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Process development

Increasing the production efficiency, and reducing the material costs are generally the main goals, both when planning for the improvement of an already existing process, and when developing a brand new one. Process development involves the planning, testing, supervising and optimizing of the procedures, techniques and workflows of a certain process.

Trials and pilot plants

There are generally a few different steps in developing a new process. First off, laboratory trials are planned, tested and optimized to ensure satisfactory reaction conditions and product yields. This often includes testing of different materials, solvents, and reaction settings, to reach suitable results. The process is later moved over to a pilot plant for pre-commercial production runs, and further large-scale process optimization. This will offer a chance to study the set-up in a situation resembling the final process. In this step, parameters can be adjusted to ensure a maintained quality of the process at a larger scale. During these two initial phases it is also common to test out partially or complete automation of the process, as well as the incorporation of new tools and technological solutions. After the process has been tested and optimized for satisfactory results, it is ready to be moved on to production.

Rotating bed reactors

SpinChem offers help with the development of your heterogeneous processes, from bench-top screening, to full-scale production. Due to the generic design of the SpinChem® rotating bed reactor (RBR), the technology is fully scalable, and performs just as well in liquid phase volumes of a few millilitres (MagRBR), as in several thousand cubic metres of solution (ProRBR). If the existing set-up makes it impractical to use the RBR in-tank for batch processing, SpinChem offers other solutions, such as flow systems, where the RBR is used in a separate vessel connected to the main tank. The SpinChem® RBR can also be used in connected systems of reactor vessels, where the RBR is used in one or more of these vessels.

The efficient mass transfer achieved with the RBR, along with the fact that the solid phase is not exposed to mechanical forces or pressure, makes for quick and clean reactions. Downstream processing is cut to a minimum as there is no need for filtering of solid phase resin or debris from the reaction solution. This makes the SpinChem® RBR a very cost and resource efficient alternative both in research and production.

SpinChem’s fields of expertise include chemistry, engineering, experimental design, solid phase materials, and fluid flow simulations. Through rapid in-house prototyping, testing, simulating, analysis and optimization, SpinChem is able to develop clever, custom-made solutions to fit your processes and applications.

Activated carbon decolorization, fast and without filtration

Activated carbon is a common choice for removing impurities or capturing compounds from a product batch. However, the carbon may itself foul the product and be difficult to separate. The rotating bed reactor offers a clean way to deploy activated carbon that removes the need for time-consuming filtration and extends the lifetime of the solid phase.  

Flexible deployment with the plug-in rotating bed reactor

The rotating bed reactor (RBR) is a combined tool for chemical transformations and liquid transfer operations, reducing or eliminating the need for external pumps. Filled with a catalyst or adsorbent, and rotated by a motor, the RBR brings the liquid to be processed in contact with the solid-phase at high flow rates. Due to the high flow rate generated, the RBR can not only treat the liquid in the reaction vessel, but also transfer it into the vessel for processing.

Automatic processes for efficient production

Automation of large-scale processes is often a requirement for economically viable chemical processes. The benefits of scale are best harvested at high throughputs and 24/7 operation. This leads to the demand for process automation, and the elimination of hands-on work.

Dramatically improved deionization with a rotating bed reactor

Removing ions from liquids is common in industry and society. Ions are remediated in applications ranging from the production of pharmaceuticals to the treatment of communal waste streams. Likewise, the nuclear energy sector deals with the removal of ionic radioactive substances from water on a daily basis.

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.

High-viscosity applications made faster

Liquids with high viscosity create problems for heterogeneous applications in traditional reactors. Packed bed reactors (columns) suffer from huge back pressures, and stirred tank reactors (STR) exhibit reduced reaction rates due to poor mixing. Both issues lead to longer processing times and expensive operations.

Removing organic molecules from large volumes of water

Organic molecules contaminate many products and waste streams, and are a common target for remediation. Activated carbon is a widely used adsorbent to capture organic molecules from aqueous solutions (like wastewater), and offers a very wide range of applications thanks to its unspecific method of adsorption. At the same time, activated carbon can cause fouling of another kind by the particles breaking down into smaller fines. This dust-like material is very cumbersome to remove from the liquid afterwards.

Deployment of Rotating Bed Reactors at Industrial Scale Person in PPE inspecting a rotating bed reactor.

Ion removal in 7000 L of water using the SpinChem® RBR S100

Water with elevated ion concentrations is a common challenge in industries such as the nuclear energy sector. Whether it’s ordinary heavy metals, radionuclides, or any other ions, these can normally be captured by a properly selected ion-exchange resin. The deployment of the resin can however be a challenge, especially at large scale.

Improving reactions in emulsions using a rotating bed reactor

When working with an emulsion (and particularly with a heterogeneous catalyst) the mass transfer between the phases is critical. Insufficient mixing leads to lower interfacial area per volume, and in turn to poor mass transfer across the phases.

Efficient synthesis of chiral lactones by encapsulated cells in a rotating bed reactor

Whole cell biocatalysis is powerful, but not straightforward. One way of utilizing whole cells is to encapsulate them in a matrix such as alginate to make them easier to separate from a reaction mixture. However, alginate beads are not mechanically stable enough to be packed into columns and are easily destroyed in stirred tank reactors (STR). This makes enzyme recycling ineffective, at the same time as mass transfer limitations may prevail.

In situ filling and emptying of rotating bed reactors

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.

In-tank deployment of large scale rotating bed reactor

How can this process be scaled up? This is perhaps the most important question to consider when developing a chemical process. If it cannot be done on large scale, all the time and resources invested in laboratory work will be unrewarded. Pumping liquids through massive columns or separating solids from a large batch can be unsurmountable challenges that bring a halt to a new project before it has even left the starting blocks.

