Process Intensification through Directly Coupled Autothermal Operation of Chemical Reactors
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Brown, Robert C.↗
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Corrosion Prevention of Additively Manufactured Aluminum Packing Devices Developed for Process Intensification of CO 2 Capture by Aqueous Amines
Corrosion of additively manufactured (i.e., 3D printed) aluminum packing devices, developed to enhance heat and mass transfer in CO 2 absorption columns using amine-CO 2 scrubbing solutions, is investigated in this paper. The aluminum structures printed by selective laser melting with Al-10Si-0.3Mg feed powder are susceptible to corrosion in aqueous monoethanolamine, both fresh and used CO 2 -saturated solutions. The efficacy of corrosion-protective surface layers of aqueous polyether–ketone–ketone (PEKK) dip coating to provide amine corrosion resistance to the 3D printed aluminum structure is also evaluated. PEKK nanothick layers were coated on the corrugated surface of a 3D printed structure, identical to that of the intensified device, yielding 27 times higher corrosion resistance than the uncoated Al alloy surface. Finally, a systematic long-term electrochemical corrosion analysis revealed that a multilayer PEKK dip coating protocol enables protection of the 3D printed Al alloy surface in various CO 2 –monoethanolamine solutions.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
Value-Added Process Intensification in the Supply Chain
The project goal is to assess opportunities for value-adds in the supply chain through designing a feedstock logistics systems that uses moisture during the residence time in storage to protect and increase feedstock value.
09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
Process Intensification for Enhanced Carbon Capture
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01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
Process Intensification for Carbon Capture Phase IIB Final Report
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01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
RAPID Manufacturing Institute Final Report
The Rapid Advancement of Process Intensification Deployment (RAPID) Manufacturing Institute, founded in 2017, is a public/private partnership between the U.S. Department of Energy and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE). RAPID promotes the development, deployment and commercialization of Process Intensification (PI) and Modular Chemical Process Intensification (MCPI) technologies, enabling U.S. manufacturing to reduce energy consumption, improve process efficiencies and lower investment and operating costs. This mission was carried out through parallel work breakdown structure elements including the establishment of committees to guide the operations and technical direction of RAPID, the establishment of management practices and institute processes, education and workforce development (EWD), and six technical focus areas for the development of technologies to advance PI and MCPI. Throughout the initial six-year cooperative agreement, RAPID worked to meet performance metrics which focused on the operation and sustainment of the institute, education and workforce development and the development of PI and MCPI for the advancement of U.S. manufacturing. All these metrics were successfully met through a total of 43 projects which leveraged $\$$70M Federal with $\$$90M cost share. As a result of these efforts, 84 private and public organizations were brought together by RAPID as members to co-invest in R&D, commercialization and deployment of innovative technologies. In the research portfolio, 82% of the 38 projects achieved > 20% energy efficiency improvement. A RAPID Test Network was developed with 51 testbed facilities to enable access to resources, facilities, tools, and expertise. Eight EWD programs were also developed with over 13,000 impressions. RAPID’s efforts to research, develop, demonstrate, and deploy high-impact PI and modular process technology solutions have enabled reduced energy use, increased sustainability, and improved profitability for U.S. manufacturing.
