Alternative plug processes

Several alternative plug processes have been proposed in the literature. Each alternative has its limitations and advantages. The 

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In addition we will briefly discuss some alternatives for the CVD-W plug processes as they are proposed in the literature. 

A small amount of particleboard is made with a fire-retardant treatment for use in locations where codes require this material, as in some offices and elevators. Particleboards receive overlay and finishing treatments with ease. Wood veneers, melamine overlays, printed paper overlays, vinyl overlays, foils, and direct grain printing can all be done quite simply. A small amount of particleboard is also made in the form of shaped, molded articles such as furniture parts, paper roU plugs, bmsh bases, and even toilet seats. There is another small increment of particleboard made by the extmsion process. These products are made in small captive operations owned by furniture manufacturers which consume all of this production in their furniture. The extmsion process differs from conventional flat-pressed particleboard in that the wood furnish is forced between two stationary heated surfaces. The mats are formed from one edge and this edge is alternately formed and pushed between the heated platens, which are maintained at a distance equal to the thickness of board produced. This is an old, slow, small-scale process, but is stiU in use in at least one location. 

The alternative to batch mode operation is continuous operation. In the continuous mode there is a continuous flow of medium into the fermentor and of product stream out of the fermentor. Continuous bioprocesses often use homogenously mixed whole cell suspensions. However, immobilised cell or enzyme processes generally operate in continuous plug flow reactors, without mixing (see Figure 2.1, packed-bed reactors). 

Sample preparation, injection, calibration, and data collection, must be automated for process analysis. Methods used for flow injection analysis (FLA) are also useful for reliable sampling for process LC systems.1 Dynamic dilution is a technique that is used extensively in FIA.13 In this technique, sample from a loop or slot of a valve is diluted as it is transferred to a HPLC injection valve for analysis. As the diluted sample plug passes through the HPLC valve it is switched and the sample is injected onto the HPLC column for separation. The sample transfer time typically is determined with a refractive index detector and valve switching, which can be controlled by an integrator or computer. The transfer time is very reproducible. Calibration is typically done by external standardization using normalization by response factor. Internal standardization has also been used. To detect upsets or for process optimization, absolute numbers are not always needed. An alternative to... 

If A has significant economic value then it should be separated from the reactor effluent stream and recycled for subsequent use. Since the conversion level is higher in the plug flow reactor, the recycle rate will be much smaller and the demands on the separation equipment for reclaiming species A will also be somewhat smaller. Even when species A is of relatively little economic value, there may be circumstances when the costs associated with meeting the pollution control requirements for the process effluent will dictate separation and recycle of this reactant as the most economic alternative. 

D-Pantolactone and L-pantolactone are used as chiral intermediates in chemical synthesis, whereas pantoic acid is used as a vitamin B2 complex. All can be obtained from racemic mixtures by consecutive enzymatic hydrolysis and extraction. Subsequently, the desired hydrolysed enantiomer is lactonized, extracted and crystallized (Figure 4.6). The nondesired enantiomer is reracemized and recycled into the plug-flow reactor [33,34]. Herewith, a conversion of 90-95% is reached, meaning that the resolution of racemic mixtures is an alternative to a possible chiral synthesis. The applied y-lactonase from Fusarium oxysporum in the form of resting whole cells immobilized in calcium alginate beads retains more than 90% of its initial activity even after 180 days of continuous use. The biotransformation yielding D-pantolactone in a fixed-bed reactor skips several steps here that are necessary in the chemical resolution. Hence, the illustrated process carried out by Fuji Chemical Industries Co., Ltd is an elegant way for resolution of racemic mixtures. 

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