Green Chemistry with Microreactors and Novel Catalysts

Microreactors are significantly more energy efficient than conventional batch reactors. Furthermore, their reduced heat and mass transfer resistances may be exploited to suppress unwanted side reactions, leading to high conversion, low waste, increased safety and also reduced resource needs in subsequent separation/purification steps.

Microreactors may also be effectively coupled with novel catalysts, resulting in the use of flow reactors even for relatively low volume products. With recent advances in catalyst design, conventional toxic, corrosive and hazardous reactants and catalysts may be replaced with friendlier alternatives for many synthetic chemical processes.

Example processes illustrate how microreactors may be coupled with novel catalysts to enhance both the sustainability and economics of existing manufacturing processes for fragrance ingredients or other specialty chemicals.