“ Now we are even attracting interest in base chemicals and petrochemicals . This was not the picture for microreactors ten or even five years ago .” In terms of reactions targeted , Jiang expects the G5 to be used in a similar range to those the G4 is already used in . “ There is no limitation in terms of the category . We are talking about lots of chemical processes , even with harder chemistries like nitration and hydrogenation , where there are high safety challenges .”
Target markets
Hitherto , pharma and speciality chemicals have been the leading customer markets . With the growing scale of manufacture , Jiang sees opportunities in other fields , like new materials . Narrow particle synthesis is one particularly exciting area , where the G4 and G5 can help ensure narrow particle size distribution and ensure that it is maintained from lab to industrial scale . Corning is now receiving more requests for the G5 thanks to the publicity about the Weihua case , Jiang notes . It has also received “ many good comments from governments and regulators ” because of the inherently safer technology that AFR represents , especially where hazardous chemicals are used . With the COVID-19 pandemic disruption , Corning has shifted its emphasis to roadshows , webinars , online demonstrations and virtual trade shows . It has also launched a new educational platform to support training in chemistry and chemical engineering at vocational universities globally , encouraging them to adopt flow chemistry into their curricula . The company has just signed contracts with two unnamed engineering colleges in China , with government encouragement . More widely speaking , the advantages of flow chemistry have been well known and understood for many years . As well as inherent safety and reduced footprints , they offer hugely enhanced mixing and heat transfer performance , energy savings , increased efficiency of synthesis ,
lower production costs , reduced environmental impact , easy scale-up and durability in corrosive conditions , to name but a few . The market has been stubbornly slow to adopt flow but Jiang believes that we may be poised for a change . As he points out , a 10,000 tonnes / year system based on G4s has been operating stably and safely at industrial-scale 24 / 7 for nearly four years . “ These industrial-scale demonstrations are sending a strong message to industrial companies and we are seeing an acceleration in the adoption of flow at this scale in the last three years ,” he says . •
The G5 ( above ) is Corning ’ s newest flow reactor , following on from the G4 ( left )
Dr Yi Jiang
PRESIDENT & GENERAL MANAGER
CORNING ADVANCED-FLOW REACTOR TECHNOLOGY CO ., LTD
J j reactors @ corning . com www . corning . com / reactors
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