Hydrocarbon Processing - February 2022 - 62

100th Anniversary
Industry Pioneers
LEE NICHOLS, Editor-in-Chief/Associate Publisher
Polymer science, catalytic cracking
and chemical advances
HERMAN FRANCIS MARK
The Austrian-born chemist, Hermann
Francis Mark, is well-known for his contributions
to the development of polymer science,
which he devoted more than 60 yr of
his life to. While working with IG Farben
in Germany, Mark worked on experiments
on the
commercialization
of polymers
such as polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride and
the first synthetic rubbers.1
After escaping Nazi Germany, Mark found his way to the U.S.
and started classes on polymers at the Polytechnic Institute of
Brooklyn, later founding the Polymer Research Institute, which
was the first facility devoted to polymer research. For his lifetime
of work, he received the U.S. National Medal of Science in 1979.
OTTO RÖHM
Otto Röhm was a German chemist and pharmacist
that founded Röhm and Hass AG.
His experiments with methyl methacrylate
(MMA) led to the development of Plexiglas.
After successfully developing and marketing
Oropon, a more hygienic and efficient
way of staining leather, Röhm
focused his sights on plastics research.
While working with Walter Bauer, researchers conducted an
experiment polymerizing MMA between two layers of glass
in a water quench. The result was a clear plastic sheet that was
lighter than glass but much less prone to shatter. The material,
called Plexiglas, would first be used as a substitute for glass in
military aircraft, eventually being used in many industrial and
commercial applications.
EUGENE HOUDRY
With the aide of E. A. Prudhomme, French
engineer Eugene Houdry is known as a
pioneer in catalytic cracking. After serving
in WWI in the French artillery division
and later in the tank corps, Houdry worked
in his father's steel business, as well as
raced cars. His passion led him on a pathway
to improving engine performance.
62 FEBRUARY 2022 | HydrocarbonProcessing.com
Prior to Houdry's discovery, thermal cracking was the primary
refining process to produce gasoline. However, many researchers
and analysts feared that thermal cracking was insufficient
to satisfy increasing global demand for gasoline. Houdry
and Prudhomme's research led to the development of the
fixed-bed catalytic cracking unit. Operations of the 15,000bpd
unit began at Sun Oil's Marcus Hook refinery in Pennsylvania
(U.S.) in 1936. Approximately 50% of the 15,000-bpd
unit produced high-octane gasoline, which was double the
production of conventional thermal processes.2
The novel
process produced high-octane gasoline-the Houdry unit
could produce 100-octane aviation gasoline, which provided
U.S. military aircraft a significant advantage over Germany.
OTTO BAYER
While working at IG Farben in the late
1930s, German chemist Otto Bayer conducted
extensive polymer research that led
to the discovery of polyurethane. One such
experiment created a new polymer by reacting
1,8 octane diisocyanate with 1,4 butanediol.
This new polymer, polyurethane,
was first used as coatings and adhesives. It
was a suitable replacement for rubber during World War 2
(WW2). Post-WW2, the product was used extensively in
many applications, and is still widely used today. This includes
in insulation, building materials, adhesives, coatings and
clothing, among others.
HERMANN STAUDINGER
The Nobel Prize-winning German chemist
is best known for his research on macromolecules,
which he characterized as
polymers. Staudinger also discovered ketenes,
which would later be used to produce
antibiotics.3
Staudinger hypothesized that polymers
were linked end-to-end. His work with
high-molecular weight compounds provided the foundation
for polymer chemistry. He authored hundreds of scientific
papers and several books on topics such as macromolecular
chemistry and biology. His research on macromolecular
chemistry earned him a Nobel Prize in 1953.
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