Moving from laboratory-scale work to scaled up or even production quantities (kilogrammes and more) has proved difficult to achieve using microwave technology
Most chemists are now familiar with the benefits of working with microwave reactor technology in the laboratory.
The technology enables them to test different reactions and find the perfect compound much faster than using conventional heating methods.
But moving directly from laboratory-scale work, where small quantities of compounds (typically milligrammes) are produced for compound libraries, to scaled up or even production quantities (kilogrammes and more) has, to date, proved difficult to achieve using microwave technology.
Microwave chemistry involves the application of microwave radiation to chemical reactants.
For organic chemists that already use microwave reactors in the laboratory, the benefits of the technology are now well-proven.
Heating a chemical reactor by microwave radiation has the advantages of being faster, cleaner and more efficient than conventional heating methods and the entire volume of the reactor can be heated simultaneously and uniformly.
Chemists can therefore achieve cleaner, more efficient chemical reactions with higher yields.
In many processes, microwave heating has been found to be up to 50% more efficient than conventional heating methods.
For chemical engineers and production managers, whose tasks include turning these laboratory-scale test compounds into larger-scale production quantities, the advantages of microwave reactors used in the lab are not easy to replicate out in the production environment.
Moving from batch-type microwave reactor systems to true flow-through, continuous systems is an area many suppliers are looking at, but one which has proved to date to be problematic.
Unfortunately, some suppliers of batch-type microwave reactor systems simply think of scale-up as "customers can just buy another system from us".
C-Tech Innovation, a UK-based technology development company based in Capenhurst near Chester, has almost two decades of experience in applying microwave (and radio frequency, or RF) heating technology to large-scale production equipment.
The company offers a complete, bespoke development service, so that customers receive heating technology that is customised to suit their particular application requirements.
C-Tech Innovation has developed production-scale microwave heating systems for the drying of ceramics, for pyrometallurgy, for plastics processing companies, and large-scale systems for food and beverage manufacturers.
By working closely with chemical company partners, C-Tech believes it can help develop industrial microwave heating systems that produce chemical compounds in larger scales appropriate to customers' individual needs.
John Collins, project manager at C-Tech Innovation comments: "When a chemist has found the perfect compound, we can help develop equipment that enables that company to produce the compound in kilo quantities rather than milligrammes.
"There's a limit to how much compound you can produce using a batch system and we think our expertise in developing large-scale microwave systems for manufacturing companies gives us a head start.
"Where we can really help is when companies want to scale up to a few kilos or hundreds of kilos of compound.
"We've got the skills and experience in developing and building large-scale microwave heating systems, up to several hundred kilowatt systems.
"We've built systems like these for aqueous and solid state applications, even hazardous areas if required, from laboratory-scale systems right up to systems that produce compound in tonnes per hour," he continues.
"As a solution to scale-up problems, most companies will look to either build batch systems in parallel or simply use conventional heating methods in their production process.
"This is fine, but in this day and age, where energy bills are rising steeply, these companies may be missing out on the benefits of microwave technology.
"Although the microwave system itself is of course not 100% efficient, the amount of energy required to heat the same amount of material is going to be more energy efficient in the longer term compared to conventional heating systems.
"The microwave system is also more efficient in terms of saving on factory space".
C-Tech has already developed a prototype flow-through microwave chemical reactor system which is currently being improved further.
