Microreactor tech can reduce costs

23 October 2008 17:35  [Source: ICIS news]

By Feliza Mirasol

NEW YORK (ICIS news)--Corning aims to help fine and pharmaceutical chemical companies save costs and improve ingredient quality with its new microreactor technology, a senior executive at the US-based specialty glass and ceramic manufacturer said on Thursday.

“Our proprietary, continuous microreactor processing technology provides compelling cost-of-manufacturing and overall quality benefits to manufacturers of fine, specialty and pharmaceutical chemicals,” said Sergio Pissavini, Corning’s business director for microreactors.

There are no “bad batches” with this process, and cost reductions can be seen primarily through reductions in the use of expensive auxiliary materials, like solvents, he said.

In comparison, other batch processing technologies require that the chemistry be adapted to the existing equipment based on a number of variables, said Pissavini.

These variables include material properties such as density, viscosity, toxicity and corrosiveness, as well as operating conditions such as temperature, pressure, volume and flow, he added.

“These process adjustments affect the overall product yield and quality, and can result in significant manufacturing delays, increased operating costs, and ultimately result in lower profits,” Pissavini said.

Corning and US-based DSM Pharma Chemicals, a business unit of DSM Pharmaceutical Products, announced results of a successful pilot-scale operation in early October at the major pharmaceutical ingredients trade show CPhI in Frankfurt, Germany.

The new microreactor technology has successfully produced pilot-scale amounts of material and has already been made available on a commercial scale, said Pissavini.

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By: Feliza Mirasol
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