06-09-2011

Grace receives department of energy grant for carbon capture technologies

W. R. Grace & Co has been selected to receive a three-year,  $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop advanced  post-combustion technologies for capturing carbon dioxide (CO2)  from coal-fired power plants.

Existing technologies to capture and separate CO2 from power  plants require large amounts of energy for their operation (20% to 30%  of the power produced by the plant) and can raise electricity prices by  as much as 85%. The goal of this project is to capture at least 90% of  power plant CO2 emissions, while minimizing electricity cost  increases.

Grace and its research partners will work to develop a cost-effective CO2  capture process known as rapid pressure swing adsorption (rPSA), which  utilizes rapid pressure changes to capture and release CO2.  Grace will coordinate the activities of a synergistic team consisting of  Battelle (world renowned for process R&D and scale-up), Catacel Corp.  (innovator in coated metal foil structures) and the University of South  Carolina (known worldwide for PSA process R&D) to work on this challenge.

"We are thrilled to begin collaborating with such high caliber partners  on developing clean coal technologies," said George Young, Grace  Davison's Vice President of Business Development. "Grace has a long  history of pioneering process adsorbents that offer superior performance  in many different applications. This grant further validates our  technological leadership and our commitment to sustainability."

Grace has over five decades of experience developing and manufacturing  adsorbents for a variety of industrial applications, including: Sodasorb(R)  CO2 adsorbents for anesthesiology and re-breathing  applications; TriSyl(R) adsorbents for biodiesel purification;  Sylobead(R) process adsorbents used in petrochemical and  natural gas processes; and, PHONOSORB(R) molecular sieve  adsorbents that remove water and solvents from dual pane windows.

This grant is one of 16 projects--valued at $41 million over three  years--funded by the Department of Energy that focus on reducing the  energy and cost penalties associated with applying currently available  carbon capture technologies to existing and new power plants.

This is the second grant awarded to Grace from the Department of Energy  in the past year. Grace was selected in September 2010 to receive up to  $3.3 million for the evaluation and enhancement of advanced biofuel  technologies.

For more information, please visit www.grace.com.