Photo isomerization of cis-cyclooctene to trans-cyclooctene: Integration of a micro-flow reactor and separation by specific adsorption

Elnaz Shahbazali, Emilie M.F. Billaud, Arash Sarhangi Fard, Jan Meuldijk, Guy Bormans, Timothy Noel (Corresponding author), Volker Hessel (Corresponding author)

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

7 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Liquid-phase adsorption has hardly been established in micro-flow, although this constitutes an industrially vital method for product separation. A micro-flow UV-photo isomerization process converts cis-cyclooctene partly into trans-cyclooctene, leaving an isomeric mixture. Trans-cyclooctene adsorption and thus separation was achieved in a fixed-bed micro-flow reactor, packed with AgNO3/SiO2 powder, while the cis-isomer stays in the flow. The closed-loop recycling-flow has been presented as systemic approach to enrich the trans-cyclooctene from its cis-isomer. In-flow adsorption in recycling-mode has hardly been reported so that a full theoretical study has been conducted. This insight is used to evaluate three process design options to reach an optimum yield of trans-cyclooctene. These differ firstly in the variation of the individual residence times in the reactor and separator, the additional process option of refreshing the adsorption column under use, and the periodicity of the recycle flow.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere17067
JournalAIChE Journal
Volume67
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2021

Funding

The authors kindly acknowledge the European Research Council for the Advanced Grant on “Novel Process Windows—Boosted Micro Process Technology” No 267443.

Keywords

  • flow chemistry
  • isomerization
  • microreactor
  • photochemistry
  • process integration

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