Here’s another example of a solution that helps our customers achieve their sustainability and quality goals: our catalysts. These metallocene catalysts support polyethylene and polypropylene manufacturing, helping resin manufacturers achieve desired production specifications such as strength, toughness, clarity and melt characteristics for applications ranging from medical and injection molding to agriculture films and food packaging. As for advancing sustainability benefits, these catalysts can help manufacturers use less catalyst to begin with – 40% less catalyst consumption during polyethylene production, for example – and make mono-materials that are better suited for recycling downstream. Our catalysts can even help produce thinner films, downgauging as much as 20% without compromising product integrity and enabling manufacturers to consume less material in the production process, helping drive down their overall environmental impact.

How would you describe the specialty chemicals market currently and what are some of the opportunities for growth in this business? 

The specialty chemicals market endures as an essential and dynamic sector that is poised for more and faster innovation than ever before. On the one hand, the energy transition is driving new technologies – from renewable fuels to solar roof shingles – while, on the other hand, consumer demand for fuel, plastics and other consumable goods continues to grow. While growth in specialty chemicals is expected to continue at a steady pace over the next five years, the biggest opportunity lies in problem-solving to develop better and more innovative solutions. At Grace, that means innovations in pre-treating bio feedstocks for refining into renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuels. It means inventing new chemical processes to recycle plastics safely and efficiently back into plastic precursors. And it means helping refiners uncover new co-processing solutions to help extract more value out of the refinery – from crude to chemicals – as consumer demands continue to evolve.

You’re active in different areas with product ranges that serve several end-user industries. What is your area of focus in the near term? Are there any particular geographies you’re targeting for growth and expansion?

Grace is a global company with thousands of employees in 30 countries, operations in over 20 plants worldwide and customers in more than 100 countries. We continue to work to meet our customers’ needs wherever they are, with continued growth in China and India and capacity additions in North America and the Middle East.

Grace’s focus on STEM is evident in your work. What is the importance of working with and encouraging young talent to pursue STEM education and pursue more science- and technology-led roles in the future?

At Grace, our commitment to continuous improvement goes beyond the manufacturing floor to investing in the growth and development of our people. That investment takes many forms – from manufacturing leadership rotations where new graduates experience a breadth of assignments and opportunities within our walls to partnerships with colleges and universities to tap into local talent in the communities where we operate. We also proudly sponsor scholarships for young people pursuing careers in the chemical industry and offer internships and apprenticeships to help prepare new professionals for lifelong careers at Grace and in other STEM fields like ours. We believe that engaging a broad spectrum of young talent with a diversity of backgrounds, experiences and viewpoints helps create a place where innovation thrives and where every employee can come to work and be the very best version of themselves, every day.

How does being a specialty chemicals company shape your Research and Development (R&D) strategy?

Our customers depend on us to help them solve problems, and as a privately held company with a long history of looking ahead, Grace is well positioned to help them adapt to environmental, economic and technological changes. That focus yields breakthroughs like our new iron-deactivation protocol that enables refiners to extract more value from bottom-of-the-barrel feedstocks and our adsorbant that removes naturally contained and process-induced impurities from edible oils and fats so they can be reused safely – in baby formula, as one application.

Another way we’re helping our customers through R&D is in the area of plastic recycling. Grace scientists have developed a new chemical recycling solution for plastics that has the potential to reduce emissions, save energy and lower costs compared to other options. Our process will use chemical catalysts and technology to convert plastic inputs into plastic precursors so they can be repurposed.

In another example of R&D, together with our parent company, Standard Industries, Grace recently launched the Standard Industries Chemical Innovation Challenge, a contest to revolutionize the field of chemical retrosynthesis with Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. Teams of scientists are now competing to create a machine-based platform that will enhance the efficiency, accuracy, and sustainability of chemical retrosynthesis, which may ultimately help us create novel, safe and cost-effective synthetic routes more quickly for drug development applications and more.