On-Demand Synthesis and Process Minimization

Phosgene is widely used as a chemical intermediate for the production of isocyanates used in polyurethane foams and in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals and pesticides [55]. Processes using phosgene require specialized cylinder storage, environmental enclosures, pipelines, fixtures under negative pressure 

Long term, it will even be possible to manufacture many hazardous materials in plants as small as a silicon chip, using large numbers of plants on a chip in parallel to produce the quantity of material required [61, 62]. It is unlikely that the large, world-scale petrochemical plant vdll ever completely disappear. However, distributed manufacture of chemicals in small plants will become an important part of the industry, in particular for the improved safety through distributed manufacturing of hazardous chemicals. There are many relevant examples besides those cited previously of phosgene and methyl isocyanate synthesis, for example HCN [63] and aqueous peracetic acid [64] on-demand syntheses. 

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