To reduce the energy consumption and CO2 emissions in the chemical industry, process intensification is an essential concept. In this study, a chemical reactor concept has been developed where the two fundamental process steps, conversion and separation, are combined. The novel technology has the potential to lower the energy consumption by up to 80 % and emissions by up to 90 % for industrial catalytic reactions.To reduce the energy consumption and CO2 emissions in the chemical industry, process intensification is an essential concept. In this study, a chemical reactor concept has been developed where the two fundamental process steps, conversion and separation, are combined. The novel technology has the potential to lower the energy consumption by up to 80 % and emissions by up to 90 % for industrial catalytic reactions.
Focus in the study has been on two prominent and industrially relevant large-scale homogenously catalyzed case reactions. The first is hydroformylation, where olefins and syngas (CO/H2 mixture) are converted to aldehydes, which are precursors for plasticizer alcohols. The second is the water-gas shift reaction, which uses CO-containing syngas derived from, e.g. biomass to generate hydrogen.
The novel reactor concept has been developed and applied successfully for both case studies, demonstrating its strong potential. The structured reactor enables a scalable and versatile platform for process intensification not only for the case studies, but also for other important industrial gas-phase processes.
The work has been performed in collaboration with 8 industrial and academic partners in the framework of the research and innovation project ROMEO (Reactor Optimization by Membrane Enhanced Operation), which has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 program to demonstrate the technical feasibility of the novel reactor concept.
Focus in the study has been on two prominent and industrially relevant large-scale homogenously catalyzed case reactions. The first is hydroformylation, where olefins and syngas (CO/H2 mixture) are converted to aldehydes, which are precursors for plasticizer alcohols. The second is the water-gas shift reaction, which uses CO-containing syngas derived from, e.g. biomass to generate hydrogen.
The novel reactor concept has been developed and applied successfully for both case studies, demonstrating its strong potential. The structured reactor enables a scalable and versatile platform for process intensification not only for the case studies, but also for other important industrial gas-phase processes.
The work has been performed in collaboration with 8 industrial and academic partners in the framework of the research and innovation project ROMEO (Reactor Optimization by Membrane Enhanced Operation), which has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 program to demonstrate the technical feasibility of the novel reactor concept.