Chemical Processing Services Ltd, Bitrez Ltd and Anacarda Ltd scientist, Paul Jones, wins the prestigious Royal Society of Chemistry prize!
Mr Paul Jones has been named the winner of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Chemistry World Entrepreneur of the Year, celebrating the most exciting chemical science taking place today.
Based at Chemical Processing Services Ltd, Bitrez Ltd and Anacarda Ltd, Mr Jones won the prize for the creation of UK businesses that are globally recognised for innovating speciality polymers employing green chemistry principles.
On receiving the prize, Paul said: “Thanks to the hard work and efforts of colleagues throughout the years, thanks to strong support and mentoring at key stages of my career, I have been very fortunate to have received generous recognition from several sources, all of which I am very grateful for. However, receiving recognition from the Royal Society of Chemistry is at the top: it ranks alongside receipt of the Queen’s Award for Innovation and is something I am extremely honoured to accept.”
Bitrez Ltd designs and develops polymer products or resins targeting a reduced hazard rating and/or a reduced environmental impact. The company creates products that enable the provision of the comforts we have all become accustomed to, but in a safer manner for those using them, and from sustainable sources that prevent further detriment to the environment.
Whenever possible, they formulate products from annually harvested crops rather than the progressively depleting fossil fuels that have historically been used. They process the products to a low hazard state before their use in the manufacture of coatings or composites.
The company makes components for coating food packaging and the subsequent provision of safe coatings that protect the packaging and contents while avoiding the inclusion of materials that can cause health concerns. An example of one such innovation is the development of a specialist cross-linking additive for packaging coatings allowing the formulation of bisphenol A (BPA) free coatings. It followed media and regulatory concerns about the material being a potential endocrine disrupter and causing birth defects and genetic disorders. Primary concerns were focused on expectant mothers; brain and behavioural changes in foetuses, newborn babies and infants. Paul’s company produced a resin that was safe and enabled the coatings industry to continue with no impact on production or food supplies.
Dr Helen Pain, Chief Executive of the Royal Society of Chemistry, said:
“All of us have experienced tremendous challenges in the last year and the chemical sciences community has been integral to how the world has responded on a number of levels. From developing vaccines for COVID-19 to continuing to work towards a more sustainable world – the contribution of chemical scientists has never been more tangible or important.
“In a recent review of our recognition portfolio, we committed to ensuring that our prizes reflected the incredible diversity and excellence of chemistry being carried out today. Mr Jones’s work is a prime example of what we are so passionate about and we are proud to recognise his contribution with this prize.”
The Royal Society of Chemistry’s prizes have recognised excellence in the chemical sciences for more than 150 years. In 2019, the organisation announced the biggest overhaul of this portfolio in its history, designed to better reflect modern science.
The Research and Innovation Prizes – of which the Chemistry World Entrepreneur of the Year is one – celebrate brilliant individuals across industry and academia. They include prizes for those at different career stages in general chemistry and for those working in specific fields, as well as interdisciplinary prizes and prizes for those in specific roles.
Of those to have won a Royal Society of Chemistry Prize, over 50 have gone on to win Nobel Prizes for their pioneering work, including 2019 Nobel laureate John B Goodenough.
To see more on Pauls profile, please visit: https://www.rsc.org/prizes-funding/prizes/2021-winners/mr-paul-jones/