Holger Löwe Director R&D, IMM Institut für Mikrotechnik Mainz GmbH Carl-Zeiss-Straße 18-20 , 55129 Mainz , Germany Chemical Reactions Performed in Microstructured Reactors - A Technology Becomes Mature

• Abstract
• Biography

Abstract

The use of micro-reactor technology - chemical micro process engineering - can both improve current chemical processes and act as an enabling technology towards novel chemistry. By using micro reactors “game-changing” optimisation of existing processes can be achieved by means of process intensification, based on increased mass and heat transfer as well as better residence-time control and regular-patterned fluid dynamics. Meanwhile, the technology has moved from laboratory- to pilot-scale operation in industry and even first production plants are starting their operation.

There is considerable evidence meanwhile how micro reactors can improve existing chemical processes in the field of fine-chemical, specialty-chemical and particle synthesis. Meanwhile, not only the benefits at the reaction level such as selectivity, space-time yield, or hold-up have been demonstrated. In fact, the analysis is going from micro-reactor design to micro-reactor process design, giving a holistic view on a process level, including CAPEX and OPEX costs. Suppliers are meanwhile ready to provide complete systems, i.e. micro-reactor plants, or at best processes, rather than single devices. Meanwhile, a choice of modular multi-purpose or dedicated micro-reactor plants is available on the market, approaching the pilot-scale level. Still, suitable tools for downstream processing are missing to satisfy all customers' needs.

In the fields of energy generation by fuel processing for fuel cells, process intensification comes from system integration of process operations such as the combination of burning with reforming, of heat-exchange functions with WGS or PrOx, and more. In this way, not only more energy-efficient processes are yielded, but a better temperature guidance of the processes themselves is achieved resulting in improved conversion and/or selectivity. Some examples of current developments with microstructured fuel processors, e.g., for the automotive industry, will be given.

There is an important point about how to reveal the true potential of the micro-reactor technology. Future chemical processes should be tailored exactly to the needs of micro reactors. This will lead to novel ways of chemistry which – by changing the technology – may change to an extent the commercial business, its supply chains and productions sites. The novel chemistry means are related to high temperature, high-pressure (high p,T) or solvent-free operation as well as the use of instable intermediates or operation in the explosion regime, to name just a few.

The adaptation of new reactors / plants or even whole processes demands for additional costs and development time, which is opposed to write-downs of investments for conventional plants. Thus, step changes are unlikely in a persisting environment, but rather a continuous change is to be expected. In this context, it will be shown how the micro-reactor implementation is proceeding worldwide, focusing on the EU, US and Asia regions.

References

• Hessel, V.; Löwe, H.; Müller, A.; Kolb, G. Chemical Micro Process Engineering - Processing and Plants , Wiley-VCH: Weinheim 2005.
• Hessel, V.; Hardt, S.; Löwe, H. Chemical Micro Process Engineering - Fundamentals, Modelling and Reactions , Wiley-VCH: Weinheim 2004.
• Pennemann, H.; Watts, P.; Haswell, S.; Hessel, V.; Löwe, H. Org. Proc. Res. Dev. 8 , 3 (2004) 422-439.
• Jähnisch, K.; Hessel, V.; Löwe, H.; Baerns, M. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2004, 43 , 4 (2004) 406-446.
• Kolb, G.; Hessel, V. Chem. Eng. J. 98 , 1-2 (2004) 1-38.
• Pennemann, P.; Hessel, V.; Löwe, H. Chem. Eng. Sci. 59 , 22-23 (2005) 4789-4794.
• Hessel, V.; Löwe, H. Chem. Eng. Technol. 26 , 1 (2003) 13-24.
• Hessel, V.; Löb, P.; Löwe, H. Curr. Org. Chem. , 9 , 8 (2005) 765-787.
• Hessel, V.; Löb, P.; Löwe, H. Chem. Eng. Technol. 28 , 3 (2005) 267-284.

Biography

Dr. Holger Loewe, born in 1953, is appointed as Professor for Chemical Micro Process Technology at the Chemistry, Pharmaceutics and Earth Sciences Department of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. He studied chemistry at the University of Leipzig and obtained his Ph.D. on alkylation of phenols in 1984 after working as Research Group Leader at the Filmfabrik Wolffen from 1977 to 1984. The same year, he moved to the Faculty of Electrochemistry at the Technical University in Ilmenau, where he was Head of the Chemistry Section at the internal college. He joined the IMM Institut für Mikrotechnik GmbH Mainz in 1991. After becoming Leader of the Electrochemistry Group and subsequently, Head of the Chemistry/Microreaction Technology Department, he was appointed Director of R&D in 1999. He is author of more than 280 publications and 30 patents.