Speciality Chemicals Magazine JUL / AUG 2021 | Page 30

GREEN CHEMISTRY

‣ A key factor in the scale-up challenge is maintaining the high mixing rates and rates of heat transfer , which are functions of the small hydraulic diameter . ⁹ Indeed , many flow solutions currently available to process chemists are tailored towards small-scale processing and do not possess the means to allow higher levels of production .

Outlook

The inexorable march towards sustainable chemicals processing shows no signs of stopping . In a competitive landscape where sustainability used to be seen as more of a PR exercise than as a meaningful business plan , the continued demonstration of cost benefits associated with green chemistry have pushed manufacturers towards green practices as a much higher priority . The inefficiencies of batch production however , mean that progress in this area remains stubbornly short of its potential . Advances in flow chemistry have offered an opportunity to move towards continuous processing and help this potential be realised , but many of these solutions are inherently impossible to scale up . To address these problems , Stoli Catalysts has developed a multipurpose continuous flow reactor , the Scalable Agitated Baffle Reactor ( SABRe ). With this reactor , chemists are able to take promising chemistries from the drawing board to the lab and on to full production scale . By incorporating the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry and green engineering at the forefront of our design philosophy , the SABRe system combines the ‘ tanks-in-series ’ model of flow into a single vessel , allowing mixing energy to be decoupled from

The Stoli SABRe

flow velocity while maintaining a high surface area to volume ratio . Because of this , reactions can be performed in less solvent , thereby reducing waste ( or green solvent ) through higherpressure synthesis . The continuous nature of SABRe means that time and energy can be saved from avoiding frequent loading , unloading and heating up and cooling down cycles . Increased heat transfer through the wall of the reactor , means heat can be inputted or removed from the reaction more efficiently , saving energy and reducing costs . Catalysts can also be fixed or contained , allowing the reaction mixture to flow over the catalyst and then easily separated beyond

its lifetime for recycling . Continuous processing provides more opportunity for real-time monitoring of processes variables such as temperature , pressure and mass flow . It also enables the continuous feedback of product quality via a range of analytical techniques such as UV , IR and Raman spectroscopy and chromatography and mass spectrometry . •

Matthew Elliott

STOLI CATALYSTS

STOLI CATALYSTS k + 44 800 145 5401 J sales @ stolicatalysts . com j www . stolicatalysts . com

30 SPECIALITY CHEMICALS MAGAZINE ESTABLISHED 1981