Researcher Receives Grace Award for Technical Excellence

W. R. Grace & Co. (NYSE: GRA) recognized R&D Fellow Ranjit Kumar with the 2008 Grace Award for Technical Excellence for his work to develop novel fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) catalysts that reduce the impact of metals during the processing of crude oil.

Petroleum refineries use catalysts to “crack” the large hydrocarbon molecules in distilled crude oil in order to produce transportation fuels, such as gasoline and diesel. In recent years, the refining industry has shifted toward processing greater amounts of heavy crude oil in FCC units. Heavy crude presents a special challenge because it typically contains high levels of contaminant metals—such as vanadium—that lower the effectiveness of catalysts and generate more residue and light gases at the expense of valuable products such as gasoline.

Ranjit’s accomplishment involves the identification of a process for incorporating vanadium trapping capability into FCC catalysts, a technology currently used in about half of the FCC catalysts manufactured at Grace (including the IMPACT® and NEKTOR catalyst series). Since Grace is a leading global supplier of FCC catalysts, his work has a significant impact on the industry as a whole.

“It is extremely important to our refining customers to minimize the impact of metals,” said Joanne Deady, Vice President of Marketing and R&D for Grace Davison Refining Technologies. “In this respect, Ranjit’s work ranks as one of the most important developments in FCC catalysts at Grace in the past decade.”

“I had the support of the entire FCC team at Grace,” said Ranjit. “We work like a close-knit family in which everyone has an important role in transforming ideas into products that enrich lives.”

Ranjit, currently an R&D Fellow for Grace Davison Refining Technologies, joined Grace in 1984 upon completing his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry at the University of Houston in Texas.

Introduced in 2007, the Grace Award for Technical Excellence acknowledges the highest level of technical achievement within the company. Honorees are selected by a committee of peers who evaluate nominations for technical merit; novelty and innovation; commercial impact; and, societal or industrial impact. Past recipients developed Synchro® 1000 (a cement additive that protects the environment through chromium reduction) and a “Particle Nucleation and Growth Model” (an effective tool for new product development and process optimization).

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.