Production scale

The ratio of reactants had to be controlled very closely to suppress these impurities. Recovery of the acrylamide product from the acid process was the most expensive and difficult part of the process. Large scale production depended on two different methods. If soHd crystalline monomer was desired, the acrylamide sulfate was neutralized with ammonia to yield ammonium sulfate. The acrylamide crystallized on cooling, leaving ammonium sulfate, which had to be disposed of in some way. The second method of purification involved ion exclusion (68), which utilized a sulfonic acid ion-exchange resin and produced a dilute solution of acrylamide in water. A dilute sulfuric acid waste stream was again produced, and, in either case, the waste stream represented a... 

Even ia 1960 a catalytic route was considered the answer to the pollution problem and the by-product sulfate, but nearly ten years elapsed before a process was developed that could be used commercially. Some of the eadier attempts iacluded hydrolysis of acrylonitrile on a sulfonic acid ion-exchange resia (69). Manganese dioxide showed some catalytic activity (70), and copper ions present ia two different valence states were described as catalyticaHy active (71), but copper metal by itself was not active. A variety of catalysts, such as Umshibara or I Jllmann copper and nickel, were used for the hydrolysis of aromatic nitriles, but aUphatic nitriles did not react usiag these catalysts (72). Beginning ia 1971 a series of patents were issued to The Dow Chemical Company (73) describiag the use of copper metal catalysis. Full-scale production was achieved the same year. A solution of acrylonitrile ia water was passed over a fixed bed of copper catalyst at 85°C, which produced a solution of acrylamide ia water with very high conversions and selectivities to acrylamide. 

The RDX particle size distribution must be carefully controlled to produce castable slurries of RDX and TNT having acceptable viscosity. Several classes of RDX are produced to satisfy requirements for the various pressed and cast RDX-based compositions. A continuous process for medium-scale production of RDX has been developed by Biazzi based on the Woolwich process (79,151—154). 

Biopolymer Extraction. Research interests involving new techniques for separation of biochemicals from fermentation broth and cell culture media have increased as biotechnology has grown. Most separation methods are limited to small-scale appHcations but recendy solvent extraction has been studied as a potential technique for continuous and large-scale production and the use of two-phase aqueous systems has received increasing attention (259). A range of enzymes have favorable partition properties in a system based on a PGE—dextran—salt solution (97) ... 

The intrinsic properties may be modified by substitution (31). Ba can be fuUy replaced by Sr or Pb and partly by Ca (<40 mol %). CaM, stabilized with 0.03 mol % La202, is also possible. The intrinsic properties of these M-ferrites vary somewhat and other factors such as sintering behavior and price of raw materials often dictate the commercial viabiUty. Large-scale production is concentrated on BaM and SrM. High quaUty magnets are generally based on SrM, and somewhat lower priced magnets are based on BaM. 

Although none of these survived commercially for more than a few years, their development led to an increased understanding of the inflation process and the identification of conditions which could yield a continuously hoUow staple fiber in large-scale production (43). 

Product innovation absorbs considerable resources in the fine chemicals industry, in part because of the shorter life cycles of fine chemicals as compared to commodities. Consequently, research and development (R D) plays an important role. The main task of R D in fine chemicals is scaling-up lab processes, as described, eg, in the ORAC data bank or as provided by the customers, so that the processes can be transferred to pilot plants (see Pilot PLANTS AND microplants) and subsequently to industrial-scale production. Thus the R D department of a fine chemicals manufacturer typically is divided into a laboratory or process research section and a development section, the latter absorbing the Hon s share of the R D budget, which typically accounts for 5 to 10% of sales. Support functions include the analytical services, engineering, maintenance, and Hbrary. 

Manufacture and Economics. Nitrogen tritiuoride can be formed from a wide variety of chemical reactions. Only two processes have been technically and economically feasible for large-scale production the electrolysis of molten ammonium acid fluoride and the direct fluorination of the ammonia in the presence of molten ammonium fluoride. In the electrolytic process, NF is produced at the anode and H2 is produced at the cathode. In a divided cell of 4 kA having nickel anodes, extensive dilution of the gas streams with N2 was used to prevent explosive reactions between NF and H2 (17). 

The reaction can be used ia the large-scale production of the optically active amino acid detivatives. The chiraUty of the a-carbon is substantially retained and resolution of the product is avoided. 

In Germany, large-scale production of synthetic fuels from coal began in 1910 and necessitated the conversion of coal to carbon monoxide and hydrogen. 

