Synergistic Energy–Process Integration for Catalytic Reactor In-tensification

Aiouache, Farid (2025) Synergistic Energy–Process Integration for Catalytic Reactor In-tensification. In: SYMPOSIUM FRONTIERS IN REACTION ENGINEERING Novel Insights for Sustainable Production, 2025-11-25 - 2025-12-25, Lancaster university.

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Abstract

This presentation demonstrates how multi-scale reaction engineering enables sustainable chemical processes with reduced environmental impact. By integrating catalyst design and chemical engineering across temporal, structural, and functional domains, process efficiency can be drastically increased. Advanced experimental techniques, including spatially resolved mass spectrometry, near-infrared imaging, and optical diffuse tomography, coupled with 3D computational fluid dynamics modelling, reveal local phenomena that traditional 1D models cannot capture. Case studies include CO2 adsorption in zeolite 13X packed beds, catalytic distillation with in-situ water removal, alumina sol-gel coating for reactive static mixers, and photocatalytic rotating disc reactors. Results demonstrate that reactor intensification through multifunctional reactors and process-catalyst interactions significantly improves atom, mass, and energy efficiency. Science-based multi-scale approaches are essential for addressing global environmental challenges and enabling rational scale-up of novel reactor technologies.