AM Technology eliminate commercial obstacles for scalable flow chemistry through Innovate UK funding
AM Technology were awarded an advanced manufacturing grant in September 2023, funded by Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency. Focusing on broadening the accessibility to scalable flow chemistry and cementing its reputation as a sustainable alternative to traditional batch manufacturing methods, AM Technology will continue leading industry efforts to remove commercial barriers from continuous chemical manufacturing.
Working closely with our client network, AM Technology continues to align our research and development focus to ensure our technology meets the Chemical Manufacturing Industry KPIs. Over the next 12 months, the ECO FLOW project will benchmark production-scale reactor performance and process energy usage for a scalable and economic flow reactor.
Fine chemical and pharmaceutical production requirements have shaped our reactor development initiatives, and manufacturers will soon be able to gain demonstrable OPEX savings insight from a tailored energy comparison model as well as reap the benefits of production scale continuous flow technology at a reduced cost.
''From working on various customer transitions to flow chemistry at production, pilot and R&D scale for over 15 years, traditionally the production scale flow reactors have always shown to be the most adopted by high value manufacturers as they can afford the upfront cost of continuous production plants. The trouble is, the benefits of high-volume flow chemistry should be available for the entire manufacturing sector, which is why we’re working to make this possible.
The ECO FLOW project will greatly improve ROI for chemical manufacturers and enable them to easily calculate the energy efficiency of continuous manufacturing versus their existing batch processes. By demonstrating yield quality, and quantity improvements, as well as reductions in energy costs, the sector can establish safer, more productive, and sustainable practices.''
Dr Mike Kenny, Business Development Manager at AM Technology
Production scale flow reactors installed in a process area (Coflore RTR)
Continuous manufacturing optimises reaction conditions and parameters to offer manufacturers more control over their process with greatly reduced working volumes. This in turn can result in lower solvent usage, improved heat transfer and reduced working volume of hazardous intermediates. This process control is scalable to multi-tonne production and has the potential to reduce the carbon footprint of the chemical sector through lean manufacturing.
The ECO FLOW project brings the opportunity of introducing manufacturers to continuous flow technology as a realistic alternative to batch processes, through greater accessibility to production scale reactors. It will provide existing batch manufacturers with process feasibility intel, energy comparison models, and access to production scale flow reactors, attainable through lower CAPEX investment.
Thanks to Innovate UK, who drive productivity and economic growth by supporting businesses to develop and realise the potential of new ideas, AM Technology has been awarded £92,170 of funding as part of the Launchpad, Advanced Manufacturing Liverpool City region grant to commence the ECO FLOW project in September 2023.
We hope that by removing the commercial obstacles of scalable flow chemistry, we will capture the interest of chemical manufacturers by showcasing the realistic energy-saving benefits of continuous flow.
With this, more manufacturers will do so using continuous methods, allowing flow chemistry’s wider benefits to shape the entirety of the chemical sector. Advancing the manufacturing arena with more sustainable, and safer chemistry will be pivotal in the net zero ambitions put in place by the EU, to be achieved by 2050.
The ECO FLOW project will also assist in paving the way to ensuring that manufacturing shows resilience against wider supply chain risks and recycles usable waste, all while ensuring the quality of the product remains pure and of high throughput.
Here are some quick links which address the benefits of employing flow chemistry at a multi-tonne scale:
