BATON ROUGE, La. (Map) - BATON ROUGE, La., July 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Albemarle Corporation (NYSE: ALB), a leading global supplier of petroleum refining catalysts and additives, has developed and produced a new catalyst that can help improve the performance of hydrodesulfurization (HDS) units by up to 35 percent over the current most active catalysts in the hydroprocessing marketplace.

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The new product, Ketjenfine(R) 770 hydrodesulfurization catalyst, built on patented STARS(TM) technology, will enable ultra-low-sulfur diesel (ULSD) refiners to improve their operating margins substantially by increasing catalyst cycle length; increasing throughput; or running cheaper, lower quality feed stocks, all without additional, new capital expenditure.

"Our global hydroprocessing R&D and marketing teams have scored a winning goal with this exciting new catalyst," said

John Nicols, vice president of Albemarle's catalysts segment. "This innovative product is already helping Albemarle and its customers meet the rising global call for clean energy solutions. Ketjenfine 770 catalyst is a breakthrough product that delivers real value to the marketplace at a time when refiners are being stretched by increasing diesel demand and more stringent fuels specifications."

Ketjenfine 770 HDS catalyst is the latest in a long line of groundbreaking catalysts from Albemarle, a longstanding leader in hydroprocessing catalyst product performance, technical innovation, product quality and technical service.

"Albemarle's Ketjenfine 757 catalyst has been the benchmark product in ULSD refining for close to a decade," said Stephane Leclef, division vice president of Albemarle's hydroprocessing catalysts (HPC) business. "We believe that our new Ketjenfine 770 will surpass the success of KF757. It demonstrates that Albemarle remains at the top of the pack, helping refiners worldwide improve their operations considerably at a time when ULSD fuel is in increasing demand."

The new technology was developed by Albemarle's R&D team in Amsterdam and will be available from production sites in the Netherlands and the United States. The product is already being sold in Europe, and is commercially available to refiners worldwide. For more information, contact Albemarle's catalysts division at (281) 480-4747 in the Americas; at +31 33 44 53 500 in Europe, the Middle East and Africa; or at +86 21 6103 8666 throughout Asia.

Albemarle Corporation, headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is a leading global developer, manufacturer and marketer of highly engineered specialty chemicals for consumer electronics; petroleum and petrochemical processing; transportation and industrial products; pharmaceuticals; agricultural products; and construction and packaging materials. The Company operates in three business segments-Polymer Additives, Catalysts and Fine Chemicals-and serves customers in approximately 100 countries. Learn more about Albemarle at www.albemarle.com.

Forward-Looking Statements:

Portions of this release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Although Albemarle Corporation believes its expectations reflected in the release are based on reasonable assumptions within the bounds of its knowledge of its business and operations; there can be no assurance that actual results will not differ materially. Factors that could cause actual results to differ from expectations include, without limitation, the inability to pass through increases in costs and expenses for raw materials and energy; competition from other manufacturers; changes in demand for our products; the gain or loss of significant customers; fluctuations in foreign currencies and increased government regulation of our operations or our products. Additional factors that could cause Albemarle's results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found under "Risk Factors" in item 1A of our Annual Report for the period ended December 31, 2007.