Albemarle Licenses Market Leading Polyethylene Catalyst Technologies From Polimeri Europa

BATON ROUGE, La., April 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Albemarle Corporation (NYSE: ALB), announced it has signed a letter of intent with Polimeri Europa to license their Ziegler Natta polyethylene catalyst technologies for slurry, high pressure and solution applications.

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Under terms of the agreement, Albemarle will become the exclusive marketer of Ziegler type catalysts sold into the High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) and Linear Low Density Polyethylene (LLDPE) markets. The catalysts will be sold under the Advantage brand name.

"These new catalyst technologies will allow Albemarle to expand our portfolio beyond our current offerings to help our customers achieve success in the increasingly competitive global polyolefin market. Albemarle is committed to investing in world class catalyst technologies that allow us to continue expanding our reach into new market segments while meeting the needs of our growing client base," said Amy Motto, Division Vice President, Polyolefin and Chemical Catalysts.

Initial offerings will be Advantage LL77, targeted at producing LLDPE octene-1 co-polymers in high temperature, adiabatic solution processes and Advantage LL26, targeted at producing LLDPE butene-1 co-polymers in high pressure processes with excellent co-monomer distribution and Advantage HD26 and HD46 to produce injection grades of HDPE with remarkably narrow molecular weight distribution.

Albemarle is a global supplier of catalysts and components to the polyolefin market.  Albemarle's market leading technologies include metal alkyls, MAO and organoboron co-catalysts, electron donors, metallocenes, Ziegler PE and supported metallocene PE & PP catalysts.

About Albemarle

Albemarle Corporation, headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is a leading global developer, manufacturer, and marketer of highly-engineered specialty chemicals for consumer electronics, petroleum refining, utilities, packaging, construction, automotive/transportation, pharmaceuticals, crop protection, food-safety and custom chemistry services. The Company is committed to global sustainability and is advancing its eco-practices and solutions in its three business segments, Polymer Solutions, Catalysts and Fine Chemicals. Corporate Responsibility Magazine recently selected Albemarle to its prestigious "100 Best Corporate Citizens" list for 2010. Albemarle employs approximately 4,000 people and serves customers in approximately 100 countries. To learn more, visit www.albemarle.com.

About Polimeri Europa

POLIMERI EUROPA, the eni petrochemical company, with 17 production plants in Europe, a world-wide sales network, an e-commerce and a logistic portal, markets and sells Base Chemicals, Styrenics, Elastomers and Polyethylene as a sound and comprehensive supplier whose key strength is its integration, also in terms of assistance and service.

On the basis of its first hand experience, polimeri europa can also license its proprietary production technologies aiming to satisfy the even more specific customer needs.

POLIMERI EUROPA's commitment to quality and innovation continues, promoting sustainable growth with regard to the community and the environment.

To learn more, visit www.polimerieuropa.com

"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Statements in this press release regarding Albemarle Corporation's business that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties. For a discussion of such risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K.

SOURCE Albemarle Corporation