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
Microchannel-based Membrane-less Extraction of Li from Unconventional Lithium Sources & the Separation of REE
This final report provides an overview of the Project's entire duration, covering July 1, 2021 to December 31, 2023. It primarily focuses on the achievements, technological developments, and unique challenges the team faced while working on separating and extracting Lithium from produced waters. The project's primary aim was to create an integrated, high-throughput, membrane-less, and modular microfluidic platform that could extract Lithium from unconventional sources. We have successfully met all goals and milestones envisioned in the SOPO document. The most critical primary milestones, including the Go-No-Go milestone (refer to the Gantt chart in the Appendices), were successfully accomplished. We demonstrated phase separation (>90%) and extraction (>85%) performance in the MPSE using synthetic, and representative produced water composition feed at 50 ml/min total flow through MPSE 36. We have also performed a parametric study of the MPSE operations, beyond the scope of SOPO, exploring operating conditions of current and broader interest. The extended investigation of operational parameters is concurrent with our efforts to seek further development of the MPSE technology beyond the scope of the Project. Along these lines of development, we have made efforts to be responsive to DOE calls for technological developments of other types of resources (beyond PW) for the recovery of Critical Materials and higher TRL development (beyond TRL 4). During the work on this Project, we developed and implemented three innovative technical approaches that emerged from our efforts to successfully meet the Project milestones. The innovative & original technical approaches developed and implemented in this Project are now the contributions to process engineering that could be clearly credited to the Project. First, Convergent Design Approach is a comprehensive feedforward & feedback loop of four design phases: i) design for functionality, ii) design for manufacturing, iii) design for sustainability, and iv) design for market. Next was Process Intensification. A major aim of this Project was to create an innovative phase separation & extraction microscale-based technology for Li separation – thus the words microchannel-based in the Project title. A microscale-based technology is intrinsically in the center of the Process Intensification domain as defined by its unique principles. Therefore, Process Intensification was implicitly envisioned in the Project’s SOPO. Lastly, Time Scale Analysis is a novel tool for discovering the needs and directions of Process Intensification implementations in any process technology. This Project is fully credited for developing and implementing the three novel technical approaches mentioned above. These are general contributions to process engineering that emerged from this Project. Beyond the original SOPO scope, the OSU-U.Pitt research group utilized a Convergent Design methodology, integrating first-principles mathematical modeling with experimental validation on the Minimum Development Vehicle. By creating these Digital Twins, the team rapidly assessed manufacturing iterations to support TEA analysis. This framework further enabled the development of advanced Surface Modification Techniques, where hydrophobic and oleophobic coating strategies were optimized via Digital Twin tools and validated through rigorous 100-hour longevity testing. TEA Analysis: The closing efforts of this Project were focused on the TEA analysis. TEA analysis had two primary functions: i) enabling critical assessments of design variations withing 10 the Concurrent Design Approach, thus enabling evolution of the MPSE design to reach faster- better-cheaper alternatives; and ii) to create a bridge between the accomplishments of this Project and future projects of higher TRL, beyond TRL 6 level. It is important to note that the TEA model created in the Project stirred the technological solutions for the recovery of critical materials toward a vision of a very profitable modular plant that has unique zero-waste water discharge signature. More importantly, thanks to our experimental performance data and conservative assumptions, the TEA model predicts minimal technological and investment risks. Low cost of a modular unit of a nominal capacity of [1000 tons of Li 2 CO 3 /year] positions the MPSE based technology within the reach of community investors, thus offering a paradigm shift in the development of critical technologies. The project successfully navigated two primary challenges: solvent selection and manufacturing adaptation. Restricted by the SOPO to existing literature for lithium recovery, the team identified a critical need for a "material excellence program" to develop next-generation solvents, eventually concluding with a preliminary investigation into promising Ionic Liquids (ILs). Simultaneously, COVID-19 supply chain disruptions forced a pivot from traditional manufacturing to advanced additive methods at ATAMI-OSU. By transitioning from stainless steel to 3D-printed polymer substrates, the team achieved a transformative three-order-of- magnitude reduction in manufacturing costs and compressed prototyping timelines from several months to just two days. The MPSE technology offers significant energy, environmental, and economic advantages by overcoming the traditional bottlenecks of phase-separation hardware and contactor size. Unlike conventional mixer-settlers or membrane-based systems, MPSE operates without moving parts or fouling-prone membranes, achieving robust performance even with challenging, viscous, or particulate-heavy feeds. Key performance metrics include an energy intensity reduction of 5–50x (3–40 kJ/m 3 ) compared to incumbent technologies and a