The AIChE Legacy Society Members

Raphael Katzen, Ethanol Pioneer, Dies at 93

Raphael “Ray” Katzen, a pioneering chemical engineer who devoted his career to producing ethanol from a variety of feedstocks, died July 12, 2009, in Bonita Springs, FL, at age 93. The founder of Raphael Katzen Associates International, Inc. (now Katzen International, Inc.), his career in chemical engineering spanned more than 70 years.

Katzen was born in Baltimore, MD, and raised in New York City, where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees and a doctorate — all in chemical engineering — from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn (now Polytechnic Institute of New York Univ.).

While working at a defense plant during World War II, Katzen saw the potential for cellulosic ethanol technologies. In 1955, he founded Raphael Katzen Associates International, which through the years helped build and design some 140 major ethanol plants in 34 countries, for industries including agriculture, chemical, biochemical, petrochemical, cryogenic, pulp and sugar. In the 1970s, when the U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE) was interested in developing a U.S. fuel ethanol industry based on corn, the DOE turned to Katzen and his company.

In 1997, Katzen and his wife Selma sold their interest in his company, and he started a consulting company in Bonita Springs, FL, where he continued to do consulting work, primarily in the ethanol industry. Until recently, he was active on the advisory board of the annual Chemical Process Industries Exposition (Chem Show).

Katzen was a Fellow of AIChE, and in recent years remained active as a trustee in the AIChE Foundation, and as a member of the AIChE Legacy Society. In 1986, he was honored by AIChE with the Award in Chemical Engineering Practice (now the Lawrence B. Evans Award in Chemical Engineering Practice), and in 2001 received the Institute’s Founders Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Field of Chemical Engineering.

He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering for his achievements as a chemical engineer and bioengineer. In 2008, he was the first recipient of DOE’s Raphael Katzen Award, in recognition of his distinguished contributions to the deployment and commercialization of fuels and chemicals production from renewable feedstocks.

Katzen is survived by his wife of 71 years, Selma S. (nee Siegel) Katzen, a daughter, three grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.

Katzen’s family has established a memorial fund through AIChE, to benefit chemical engineering students who are pursing careers in biological engineering. Contributions may be made to the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Raphael Katzen Memorial Fund, 3 Park Avenue, 19th Floor, New York, NY 10016-5991.

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