Application 1024

Decolourization more efficient in rotating bed reactor than in fixed bed reactor

A fixed bed reactor (FBR), also known as a packed bed reactor or column, is a traditional technology for processes such as adsorption or heterogeneous catalysis. Achieving the required level of purification or conversion means running the liquid through the reactor at a sufficiently low flow rate, and the throughput of a fixed bed reactor is therefore often limited.

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The rotating bed reactor (RBR) is a high-throughput reactor technology that is revolutionizing the way heterogeneous processes are performed. Catalysis by immobilized enzymes or chemical catalysts, the use of adsorbents or ion-exchange resins are a few examples of applications that are made more efficient in the RBR.

SpinChem rotating bed reactor filled with ion exchange resin

In this application note we compare a rotating bed reactor to a fixed bed reactor for the removal of methylene blue dye from water. The SpinChem® RBR reaches the same level of decolorization in only 40% of the time when using the same quantity of adsorbent as in the FBR. It is also possible to reduce the loading of adsorbent in the RBR by 50% and finish the process in the same time as the FBR does fully packed.

-60% processing time, or
-50% material consumed

Graph showing that SpinChem® rotating bed reactor reaches the same level of decolorization in only 40% of the time

Is process time or material consumption critical to you?

Get started with rotating bed reactors

Find out how the RBR further simplifies heterogeneous processes in Effects of channelling on rotating bed reactors and fixed bed reactors.