Product Design and Process Intensification

Charpentier JC Among the trends for a modem chemical engineering, the third paradigm the time and length multiscale approach as an efficient tool for process intensification and product design and engineering, Chem Eng Res Des 88(3A) 248—254, 2010. 

Therefore, in this definition process intensification encompasses both novel apparatus and techniques which are designed to bring dramatic improvements in production and processing (Figure 1.8) [25]. As a result, safe, cheaper, compact, sustainable (environmentally friendly), and energy-efficient technologies are obtained. 

Reactive distillation is one of the classic techniques of process intensification. This combination of reaction and distillation was first developed by Eastman Kodak under the 1984 patent in which methyl acetate was produced from methanol and acetic acid. One of the key elements of the design is to use the acetic acid as both a reactant and an extraction solvent within the system, thereby breaking the azeotrope that exists within the system. Likewise, the addition of the catalyst to the system allowed sufficient residence time such that high yields could be obtained, making the process commercially viable. Other examples in which reactive distillation may enhance selectivity include those of serial reactions, in which the intermediate is the desired product, and the reaction and separation rates can be systematically controlled to optimize the yield of the desired intermediate. ... 

In summary, the Avada process is an excellent example of process intensification to achieve higher energy efficiency and reduction of waste streams due to the use of a solid acid catalyst. The successful application of supported HP As for the production of ethyl acetate paves the way for future applications of supported HP As in new green processes for the production of other chemicals, fuels and lubricants. Our results also show that application of characterization techniques enables a better understanding of the effects of process parameters on reactivity and the eventual rational design of more active catalysts. 

Currently existing industrial processes for methanol production are multistage, expensive, complicated for design and engineering, and require high investment for production intensification. 

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