Combining continuous flow oscillatory baffled reactors and microwave heating: Process intensification and accelerated synthesis of metal-organic frameworks

Laybourn, Andrea; L�pez-Fern�ndez, Ana Mar�a; Thomas-Hillman, Ieuan; Katrib, Juliano; Lewis, William; Dodds, Chris; Harvey, Adam P.; Kingman, Samuel W.

Abstract

We have constructed a continuous flow oscillatory baffled reactor (CF-OBR) equipped with a homogeneous and controllable microwave applicator in an entirely novel design. This affords a new route to chemical production incorporating many of the principles of process intensification and allows, for the first time, investigation of the synergistic benefits of microwave heating and CF-OBRs such as; faster and continuous processing; improved product properties and purity; improved control over the processing parameters; and reduced energy consumption. The process is demonstrated by the production of a metal-organic framework (MOF), HKUST-1, a highly porous crystalline material with potential applications in gas storage and separation, catalysis, and sensing. Our reactor enabled the production of HKUST-1 at the 97.42 g/h scale, with a space time yield (STY) of 6.32 × 105 kg/m3/day and surface area production rate (SAPR) of 1.12 × 1012 m2/m3/day. This represents the highest reported STY and fastest reported synthesis (2.2 seconds) for any MOF produced via any method to-date and is an improvement on the current SAPR for HKUST-1 by two orders of magnitude owing to the superior porosity exhibited by HKUST-1 produced using our rig (Langmuir surface area of 1772 compared to 600 m2/g).

Citation

Laybourn, A., López-Fernández, A. M., Thomas-Hillman, I., Katrib, J., Lewis, W., Dodds, C., Harvey, A. P., & Kingman, S. W. (2019). Combining continuous flow oscillatory baffled reactors and microwave heating: Process intensification and accelerated synthesis of metal-organic frameworks. Chemical Engineering Journal, 356, 170-177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2018.09.011

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 2, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Sep 4, 2018
• Publication Date: Jan 15, 2019
• Deposit Date: Sep 5, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 5, 2019
• Journal: Chemical Engineering Journal
• Print ISSN: 1385-8947
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 356
• Pages: 170-177
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2018.09.011
• Keywords: Metal-organic framework ; Microwave ; Oscillatory baffled reactor ; Process intensification ; Ultra-fast synthesis ; Continuous flow
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1060860
• Publisher URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1385894718317200?via%3Dihub
• Contract Date: Sep 5, 2018