dramatic reduction of processing time to under 60 seconds, which drastically reduces the physical plant footprint. These technical efficiencies translate into superior economic outcomes; for a 100 t/year Li 2 CO 3 facility, implementing MPSE is projected to nearly halve contactor CAPEX (from $\$$6.08M to $\$$3.01M) and significantly increase the project's Net Present Value (NPV), derisking new investment and enabling distributed critical-mineral processing configurations. The commercialization of MPSE technology is being spearheaded by Vigsur Dynamics Inc., which has adopted a structured, parallel approach to technical and business development since its formation in January 2026. Following extensive customer discovery and engagement with the Oregon State University accelerator, Vigsur Dynamics is working to establish a business model that transitions from pilot demonstrations to modular hardware sales, ultimately aiming for a "build-own-operate" service strategy. Current technical milestones—including 100 hours of continuous operation, superior energy efficiency, and successful 6-unit modular scale-up— provide a foundation for this transition. Backed by ongoing IP licensing and a growing network of industrial and venture advisors, the company is actively de-risking the platform to replace conventional mixer-settler systems in the critical minerals market.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
Microchannel reactive distillation for the conversion of aqueous ethanol to ethylene
Here we demonstrate the proof-of-concept for microchannel reactive distillation for alcohol-to-jet application: combining ethanol/water separation and ethanol dehydration in one unit operation. Ethanol is first distilled into the vapor phase, converted to ethylene and water, and then the water co-product is condensed to shift the reaction equilibrium. Process intensification is achieved through rapid mass transfer—ethanol stripping from thin wicks using novel microchannel architectures—leading to lower residence time and improved separation efficiency. Energy savings are realized with integration of unit operations. For example, heat of condensing water can offset vaporizing ethanol. Furthermore, the dehydration reaction equilibrium shifts towards completion by immediate removal of the water byproduct upon formation while maintaining aqueous feedstock in the condensed phase. For aqueous ethanol feedstock (40% w ), 71% ethanol conversion with 91% selectivity to ethylene was demonstrated at 220 °C, 600 psig, and 0.28 h -1 wt hour space velocity. 2.7 stages of separation were also demonstrated, under these conditions, using a device length of 8.3 cm. This provides a height equivalent of a theoretical plate (HETP), a measure of separation efficiency, of ~3.3 cm. By comparison, conventional distillation packing provides an HETP of ~30 cm. Thus, 9.1× reduction in HETP was demonstrated over conventional technology, providing a means for significant energy savings and an example of process intensification. Finally, preliminary process economic analysis indicates that by using microchannel reactive distillation technology, the operating and capital costs for the ethanol separation and dehydration portion of an envisioned alcohol-to-jet process could be reduced by at least 35% and 55%, respectively, relative to the incumbent technology, provided future improvements to microchannel reactive distillation design and operability are made.
10 SYNTHETIC FUELS↗
[Challenges and Opportunities in] Process Modeling of Intensified Chemical Processes
Before the benefits of process intensification can be fully realized, a multitude of advances in process modeling will be necessary. Process intensification (PI) has the potential to speed development of chemical engineering innovations. Among its many benefits, PI can increase the driving forces (physical and/or chemical) for transport phenomena, separations, and/or reactions in chemical processes, and inspire novel process configurations with major technical and economic benefits. Examples of PI applications include integrated process units such as heat exchange networks, sorption- or membrane-enhanced reactors, and dividing-wall distillation columns, among others [AIChE(2017)].
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
CFD-DEM Modeling of Autothermal Pyrolysis of Corn Stover with a Coupled Particle- and Reactor-Scale Framework
Autothermal operation of fast pyrolysis is an efficient process-intensification technique wherein exothermic oxidation reactions are used to overcome the heat-transfer bottleneck of conventional pyrolysis. The development of accurate, reliable modeling toolsets is imperative to generating a deeper understanding of biomass autothermal pyrolysis systems to support scale-up and industrial deployment. This modeling effort describes the development of single-particle and reactor models which incorporate detailed reaction schemes and simultaneous exothermic oxidation reactions. The particle-scale model was parameterized for corn stover feedstock with particle morphology, density, ash content, and biopolymer composition, all of which impact the emergent conversion characteristics during pyrolysis. Results were then used to parameterize a reactor-scale autothermal pyrolysis model, which was developed using a coarse-grained computational fluid dynamic-discrete element method. The simulation results compared well with experimental results, with the predicted bio-oil, light gas, and biochar yield within 3.0 wt% of the experimental yields. Further analyses were performed to test the influence of equivalence ratio, biomass injection position, and particle size distribution on autothermal pyrolysis. The analysis of the physio-chemical properties of the fluid and solid phase inside the reactor and at the reactor outlet help reveal important process interactions of autothermal pyrolysis.
