Chemical Engineering Process Miniaturisation for Chemical Production and Material Manufacture

Abstract

Chemical process miniaturisation was used to develop new microreactor systems for the synthesis and preparation of catalysts and for the production of fine chemicals. Mesoporous silica MCM-41 was successfully prepared by flow synthesis in a microreactor at shorter reaction times (ie minutes versus day) at high yield (ie 98 %) to give particles of more uniform size and shape compared to samples prepared by conventional batch synthesis. Magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles were incorporated and aminopropyls were grafted on MCM-41 to obtain a magnetic mesoporous catalyst for the Knoevenagel condensation reaction of benzaldehyde and ethyl cyanoacetate. Iron oxide nanoparticles in NH2-magMCM-41 have promotion effect on the aminopropyls catalytic sites resulting in a twofold increase in the catalytic activity of the magnetic mesoporous catalyst compared to NH2-MCM-41. The magnetic catalyst was used in a new magnetized capillary microreactor. The catalysts were captured and held in place by the magnets, and used to catalyse the Knoevenagel condensation reaction.

Keywords:

• Catalyst
• Mesoporous Silica
• Flow Synthesis
• Knoevenagel Reaction
• Magnetic