Application of an Oscillatory Plug Flow Reactor to Enable Scalable and Fast Reactions in Water Using a Biomass‐Based Polymeric Additive

• Published in: ChemSusChem 2024-01, Vol.17 (2), p.e202301149-n/a
• Main Authors: Hammer, Susanne, Nanto, Filippo, Canu, Paolo, Ötvös, Sándor B., Kappe, C. Oliver
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biomass; Continuous flow; Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose; Mass transfer; Nucleophilic substitution; Optimization; Oscillatory plug flow reactor; Parameters; Plug flow chemical reactors; Plugs; Scale-up; Slurries; Water chemistry
• ISSN: 1864-5631; 1864-564X
• DOI: 10.1002/cssc.202301149

The utilization of water as a sustainable reaction medium has important advantages over traditional organic solvents. Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose has emerged as a biomass‐based polymeric additive that enables organic reactions in water through hydrophobic effects. However, such conditions imply slurries as reaction mixtures, where the efficacy of mass transfer and mixing decreases with increasing vessel size. In order to circumvent this limitation and establish an effectively scalable platform for performing hydroxypropyl methylcellulose‐mediated aqueous transformations, we utilized oscillatory plug flow reactors that feature a smart dimensioning design principle across different scales. Using nucleophilic aromatic substitutions as valuable model reactions, rapid parameter optimization was performed first in a small‐scale instrument having an internal channel volume of 5 mL. The optimal conditions were then directly transferred to a 15 mL reactor, achieving a three‐fold scale‐up without re‐optimizing any reaction parameters. By precisely fine‐tuning the oscillation parameters, the system achieved optimal homogeneous suspension of solids, preventing settling of particles and clogging of process channels. Ultimately, this resulted in a robust and scalable platform for performing multiphasic reactions under aqueous conditions. The strategic application of oscillatory plug flow reactors enabled fast reactions in water as reaction medium in the presence of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, a biomass‐based polymeric additive. Due to the smart dimensioning‐based reactor design strategy, reactions were scaled‐up directly without the need for reoptimization.