BIOMASS FUELS,INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND AN↗
A review of microwave-assisted process intensified multiphase reactors
Microwaves provide alternative heating and allow process intensification due to their rapid, volumetric, and selective nature. Recognizing the central role of multiphase reactors in chemical industry, a recent surge in employing microwaves is observed. We review the recent experimental and modeling investigations of microwave heating of multiphase reactors with emphasis on chemical engineering applications. Here we demonstrate that there is accumulated evidence for improved performance via microwave heating and a clear opportunity for further process intensification. In most of the cases, this improved performance stems from a temperature gradient between two phases. We discuss the ongoing debate on the mechanism by which microwaves affect chemical processes exacerbated by the inability of measuring the temperature distribution in a microwave cavity. We outline recent progress in this direction in monolith reactors and needs for future work. We underscore the lack of detailed modeling and simulation tools even for single-phase systems and emphasize the imperative for multiscale predictive modeling to bridge the experimental-modeling gap. Promising results are shown by a few recently published modeling studies that can predict the experimental measurements in complex multiphase reactors. A combination of experimental and modeling tools can provide a comprehensive picture of the microwave multiphase reactors as well as a means toward scale-up and optimization.
42 ENGINEERING↗
Microchannel Reactor for Ethanol to Butene: CRADA 503 [Abstract only]
A key challenge facing most bioprocessing operations is that multiple unit operations are required, thereby resulting in complex, energy-intensive, and expensive processes. Further, biomass transportation costs drive the need for smaller, distributed processing plants. To incorporate the smaller scales desirable for biomass, novel processes must be developed with reduced capital costs. With over 20 years of experience in the development and commercialization of microchannel reactor technology, Oregon State University will partner with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to demonstrate a microchannel reactor with lower capital costs for an alcohol-to-jet (ATJ) process technology that is currently being commercialized by LanzaTech. Ethanol can be produced from biomass feedstocks such as LanzaTech’s proprietary biochemical process using carbon from a number of possible feedstocks; syngas generated from biomass resources (e.g., MSW, organic industrial waste, agriculture waste) or reformed biogas, or from other biomass feedstocks such as corn kernel fiber. Ethanol then undergoes catalytic dehydration to form ethylene followed by a two-step oligomerization, hydrogenation, and fractionation to control the hydrocarbon product slate to the jet-range. Successful process development aided by a market pull for low carbon aviation fuel has spurred scale-up and commercial demonstration. However, Sustainable Aviation Fuel is a very price sensitive market and improved economics through process intensification will make the current ATJ process even more attractive. Recent efforts at PNNL have culminated in the development of a new catalyst technology for the conversion of ethanol to n-butene-rich olefins. A greater than 90% conversion, total olefin selectivity of 80-90% (n-butene selectivity ~60%), and good stability over a 100 hour test duration has been demonstrated at the bench scale. Producing butene-rich olefins directly from ethanol with high yield is new and impactful because the higher olefins can be selectively oligomerized to distillate-range hydrocarbons, thus eliminating one process step from the current ATJ process. Further, coupling the severely endothermic ethanol dehydration with exothermic C-C bond formation results in more energy efficient processing. Additional intensification and energy savings will stem from incorporating this new ethanol to n-butene catalyst technology within the ATJ process implemented using a microchannel reactor platform. Due to recent advances in microchannel manufacturing methods and associated cost reductions we believe the time is right to adapt this technology toward new commercial bioconversion applications.
