Chromatography as an inspiration for microreactors

Abstract

In the shift from batch to continuous operations, microreactors, at least in academic research, have become an important segment. One of the next steps in process intensification is believed to be the reduction of axial dispersion, which will not only yield higher efficiencies but also allow integration of the reactor unit with downstream processing. Chromatographic (micro)devices are very interesting in this context as they successfully combine a narrow residence time distribution with a high separation factor. In the present review the low dispersion in microreactors is discussed, with emphasis on throughput, packing and flow distribution units. Subsequently, the relevance and progress during the last decade of combined reaction and separations in chromatographic and membrane based systems is treated. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry

Separation of Co(II)/Ni(II) with Cyanex 272 using a flat membrane microcontactor: Stripping kinetics study, upscaling and continuous operation

“…To scale-up the MMCs the preferred strategy is to increase the width. However, going from a small inlet gap (diameter: 1 mm) to a wide channel an entrance effect could arise, enlarging the residence time distribution and negatively affecting the extraction and stripping kinetics (Hereijgers et al, 2015b). This effect also becomes more significant with wider channels.…”

On-chip integration of organic synthesis and HPLC/MS analysis for monitoring stereoselective transformations at the micro-scale

“…[35][36][37][38] Chip electrophoresis is techni-cally straightforward but has rather limited applications in organic synthesis. 39 The current state of the art to analyze transformations in continuous micro-flow is using traditional macroscopic HPLC instruments [40][41][42] as in classical laboratories. Although there is progress in chip-based high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), [43][44][45][46][47][48] the combination of flow synthesis and high-pressure liquid chromatography on a single device is an unsolved challenge.…”

Enantioselective reaction monitoring utilizing two-dimensional heart-cut liquid chromatography on an integrated microfluidic chip

“…For such automated chemical devices continuous flow chemistry is very appealing. [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] Due to its modular nature it can be combined with downstream analytical tools [19][20][21][22] to realize selfoptimizing and self-controlling machines. In this context, integrated lab-on-a-chip devices are very attractive as they allow a seamless integration of various analytical and synthetic functionalities.…”