Natural Gas Upgrading via Fischer-Tropsch. In the United States, as in other countries, scarcities from World War II revived interest in the synthesis of fuel substances. A study of the economics of Fischer synthesis led to the conclusion that the large-scale production of gasoline from natural gas offered hope for commercial utiHty. In the Hydrocol process (Hydrocarbon Research, Inc.) natural gas was treated with high purity oxygen to produce the synthesis gas which was converted in fluidized beds of kon catalysts (42). 

The stoichiometry (4 mol lithium hydride to 1 mol LiAlH ) makes this an inherently expensive process, even though high yields of pure product are obtained. For large-scale production, metathesis from NaAlH is economically preferred. 

Methods for the large-scale production of hydrogen must be evaluated in the context of environmental impact and cost. Synthesis gas generation is the principal area requiring environmental controls common to all syngas-based processes. The nature of the controls depends on the feedstock and method of processing. 

Commercially, the burner chamber and the absorber cooler sections are combined as a single unit for small-scale production. However, in large capacity plants, these units are separated. A typical commercial unit is schematically described in Figure 5 (32). 

Some of the economic hurdles and process cost centers of this conventional carbohydrate fermentation process, schematically shown in Eigure 1, are in the complex separation steps which are needed to recover and purify the product from the cmde fermentation broths. Eurthermore, approximately a ton of gypsum, CaSO, by-product is produced and needs to be disposed of for every ton of lactic acid produced by the conventional fermentation and recovery process (30). These factors have made large-scale production by this conventional route economically and ecologically unattractive. 

Ma.nufa.cture. Nickel carbonyl can be prepared by the direct combination of carbon monoxide and metallic nickel (77). The presence of sulfur, the surface area, and the surface activity of the nickel affect the formation of nickel carbonyl (78). The thermodynamics of formation and reaction are documented (79). Two commercial processes are used for large-scale production (80). An atmospheric method, whereby carbon monoxide is passed over nickel sulfide and freshly reduced nickel metal, is used in the United Kingdom to produce pure nickel carbonyl (81). The second method, used in Canada, involves high pressure CO in the formation of iron and nickel carbonyls the two are separated by distillation (81). Very high pressure CO is required for the formation of cobalt carbonyl and a method has been described where the mixed carbonyls are scmbbed with ammonia or an amine and the cobalt is extracted as the ammine carbonyl (82). A discontinued commercial process in the United States involved the reaction of carbon monoxide with nickel sulfate solution. 

Cyanide Wastes. Ozone is employed as a selective oxidant in laboratory-scale synthesis (7) and in commercial-scale production of specialty organic chemicals and intermediates such as fragrances, perfumes (qv), flavors, antibiotics (qv), hormones (qv), and vitamins (qv). In Japan, several metric tons per day (t/d) of piperonal [120-57-0] (3,4-methylenedioxybenzaldehyde) is manufactured in 87% yield via ozonolysis and reduction of isosafrole [93-16-3], Piperonal (or heHotropine [120-57-0]) has a pleasant odor and is used in perfumery. Oleic acid [112-80-1/, CH3(CH2 )7CH—CH(CH2 ). C02H, from tall oil (qv) is ozonated on a t/d scale to produce pelargonic, GgH2yG02H, and azelaic, H02G(GH2)yG02H, acids. Oleic acid also is ozonated in Japan... 

Economic Aspects. Oxetanes are expensive monomers and are not readily available in commercial quantities. Commercial production of PBCMO has been discontinued its end uses were not able to support its comparatively high selling price. Energetic polymers prepared from appropriately substituted oxetanes have opened a new market for their use to prepare soHd rocket propeUants and explosives. Should this specialty market result in the large-scale production of these oxetanes even at current (1996) high prices and/or in a cheap synthetic route to oxetanes, this economic picture could change. 

MammaBan. For mammalian proteins, mammalian cells offer the most natural host for expression. Problems of incorrect processing and post-translational modification are avoided using these cells. Mammalian cells are usually grown in continuous cell culture, reducing the variabiUty in results (see Cell CULTURE technology). Moderate-level production of native protein is possible. The procedure, however, is slow and very cosdy, and the level of protein expression is low. Thus large-scale production of proteins in mammalian cells is not practical. When low quantities of protein are sufficient, this system offers the several advantages described. 

K. Cohen, The Theorg of Isotope Separation as Applied to Large Scale Production of235V, McGraw-HiU Book Co., Inc., New York, 1951. 

Consider short-path evaporator (SPE) (internal condenser) when pressure must be in 0.013—0.00013 kPa (0.1—0.001 torr) range for larger-scale production, 0.013—0.0007 kPa (0.01 to 0.005 torr) is practical lower pressure limit. 

---