02 PETROLEUM↗
Multi-scale model based design of membrane reactor/separator processes for intensified hydrogen production through the water gas shift reaction
This paper aims to first quantify the impact of various diffusion models (Maxwell-Stefan, Wilke, Dusty-Gas) on the predictions of a multi-scale membrane reactor/separator mathematical model, and to then demonstrate this model's use for the design and process intensification of membrane reactor/separator systems for hydrogen production. This multi-scale model captures velocity, temperature and species' concentration profiles along the catalyst pellet's radial direction, and along the reactor's axial direction, by solving the momentum, energy, and species transport equations, accounting for convection, conduction, reaction, and diffusion mechanisms. In the first part of work, the effect of pellet-scale design parameters (mean pore diameter, volumetric porosity, tortuosity factor, etc.) and various species' flux models on the model predictions is studied. In the second part, the study focuses on the comparison, in terms of their process intensification characteristics, of various hydrogen production processes. These include a conventional high-temperature shift reactor (HTSR)/low-temperature shift reactor (LTSR) sequence, a novel HTSR/membrane separator (MS)/LTSR/MS sequence, and a process that involves low-temperature shift membrane reactors-LTSMR in a series.
08 HYDROGEN↗
Chapter 14: Sustainable Biomass Conversion Process Assessment
Process intensification and integration for sustainable design play an essential role in addressing and alleviating severe sustainable development challenges. It is prudent to evaluate a process design in its early stage development to ensure the process can achieve sustainability goals. The primary goal of a sustainability evaluation is to assess the impact of systems on areas sought to be protected and maintained over time, such as human well-being and ecosystems (Schaubroeck, T. and Rugani, B. (2017). A revision of what life cycle sustainability assessment should entail: towards modeling the net impact on human well-being. Journal of Industrial Ecology 21 (6): 1464-1477). Parenthetically, sustainable process design to convert biomass to fuels and chemicals plays an integral part in the bioeconomy sustainability. It is recognized that the integration of sustainability in process design is core to the mission in developing renewable fuels and should be considered a necessary practice in biorefinery design. This study demonstrates the use of Gauging Reaction Effectiveness for ENvironmental Sustainability of Chemistries with a multi-Objective Process Evaluator (GREENSCOPE) as a tool to help track progress on process sustainability performance attributed to conversion improvement. With the incorporation of a wide range of indicators, GREENSCOPE captures the multi-dimensional aspect of the process design and operation. As opposed to conventional techno-economic analysis and life cycle assessment (in which the focuses are limited to economic and environmental aspects), GREENSCOPE enables the consideration of process intensification and integration for sustainable design. A high-octane gasoline production from woody biomass feedstock is used as a case study to demonstrate the approach.
biomass↗
Conceptual range estimation for total cost of ownership of modular process‐intensified chemical plants
Abstract Chemical companies have used modularization to reduce capital costs and project timelines, putting capital to work faster and lowering the risk of entering new markets. Nevertheless, the impacts of using modularization along with advanced technologies, such as process intensification, have not yet been fully realized, often due to the uncertain business risks associated with their implementation. Therefore, new methods are needed for quantifying the impact of modular chemical process intensification (MCPI) on the capital and operating costs of chemical plants to help build a business case for this novel approach. This article presents a new conceptual range estimation technique for total cost of ownership that addresses the deficiencies of existing methods for quantifying MCPI impacts. The incorporation of percentage range estimates was employed to allow for adaptability across various cost and size scales. This work also begins to elucidate how chemical engineering and construction firms can benefit from MCPI and identifies barriers that inhibit MCPI applications in the chemical industry.
Alhamouri, Khaled I.↗
Ethanol as a Renewable Building Block for Fuels and Chemicals
Three factors, i) the ethanol “blend wall”, which limits its market as a transportation fuel, ii) advances in production efficiency, and iii) feedstock diversification, could lead to excess ethanol at competitive prices. Those factors have already motivated a search for value-added derivatives (e.g., distillate fuels, olefins, and asymmetric amines). Siting small, low cost, flexible conversion facilities to process ethanol at or near the fermentation plant could encourage the growth of an enterprise. Decreasing the barriers to entry, matching supply and demand, and enhancing access to production incentives are enabling success factors. This review discusses the process chemistries that might be employed by such ethanol conversion facilities based on market prices. Finally, how these technologies might benefit from process intensification, and without the requirement of complex processing or large pressures or temperature gradients typically employed in conventional, large scale facilities.
09 BIOMASS FUELS↗