COLOMBIA, MD, November 16, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) – WR Grace & Co. (NYSE: GRA) announced today that Chief Scientist Yuying Shu is credited with the discovery of the now patented, top-winning Grace Stable agent with enhanced activity. (GSI) for Rare Earth Technology (RE). This important innovation improves catalyst performance while reducing carbon emissions for the company’s refinery customers using the fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) process. Grace, headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, is the world’s leading supplier of FCC catalysts and additives.
Dr. Shu’s research on this discovery spanned nearly a decade, and a 2015 article in the peer-reviewed journal Topics in Catalysis described the chemistry. Shu demonstrated that when rare earth elements with smaller ionic radii were used to create a more stable REUSY (rare earth ultra stable zeolite Y) catalyst, catalytic activity was significantly improved. Compared to conventional REE-stabilized zeolites, GSI-stabilized zeolites retain better surface area and require less cost to achieve the same catalytic activity.
The company’s Prime technology, based on this innovation, has been commercialized in more than 20 FCC installations, raising the performance bar for two of Grace’s most successful and mature global catalytic platforms. ACHIEVE® 400 Prime limits unwanted hydrogen transfer reactions, maximizes butene selectivity, and increases FCC yields of valuable gasoline olefins. IMPACT® Prime provides improved zeolite stability and better coke selectivity in applications with high nickel and vanadium contaminating metals.
So far, Dr. Shu’s patent has been cited 18 times. More importantly for Grace’s customers, these FCC catalysts have now delivered on their original promises with excellent commercial performance in refineries around the world.
Grace Prime catalytic technology not only improves performance, it also delivers sustainability benefits. Dr. Shu’s innovation resulted in increased catalyst activity per unit surface area, allowing for more efficient use of raw materials and reduced wastewater discharge at the Grace plant. In addition, Prime Technology is reducing coke and dry gas production, which reduces refinery CO2 emissions and converts more of every barrel of feedstock into valuable products. ACHIEVE® 400 Prime produces more alkylate, which improves engine efficiency and reduces CO2 emissions per mile.
Grace President and CEO Hudson La Force congratulated Dr. Shu on receiving the company’s most prestigious scientific award, the Grace Award for Engineering Excellence (GATE).
“Yuying’s breakthrough work is a great example of our commitment to innovation that directly benefits our customers,” La Force said. “For our customers, this means helping them achieve higher performance and sustainability. Our FCC Prime Series catalysts do both very well, thanks in large part to Yuying’s discovery.”
Dr. Shu has been developing FCC catalysts and additives for 14 years and has applied for 30 patents, many of which have been authorized, including 7 in the US. She has published 71 peer-reviewed journal articles and has received numerous awards, including the 2010 Maryland Innovator of the Year Award, the Procter & Gamble Award, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences President’s Award.
Prior to joining Grace in 2006, Yuying was an assistant professor and team leader at the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics. She honed her research skills while working at the University of Delaware, Virginia Tech, and the University of Hokkaido. Dr. Shu received his Ph.D. Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The main scientific interests are the development of new catalysts and new chemical reactions.
Grace is a leading global specialty chemicals company built on people, technology and trust. The company’s two industry-leading business units, Catalyst Technologies and Materials Technologies, deliver innovative products, technologies, and services that improve the products and processes of our customers around the world. Grace has approximately 4,000 employees and conducts business and/or sells products to customers in over 60 countries. For more information about Grace, visit Grace.com.
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Post time: Sep-07-2023
