Microchannel Technology: A Revolutionary Reaction Device on Your Desktop

Content Summary

“Microchannel reaction technology is a revolutionary disruptive technology that opens the era of efficient and precise chemical engineering characterized by safety, efficiency, rapidity, and controllability. With the promotion of Industry 4.0 and continuous advancements in microchemical technology, the rubber additive industry is expected to usher in a new round of rapid development.” This was the information shared at the recent seminar on microchannel reaction technology held in Nanjing, where the maturity and promotion of microreaction technology are also the common expectations of research institutions and representatives from the rubber additive industry.

According to China Rubber Network, “Microchemical engineering and technology are currently one of the hotspots and key points of technological innovation in the chemical industry, heralding a new era of efficient and precise chemical engineering. Microchannel reactors are revolutionary disruptions to traditional chemical devices and are considered a revolutionary technology in the chemical industry of the 21st century. Internationally, companies like Corning in the USA and Bayer in Germany have already achieved industrialization. Domestically, Tsinghua University and the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences have also made significant progress in microchannel reaction technology, with some technologies already achieving large-scale production.” said Li Yongwu, former president of the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation, in his speech.

Corning Microchannel Reactor Device

He believes that microchannel reaction technology, as an important means of process intensification in the chemical process, has the advantages of process intensification and miniaturization, excellent heat and mass transfer performance, safety, ease of control, and direct scalability, significantly improving process safety and production efficiency, and rapidly advancing the practical application of laboratory results.

“Microchemical technology achieves consistency in efficiency, greenness, and safety, and is a breakthrough technology. In addition to its technological advantages, microchemical technology also represents a complete transformation of production methods, as the short reaction time demands greater control and predictability. The realization and implementation of all disruptive technologies involve intersections with existing technologies, necessitating increased application of new technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data,” said Academician Chen Bingzhen from Tsinghua University.

Through reports from experts such as Chen Wenguang, a researcher at the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Professor Luo Guangsheng from Tsinghua University, President Chen Qun from Changzhou University, Professor Zhang Shufen from Dalian University of Technology, Professor Guo Kai from Nanjing University of Technology, and Professor Zhou Xinggui from East China University of Science and Technology, it was learned that the microchemical process is centered around microstructure elements and is conducted within channels at the micron or sub-millimeter level. It strengthens mixing and transfer by reducing the dispersion scale of the system, improving process controllability and efficiency, and applies the principle of “scale-up by number” to scale up micro devices, directly applying laboratory results to industrial engineering to achieve large-scale production, rather than relying on traditional chemical devices to achieve economies of scale through “scale-up by volume.”

Microchemical technology can significantly shorten reaction time and reduce the volume of reaction devices.

At the entrance of the conference, Corning’s microchannel high-throughput reactor and Guizhou Microchemical Technology Co., Ltd.’s MRE microchannel reactor products attracted the attention of representatives, both of which are only the size of a conference report table. During a visit to the laboratory of the School of Biological and Pharmaceutical Engineering at Nanjing University of Technology, more pharmaceutical microreactor products were showcased, with similar models.

Sun Tao, sales manager of the Reactor Technology Center at Corning (Shanghai) Management Co., Ltd., told reporters that the most obvious advantage of the product is that “the mass transfer and heat transfer effects are good, and there are no issues with scale-up that are currently troublesome in the chemical reaction field. Other characteristics are the added value resulting from this.” For example, the heat transfer area per unit volume of microreactors is 1000 times that of traditional reactors, resulting in excellent heat transfer. For some hazardous reactions, such as nitration, oxidation, and catalytic hydrogenation, which are exothermic, a larger heat transfer area can effectively dissipate the reaction heat. Additionally, the stirring effect of microreactors is 100 times that of traditional reactors, ensuring thorough mixing of raw materials, and the ability to dissipate reaction heat in a timely manner leads to energy-saving, safety, and environmental protection in the production process, resulting in increased yields and reduced by-products.

“We are now in the era of ‘speed.’ The changes and developments in resource energy structure and international competition do not allow for a decade of honing a sword; there is a need for innovation capabilities to enter a fast-developing mode,” said Professor Luo Guangsheng from Tsinghua University.

Professor Luo cited examples of research on process controllability. The synthesis of brominated butyl rubber is very challenging due to its high viscosity (gel concentration at 15%), large mixing ratio (100 parts of gel liquid to only one part of bromine, making uniform distribution very difficult), rapid reactions, and strong corrosiveness. Tsinghua University collaborated with Zhejiang Xinhui Company to apply two microreactors, one for bromination and the other for rapid neutralization. Product testing showed that the bromination degree of butyl rubber can be controlled within the range of 0-1.6%, with non-functional bromine accounting for less than 3% of the total bromine content, achieving quality levels comparable to international products of the same type.