Mass transfer revolutionized

The SpinChem rotating bed reactor (RBR) can eliminate poor mass transfer in heterogeneous reactions during chemical syntheses and biotransformations, preserve catalyst activity, and facilitate recycling of solid phases. This brochure presents our technology and its applications.

Remediation of wastewater stored in High-Integrity Container (HIC)

Liquid waste is generated by many sources at a nuclear energy plant, during both operation and decommissioning. The waste is sometimes stored in high-integrity containers (HICs) or similar vessels, where it occupies valuable space and poses a liability that eventually needs to be dealt with.

Rotating bed reactor for immobilized enzymatic reactions

In pharmaceutical manufacturing and other industries, traditional methods are burdened by unsustainable use of solvents and transition metal catalysts. The use of enzymes is pursued as an alternative, offering greener synthetic routes and better results due to improved specificity. However, enzymes are costly and reusing them for many cycles is practically a requirement for process economy. This essentially means that the enzymes must be immobilized on a solid support so that they can be separated from the product.

Soft alginate beads used in a rotating bed reactor

Stirred vessels tend to damage soft heterogeneous catalysts, like enzymes immobilized in agarose or alginate beads, with activity loss and tedious workup as consequence. In a fixed bed reactor, these materials are easily compressed by the pressure gradient, leading to a loss of flow rate. Overcoming these challenges opens up the possibility to use biocatalysis as a tool for greener processes and more sustainable manufacturing.

Rotating bed reactors completely avoid grinding of molecular sieves

When using of solid-phase catalysts or adsorbents in reactors, the physical degradation of the materials is a common problem. The traditional stirred tank reactor inflicts mechanical damage to the particles, which causes attrition, fines that are difficult to separate, and loss of the functionality of the solid-phase.

Exploring the effectiveness of different types of activated carbon

Contaminations in liquids can often be removed using an adsorbent, such as granular activated carbon (GAC). The best choice of adsorbent is unique for each contaminant, and the effectiveness depends on many parameters. Failing to investigate these can lead to unnecessarily high material costs and long processing times.

Simple scale-up using flexible reactors

Research and development quickly takes new directions, and the requirements on a laboratory may vary with every new project. Limiting yourself to equipment with a narrow scope of conditions and applications may become expensive, since new equipment must be acquired for anything out of scope. With budgets quickly consumed by other projects, the need for new equipment may mean significant delays and a reduced capability to take on emerging opportunities.

Cascade reactions with a rotating bed reactor in an EasyMax™ 102

Synthesis typically involves multiple reaction steps and the isolation of intermediate products. Any incomplete conversion at the end of each step will compound to an overall lower yield. To make things worse, the work-up of each intermediate can be very time-consuming. This has made one-pot cascade synthesis (the simultaneous execution of multiple steps in a single reactor) a desirable target for chemists. This approach aims to minimize intermediate work-up, reduce the risk of material loss, and enhance overall process efficiency.

Decolorization at 7,500 L using a mobile reactor

Any producer might need to modify their process because of variations in the available materials or changing demands on the product. However, installing new equipment in a production plant is a costly, time-consuming, and disruptive process. Modifying existing infrastructure often requires extensive downtime, regulatory approvals, and significant capital investment.

Treatment of Viscous Solutions in a Mettler-Toledo EasyMax™ 102

Heterogeneous reactions involving viscous solutions put high demands on equipment and materials. Columns face high pressure drops and require powerful pumps and durable solid phase particles. Stirred tank reactors do not face the same problem, but the high liquid viscosity and low particle density will have a negative impact on reaction kinetics and require tedious filtration to separate the solids afterwards.

Using a rotating bed reactor in different liquid volumes

Research and development quickly takes new directions, and the requirements on a laboratory may vary with every new project. Limiting yourself to equipment with a narrow scope of conditions and applications may become expensive in the long run. The need for new equipment may inflict delays and affect your capability to take on emerging opportunities.

Lipase-catalyzed hydrolysis in 750 L using a rotating bed reactor

Biocatalysis offers many benefits in the production of chemicals and active pharmaceutical ingredients. One major challenge has been the deployment of immobilized enzymes in an efficient way on large scale. The rotating bed reactor offers a convenient way to scale a biocatalytic process.

How the loading of solids influences reaction speed

Sometimes you don’t want to pack the entire rotating bed reactor full with your solid-phase material. Fully loading might simply be wasteful, or you may want to experiment with your reaction conditions. But how does the amount of solids in the rotating bed reactor influence the reaction performance? Can you use only 10% of the full capacity?

Phenol scavenging using ion-exchange resin

Scavenging of soluble undesirable compounds and substances onto solid phase is used in a wide range of applications. In this example, a rotating bed reactor (RBR) is used to capture low concentrations of a phenol onto readily available Strong Anion Exchange (SAX) resin as a scavenger.

A molecular structure representation symbolizing biocatalysis and heterogeneous chemical reactions in industrial enzyme systems.

Cellulose-bead immobilized enzymes as biodegradable and renewable catalysts

Environmentally benign and safe synthesis is enabled by highly active biocatalysts. To bolster economic and ecological aspects, catalyst reuse is essential and achieved by heterogenization of otherwise soluble enzymes onto solid supports. Here, this is demonstrated on novel renewable and non-polluting cellulose beads.

Decolourization of product residues

In the manufacture of liquid products, they may be coloured with appealing and brand-building colourants. During changes of batches, downtimes, or other regular day-to-day operations, coloured product residues are washed out of the process line. These are ideally recycled to minimize waste and maximize utility. For this, however, they need to undergo decolourization. Below we present a customer story in which the SpinChem RBR technoloy was deployed to decolourize viscous product residues.