Laureate 2023
Prof. Dr. rer. nat. habil. Günter Schmitt
Guenter Schmitt graduated from the Cologne University and Aachen University of Technology in Germany with a Diploma and Ph.D. in Chemistry, a Habilitation + venia legendi in "Chemical Engineering/Technical Chemistry" at the Aachen University of Technology. Assistant Professor in the Institute of Technical Chemistry and Petroleum Chemistry (1978). From 1883 to 1985 full Professor for Technical Chemistry at Ruhr-University of Bochum, Germany. 1986 to 2007 Professor for Corrosion Protection Engineering and Head of the Laboratory for Corrosion Protection at the Iserlohn University of Applied Sciences, Iserlohn, Germany. Additionally since 2005 CEO and main shareholder of the Institute for Maintenance and Corrosion Protection Technologies (IFINKOR) n.p.Ltd., Iserlohn, Germany.
He was actively involved in teaching Corrosion Engineering Technologies at the Iserlohn University of Applied Sciences, and Technical Chemistry and Corrosion Protection at the Aachen University of Technology. He gave several 5-days courses in theory and practice of "Failure Analysis" and "Corrosion and Corrosion Protection in Oil and Gas Production, Transportation and Processing" in universities and institutes in China (Beijing, Dalian, Shenyang, Xi’an) during 1985 and 2002.
Within the European TEMPUS project he coordinated from 2000 to 2003 a cooperative project between the University of Tirana/Faculty for Natural Sciences/Albania, University La Sapiencia/ Institute for Analytical Chemistry/Rome/Italy and Iserlohn University of Applied Sciences, Laboratory for Corrosion Protection/Iserlohn/Germany. As as result, the curriculum of the MSc study “Corrosion Protection Technology” at the Iserlohn University of Applied Sciences was 1:1 introduced into the studies at the University of Tirana/ Faculty of Natural SciencesAlbania.
Research groups at the Iserlohn University of Applied Science and Aachen University of Technology are working on subjects in the field of corrosion, corrosion protection and surface modification. Special fields of R&D include corrosion and corrosion protection in production, transport and processing of fossil fuels (oil, gas, coal), sweet and sour gas corrosion, inhibition, organic coatings, electroless alloy plating, temporary corrosion protection, hydrogen induced corrosion, flow-influenced corrosion, interface/interphase phenomena, and electrochemistry. He was also involved in research on chemical processes for organic and metalorganic intermediate chemicals (e.g. synthesis of special chemicals and polymer precursors, homogeneous catalysis). His R&D work is documented in more than 320 publications.
Guenter Schmitt is actively involved in corrosion science and technology worldwide as shown below:
- Co-Founder, Past President (1995-2004) and Honorary Member (2006) of the German Society for Corrosion Protection (GfKORR)
- Scientific Chairman of EUROCOR'99
- In the research program "Corrosion and Corrosion Protection" of the German Federal Minister for Science and Technology: Chairman (1982-1993) of the WG F5 (Materials performance in waters and soils, Corrosion Inhibitors), Chairman of the task group "Oil field inhibitors" (WG F5), coordinator in the joint industry research project "Corrosion in process waters" (WG G6)
- German delegate in the International Corrosion Council (ICC)(since 1993); 1st Vice Chairman (2014-2017), Chairman (2018-2021), Immediate Past-Chairman (2022-2024) of ICC
- German delegate and active member in working groups of the European Federation of Corrosion (EFC): WG 1 on Corrosion and Scale Inhibitors (member since 1976, Chairman since 2001), WG 7 on Corrosion Education (member since 1978), WG13: Oil and Gas Corrosion (member since 1990), WG 19 on Polymer Corrosion (Co-Founder and past Vice chairman)
- Organiser of the 5-days international courses in theory and practice of "Corrosion Inhibitors", sponsored by the WG 1 on "Corrosion and Scale Inhibitors" of the EFC, held 1986, 1988, 1993, 1996 and 2001 at DECHEMA, Frankfurt/Main, Germany, 2 days international courses on same subject in 2020 and 2021 at IFINKOR.
- Since 1997 Convenor of ISO TC67 WG7 "Materials for use in H2S environments in oil and gas production" (ISO 15156/NACE MR0175 and ISO 23936) and chairman of the Maintenance Agency of ISO 15156
- Member of major German associations in the field of Chemistry, Electrochemistry, Chemical Engineering and Corrosion (AGEF, DECHEMA, DGMK, DGO, GDCh, GfKORR, VDI, fkks)
- Member of international organizations such as ISE, ECS and NACE International (NACE Fellow 2005)
- Past Member of the Board of Directors in the Association of Electrochemical Research Institutions (AGEF), Duesseldorf, Germany
- Past Member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Society of German Engineers (VDI) - Subgroup Materials Technology, Duesseldorf, Germany
- Past member of the Scientific Council of the Association of Industrial Research Institutions (AiF), Germany
- Past Member of the Coordination Council for Corrosion Research (Kuratorium Korrosionsforschung der AiF) in Germany
- Member of the International Advisory Board of the corrosion journals "Materials and Corrosion“(Germany), “Corrosion Engineering, Science and Technology” (UK), and “International Journal for Corrosion and Scale Inhibition” (Russia)
- Member in the Management Committees of three European COST Programs: COST 520 "Biofilms" (1997- 2002), COST F2 "Electrochemical Flow measurements" (1999-2003), COST D33 “Materials and Microorganisms” (2005-2008)
- Main author of the White Paper (May 2009) "Global Needs for Knowledge Dissemination, Research, and Development in Materials Deterioration and Corrosion Control", prepared for the World Corrosion Organization (WCO) in its efforts to become a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) in the United Nations (UN) (www.corrosion.org) (WCO is NGO in the UN since July 2010).
- Senior Research Fellow of the Institute for Corrosion and Multiphase Technology at the Ohio University, Athens, Ohio/USA, (since 2009)
- Rahmel-Schwenk Medal of the German Corrosion Society GfKORR (Gesellschaft für Korrosionsschutz e.V) (2006)
- European Corrosion Medal of the European Federation of Corrosion, 2011
- Lee Hsun Lecture Award of the Chinese Academy of Science, 2018
- Board Member of the World Corrosion Organization (WCO) since 2018
- 2020 Willis Rodney Whitney Award, NACE International
