With a design guided by computational fluid dynamics (CFD), additively manufactured from base metals and coated with metal catalysts using cold spray technology or electroplating, catalytic static mixers are used to replace fixed bed columns in continuous flow reactors. We have shown their versatility in gas-liquid hydrogenations and homogeneous transfer hydrogenations and review here their preparation, stability and wider use in catalytic transformations using flow reactors. Additive manufacturing provides complex mixer structures that can be retrofitted to existing reactor geometry and reduces manufacturing costs by removing abrasive blasting steps in the mixer fabrication process. The rough surface profile of the mixers aids with high metallurgical bonding of the catalyst coating, as shown by the low catalyst leaching levels reported here.
The aim of this book “Ball Milling towards Green Synthesis” is to highlight the importance of ball milling as a potential route to produce organic materials. The book was published by the Royal Society of Chemistry and edited by Brindaban Ranu and Achim Stolle. In this book, applications, projects, advantages and challenges related to ball milling for specific organic syntheses are...
Fast pyrolysis for liquids has been developed in recent decades as a fast and flexible method to provide high yields of liquid products. An overview of this promising field is given, with a comprehensive introduction as well as a practical guide to those thinking of applying fast pyrolysis liquids (bio-oil) in various applications. It updates the literature with recent developments that have occurred since the reviews cited herein. Part I contains an introduction to the background, science, feedstocks, technology and products available for fast pyrolysis. Part II will detail some of the promising applications as well as pre-treatment and bio-oil upgrading options. The applications include use of bio-oil as an energy carrier, precursor to second generation biofuels, as part of a biorefinery concept and upgrading to fuels and chemicals.
Fast pyrolysis for liquids has been developed in recent decades as a fast and flexible method to provide high yields of liquid products. An overview of this promising field is given, with a comprehensive introduction as well as a practical guide to those thinking of applying bio-oils or fast pyrolysis liquids in various applications. It updates the literature with recent developments that have occurred since the reviews cited herein. Part I gave an introduction to the background, science, feedstocks, technology and products available for fast pyrolysis (1). Part II details some of the promising applications as well as pre-treatment and bio-oil upgrading options. The applications include use of bio-oil as an energy carrier, precursor to second generation biofuels, as a biorefinery concept and upgrading to fuels and chemicals.
John M. Woodley is a Professor of Chemical Engineering at the Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). Originally from the UK, his research focuses on the relatively new field of bioreaction engineering, using chemical engineering to design and implement the next generation of chemical processes with enzymatic and microbial catalysts....
Introduction This new volume of Springer's famous series Topics in Organometallic Chemistry, Volume 42, entitled “Organometallics as Catalysts in the Fine Chemical Industry”, presents the state-of-the-art in the industrial use of organometallic or coordination complexes as catalysts for the production of fine chemicals. A range of reactions is covered through an overview of chapters and...
There is a growing move away from so called first generation biorenewables (which use food crops as the feedstock) towards second generation biorenewables which use non-food sources of biomass. Biorenewable products have the potential to support growing resource needs while addressing concerns regarding climate change and energy security. Examples of second generation biorenewable...
Microemulsions were used to develop a catalyst with high selectivity towards ethylene and ethane while maintaining considerable methane (CH4) conversion. The use of this technique to produce lanthanum nanoparticles was studied under different conditions. Temperature was shown to have the most significant effect on the final material properties providing a minimum crystallite size at 25°C. The morphology observed for all the samples was flake or needle like materials containing nanocrystallites. To obtain the catalytically active materials a thermal treatment was needed and this was studied using in situ X-ray diffraction (XRD). This analysis demonstrated that the materials exhibited significant changes in phase and crystallite size when submitted to thermal treatment and these were shown to be difficult to control, meaning that the microemulsion synthesis method is a challenging route to produce La nanoparticles in a reproducible manner. The materials were tested for oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) and no correlation could be observed between the ‘as synthesised’ crystallite size and activity. However, the presence of La carbonates in the materials produced was deemed to be crucial to ensure an adequate OCM activity.
