received the 2009 Frost & Sullivan North American Technology Innovation Award in the field of refinery catalysts for work on the MIDAS® 300 FCC catalyst. That particular catalyst helps refiners meet worldwide demand for diesel fuel and comply with regulations for lower sulfur fuels. The MIDAS® 300 catalyst cracks the very bottom of the oil barrel and converts it into light cycle oil (LCO), a component that is blended into the refinery’s diesel pool.

Grace is a leading global supplier of catalysts and other products to petroleum refiners; catalysts for the manufacture of plastics; silica-based engineered and specialty materials for a wide range of industrial applications; sealants and coatings for food and beverage packaging, and specialty chemicals, additives and building materials for commercial and residential construction. Founded in 1854, Grace has operations in over 40 countries. For more information, visit Grace's web site at www.grace.com.