Dr. Farrauto Receives Prestigious Award from the North American Catalysis Society
02/21/2008
BASF Catalysis Research scientist receives prestigious award from the North American Catalysis Society
By: Theodore Lowen
December 20, 2007
Iselin, NJ -
Robert Farrauto, PhD., a research fellow at BASF Catalysis Research, has been named the 2008 F.G. Ciapetta Lecturer by the North American Catalysis Society (NACS). The award is given in recognition of substantial contributions to industrial catalysis.
Dr. Farrauto was selected on the basis of his timely contributions to catalytic research. As the F.G. Ciapetta Lecturer, he will receive a plaque and honorarium, and may be invited to lecture at affiliated NACS Clubs and Societies.
Dr. Farrauto has a long and distinguished record in industrial catalysis research. Among his important contributions is the development of catalysts that abate engine emissions, particularly diesel engines. He has contributed to many other successful commercial developments, including:
* zeolite additives to trap hydrocarbon emissions during cold start, which allowed technology developed for heavy-duty diesel engines to be used for diesel passenger cars;
* fast light-off ammonia oxidation catalysts for the production of nitric acid;
* catalyzed monoliths and heat exchangers for distributed hydrogen for fuel cells and the hydrogen economy.
In addition to his research at BASF Catalysis Research, Dr. Farrauto is committed to educating students and mentoring young industrial colleagues. He currently serves as an adjunct professor in the Earth and Environmental Engineering Department at Columbia University, where he established the BASF-Columbia program to fund research by graduate students and postdocs into environmentally benign technologies utilizing heterogeneous catalysts.
He is the co-author of two textbooks on industrial catalytic processes and has contributed to more than 75 scientific papers. He is also a co-inventor of 50 U.S. patents. Dr. Farrauto received his BS degree from Manhattan College and PhD from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Dr. Farrauto’s outstanding achievements have been recognized recently with additional awards, including the 2005 Catalysis and Reaction Engineering Division Practice Award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the 2001 Henry Albert Award for excellence in precious metal catalysis by the International Precious Metals Institute and the 200 Cross-Canada Catalysis Lectureship Award.
BASF Catalysts division is the world’s leading supplier of environmental and process catalysts. The division 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, adsorbents and other products.
BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products, agricultural products and fine chemicals to crude oil and natural gas. As a reliable partner to virtually all industries, BASF’s high-value products and intelligent system solutions help its customers to be more successful. BASF develops new technologies and uses them to meet the challenges of the future and open up additional market opportunities. It combines economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility, thus contributing to a better future. BASF has approximately 95,000 employees and posted sales of €52.6 billion in 2006. BASF shares are currently traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (AN). Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com