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Innovative chemical reactor which offers a more sustainable and cost-effective approach for the pharmaceutical and fine chemical industries

Summary

Profile Type
  • Technology offer
POD Reference
TOGB20231114003
Term of Validity
14 November 2023 - 13 November 2024
Company's Country
  • United Kingdom
Type of partnership
  • Commercial agreement with technical assistance
  • Investment agreement
Targeted Countries
  • All countries
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General information

Short Summary
A UK SME has produced an innovative and sustainable chemical reactor, which enhances the efficiency and sustainability of chemical manufacturing processes through a simple and unique spinning disc design. The company seeks partners primarily in the pharmaceutical and fine chemical industries who are interested in trialling or collaborating to help optimise the technology.

The UK SME is interested in establishing commercial partnerships with technical assistance and investment agreements.
Full Description
A UK SME, based in England, specialises in sustainable and innovative chemical manufacturing.

The company introduces an innovative solution which offers a more sustainable and cost-effective approach to chemical manufacturing. This advancement in chemical reactor technology delivers significant advantages such as catalyst reusability, elimination of the need for catalyst separation and improved energy efficiency when compared to traditional batch reactors.

The technology's versatility shines through its wide range of applications, spanning organic, enzymatic, and photocatalytic reactions. Notably, the enzyme catalyst and woollen cloth variation has achieved significant success in both organic and biochemical synthesis, resulting in substantial enhancements in conversion rates and reaction times when compared to standard batch reactors. Furthermore, the reactor's adaptability to various catalysts underscores its versatility.

In terms of quantitative data, extensive studies have underscored the superiority of this technique, with it being eight times more resource-efficient and boasting around 50% higher resource efficiency than the commonly used batch reactor in the pharmaceutical and fine chemical sectors. Moreover, its compatibility with shear-sensitive catalysts, including enzymes, ensures the retention of over 80% catalytic activity for up to ten runs, effectively addressing issues related to reusability, recycling, and product recovery commonly encountered with suspended catalysts in batch reactors. Remarkably, the energy consumption of the reactor is substantially lower, approximately one-third of that of the batch reactor, highlighting its impressive energy efficiency.

The company are seeking collaborations with partners who will share their commitment to innovation and sustainability. They seek companies who are interested in trialling/leasing the reactor technology within the pharmaceutical or fine chemicals industry as these sectors can gain the most benefit from the technology. They are looking for partnerships with companies who are looking into more sustainable alternatives to their current manufacturing ways.

The UK SME is interested in establishing commercial partnerships with technical assistance based on the objectives and aims outlined above. They are also interested in potential investment agreements to fund this technology.
Advantages and Innovations
Enhanced efficiency: achieves significantly accelerated reaction rates, reducing production time and costs. This addresses the need for quicker chemical manufacturing processes in industries such as pharmaceuticals and fine chemical.

Sustainable design: consumes approximately one-third less energy compared to traditional batch reactors, contributing to reduced environmental impact and aligning with sustainability goals by lowering energy consumption and waste production.

Resource efficiency: demonstrates tenfold higher resource efficiency compared to conventional batch reactors, saving materials and reducing waste.

Reduced waste: enhanced resource efficiency minimizes material waste and environmental impact.

Cost savings: drastically reduces energy consumption, leading to substantial operational cost savings.

Catalyst reusability: enables multiple runs with retained catalytic activity, reducing the need for new catalysts and lowering expenses. The reactor retains over 80% catalytic activity for up to ten runs.

Versatility: adaptable to a wide range of catalysts and applications, providing exceptional flexibility across enzymatic, photocatalytic and chemical processes.

Scalability: the reactor design allows for straightforward scale-up by simply adding more discs (numbering up) to the central shaft. This approach minimises the need for complex modifications to the original reactor design, ensuring a smooth transition from laboratory-scale processes to industrial production. The scalability enhances adaptability to various manufacturing volumes and facilitates efficient process intensification on a larger scale.
Stage of Development
  • Available for demonstration
Sustainable Development Goals
  • Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
  • Goal 13: Climate Action

Partner Sought

Expected Role of a Partner
The company is seeking partners ideally in the pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals industries who are looking to adopt more sustainable practices and enhance their manufacturing processes. The ideal partner could be a pharmaceutical or fine chemical manufacturer, research organisation specialising in sustainable chemical engineering or an academic institution with expertise in catalysis and chemical reactor technology.

For pharmaceutical and fine chemical manufacturers, our technology offers the potential for significant efficiency improvements and environmental benefits.

The company welcomes interest from partners who would consider engaging in the following roles:

1. Technology trialling and leasing: participate in technology trials and leasing arrangements to assess and implement the
technology within our manufacturing process

2. Collaborative research: collaborate to find innovative ways to implement the technology into different manufacturing chains

3. Funding and investment: explore financial partnership opportunities to support the development of the technology. The company would like to partner with forward-thinking organisations and individuals who want to pioneer sustainability in pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals manufacturing.
Type and Size of Partner
  • SME <=10
  • R&D Institution
  • Other
  • SME 50 - 249
  • Big company
  • University
  • SME 11-49
Type of partnership
  • Commercial agreement with technical assistance
  • Investment agreement

Dissemination

Technology keywords
  • 03004007 - Pharmaceutics
  • 03004010 - Special chemicals, intermediates
Market keywords
  • 05007002 - Pharmaceuticals/fine chemicals
  • 08001021 - Other speciality chemicals
  • 08001019 - Speciality/performance chemicals
Sector Groups Involved
  • Energy-Intensive Industries
Targeted countries
  • All countries