Paolo Galli
Montell Polyolefins
Inducted 2009
Paolo Galli (1930 – ) is a polymer chemist whose developments in polymerization catalysts have created new polyolefins. Galli is a 1961 graduate of the University of Padua with a doctorate in Industrial Chemistry. As an outstanding researcher, he was awarded a national award and stipend that allowed him to choose his employer. He was elected to join the Montecatini Division of Italy’s Montedison SpA as a laboratory researcher under the mentorship of the famous chemist Giulio Natta, also a member of the Plastics Hall of Fame. He developed new polyolefin catalyst systems that resulted in isotactic polypropylene, a new mainstream plastic material. He also developed several catalyst systems for polyethylene.
Montecatini had developed methods to produce polypropylene in 1957, but the yields were low, and the economics were unfavorable. At the time, Galli had become Montecatini’s engineering research and pilot plant facilities director. He was soon promoted to director of basic research and process development. Using his chemical intuition and mathematical modeling, Galli recognized that the physical shape of the catalyst system was a critical factor for polypropylene polymerization. Given proper thermal control, he determined that a spherical-shaped catalyst with an appropriate diameter and porosity would greatly improve the polymerization yield for polypropylene. The new polymerization process became commercially successful and was given the name Spheripol™ by Montecatini. Galli’s catalyst technology has become a standard in the plastics industry and is used in more than 100 polypropylene production plants.
In 1983, Galli was appointed vice president of technology for Himont, a joint venture between Hercules and Montedison. He then became president of Montell Polyolefins, a company formed by the merger of Montedison and Shell. Galli held many other positions, including scientific advisor for Borealis Polyolefins GmbH in Austria and President of Orion Advanced Chemical Technologies. Later in his career, Galli held other positions, including scientific advisor for Borealis Polyolefins GmbH in Austria and President of Orion Advanced Chemical Technologies.
Areas of Expertise:
Plastic materials