Video showing how a SpinChem® rotating bed reactor (RBR) was charged with solid particles, followed by draining and replacing the reaction liquid without escape of solids. Lastly, the solid phase was removed without opening the RBR. This procedure illustrates a concept for automatic handling of solid phases in production scale equipment without opening the reaction vessel.
The separation is particularly slow when the individual grain size of the solid phase is small. The same applies to industries that have low tolerances for residues in the product, such as the food & beverage, pharmaceuticals or cosmetic ingredients industries.
This is where the rotating bed reactor (RBR) offers tremendous gains in efficiency and simplifies the overall operations. The RBR can be filled with the solid phase in advance of the processing, or as in the video below, automatically collect the solid phase from the reaction mixture during the operation. This enables the user to transfer the product from the reaction vessel and fill with new starting material in seconds or minutes, rather than the slow filtration required by stirred tank operations.
This concept even works for delicate materials, such as hydrogel beads. SpinChem offers solutions for processes that involve solid-phase materials on any scale. Whether it is for academic research or industrial processing, we have systems to serve your needs. Reach out to us for a conversation about your process today.
Details
Conditions: A SpinChem® rotating bed reactor (RBR) S2 within a SpinChem® flower-baffled reaction vessel V2 filled with 150 mL water and 15 mL ion exchange beads (IRN 99 H+, about 500 µm particle size). This 1 min video was edited down from a 2 min real-time process.