The Ernest-Solvay Prize has, this year, been awarded to Professor Gerd Maurer, emeritus of the University of Kaiserslautern, Germany, for his work in the field of mixed-phase thermodynamics.

Maurer studied chemical engineering and, from 1980 to 1985, worked for BASF before accepting a position at the University of Kaiserslautern as the Chair of Technical Thermodynamics. The results of his research form an important basis for engineering applications in environmental protection, chemical industry, power engineering and biotechnology. Typical examples are: the removal of acidic gases (e.g., carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide) from flue gases of power plants by carbon capture and storage processes and, in the CAP process (Chilled Ammonia Process), from natural gas and process streams in the chemical industry.

(left to right): Dr. Frank Schneider, Chairman of the executive board of SOLVAY GmbH, Prof. Gerd Maurer, and the board member Prof. Gabriele Sadowski and Prof. Andreas Seidel-Morgenstern.

• Solvay, Brüssel, Belgium