Albemarle Experts 
 are on Industry's
 Leading Edge

Feb. 13, 2025

Albemarle’s experts will play a starring role in the next industrial revolution. Our teams lead the world in transforming essential resources into critical ingredients for powering everyday life.  

This collaborative and innovative work is led by scientists with decades of experience in fields ranging from chemical and electrical engineering to geology and mineralogy.  

This is the first in a series of features highlighting Albemarle’s expert voices. 

Keyur Shah, Albemarle’s vice president of strategic technology, has contributed to research and the development of projects in specialty chemicals and energy storage at Albemarle’s facilities around the world. 

“The world needs new molecules,” says Shah, who has a doctorate in chemical engineering. “New technology and its applications to chemistry can help build solutions for challenges in medicine, energy, mobility and many other areas of life.” 

Early Curiosity About Chemistry 

Shah grew up in western India and developed an early interest in chemistry. His uncle worked for a mid-size chemical company, and Shah’s curiosity grew as he learned more about the field. 

After earning his undergraduate degree in chemical engineering, he came to the United States, where he pursued his graduate degrees in chemical engineering at Louisiana Tech and Stevens Institute of Technology while researching new technologies in energy. 

Shah joined Albemarle in 2006, seeing opportunities to work on projects of different scales and to learn more about the business side of the industry. 

“I enjoyed the opportunity to work on several different projects, from lab to pilot project to scaling up all the way to commercializing new chemistry,” he says. “It’s very fulfilling to see an idea grow from its earliest stages to a fully functioning scientific process.” 

Albemarle Expertise Around the World 

Shah’s work has taken him from Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas to Jordan, working on solutions utilizing bromine and lithium. 

His work has included technology and development of brominated flame retardants and more recently, work on direct lithium extraction (DLE) in Magnolia, Arkansas, and the Salar de Atacama in Chile. 

Direct lithium extraction is an innovative technology used to separate lithium more effectively and efficiently from brine, bypassing traditional evaporation ponds.  

As one of the world’s largest lithium producers, with a history of expertise in processing brine resources, Albemarle’s expertise positions us well to develop DLE and tailor the custom solutions needed for each brine resource.  

“DLE is an interesting challenge,” Shah says. “Every brine is different, and every site has different constraints. But it’s exciting to work on this innovative technology that can apply and advance our processes.”  

Wesley Hamilton, Albemarle’s chief technical officer, says Keyur’s contributions have been important to many Albemarle projects. 

“Keyur’s expertise is helping us advance our technology to deliver solutions,” Hamilton says. “As a leader and a scientist, he represents the best of Albemarle’s values – care, curiosity and collaboration.” 

Shah says he sometimes misses the lab and working in the plant, but he is enjoying empowering younger colleagues and seeing their development. He hopes young people follow their interest in science, enabling significant innovations for the future. 

“I hope young people who have a passion for chemistry and engineering will stick with it,” he says. “You can do a lot of cool things with chemistry.”