Research & Development Council of New Jersey recognizes BASF at annual awards event

• Mercury sorbent invention wins 2014 Thomas Alva Edison Patent Award
• Science & Technology Medal awarded to retired scientist John Mooney

ISELIN, NJ, November 7, 2014 – The Research and Development Council of New Jersey awarded a team of BASF inventors with the prestigious 2014 Thomas Alva Edison Patent Award for outstanding environmental contributions.  Additionally, a retired scientist and inventor from Engelhard Corporation, which BASF acquired in 2006 , was recognized with the organization’s highest honor – the Science and Technology Medal – for his groundbreaking work on the three-way mobile emissions catalyst.

The awards were presented at a ceremony held at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, New Jersey, on Nov 6.

The Thomas Alva Edison Patent Award for 2014 was presented to BASF inventors Xiaolin D. Yang, Pascaline H. Tran and Lawrence Shore.  The team was recognized for inventing a brominated mineral sorbent that controls mercury emissions from coal-fired electric generating units. Their patented solution – Mercury Sorbent HX™ – was designed to address and exceed mercury removal requirements associated with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Mercury and Air Toxic Standards (MATS).

“It is a great honor for BASF and our inventors to be recognized for this important environmental innovation,” said Mikhail Rodkin, Vice President, Chemicals, Polymerization and Refining Catalysis Research at BASF. “As the global leader in catalysis, BASF has unsurpassed expertise in developing innovative emissions control technologies for a wide range of applications that help our customers deliver clean air for a healthier, sustainable future.”

In addition to the Thomas Alva Edison Patent Award, John Mooney, one of the inventors of the three-way catalytic converter, was presented with a Science and Technology Medal.

“I am very pleased to see John Mooney’s work acknowledged with this prestigious honor," said Klaus Harth, Vice President, Environmental Catalysis Research at BASF. "The technology John helped develop has been acknowledged as one of the 10 most important automobile innovations, and current generations of the emissions control catalyst continue to make dramatic contributions to the effort to reduce harmful automotive emissions and improve air quality.”

Additional information on BASF’s Mercury Sorbent HX emission control solution can be found at: www.catalysts.basf.com/mercury , while information regarding BASF’s mobile emissions catalysts solutions can be found at: www.catalysts.basf.com/mobilesources

About BASF’s Catalysts Division

BASF’s Catalysts division is the world’s leading supplier of environmental and process catalysts. The group offers exceptional expertise in the development of technologies that protect the air we breathe, produce the fuels that power our world and ensure efficient production of a wide variety of chemicals, plastics and other products. By leveraging our industry-leading R&D platforms, passion for innovation and deep knowledge of precious and base metals, BASF’s Catalysts division develops unique, proprietary catalyst and adsorbent solutions that drive customer success. Further information on BASF’s Catalysts division is available on the Internet at www.catalysts.basf.com.

About BASF

BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has nearly 17,000 employees in North America, and had sales of $19.3 billion in 2013. For more information about BASF’s North American operations, visit www.basf.us.

At BASF, we create chemistry – and have been doing so for 150 years. Our portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products and crop protection products to oil and gas. As the world’s leading chemical company, we combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Through science and innovation, we enable our customers in nearly every industry to meet the current and future needs of society. Our products and solutions contribute to conserving resources, ensuring nutrition and improving quality of life. We have summed up this contribution in our corporate purpose: We create chemistry for a sustainable future. BASF had sales of about €74 billion in 2013 and over 112,000 employees as of the end of the year. Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.

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