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Technology
Translation: A
Way Forward for PI in the UK
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Process Intensification
(PI) can potentially address the key drivers of the UK chemicals
industry. It can offer high added-value product opportunities
such as improved nanoparticles and low production-run, tailored
high value products with high and consistent purity. Flexible,
reconfigurable and responsive PI plant and process development
methodologies can telescope time to market. With an exponential
growth of environmental legislation and increasing overseas competition,
PI can make a major impact in the replacement of inefficient,
high waste plant and processes. Last, but not least, high technology,
more aesthetic PI plant could have a major impact on the industry's
image and the (undeserved) public perception of it as a polluting
'smoke stack' industry.
Despite these
drivers, take up of PI technology has not been as widespread as
might have been expected. It has been recognised that take up
has not necessarily been constrained by availability of core PI
technology, but more so by enabling technologies for PI Plant,
business issues, human factors and legislative demands.
This report
describes the output of two workshops, held with the support of
the DTI Basic Technologies Programme in collaboration with the
UK Process Intensification Network (PIN), which set out to address
the issues and identify potential solution paths.
Key conclusions
and actions from the workshops were as follows:
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Addressing the risks - or perceived risks - in making the move
to a PI process would accelerate uptake of PI. Demonstration
and production of 'concrete' case histories is probably the
single most important activity to achieve short term take up
of PI.
-
Improved means of communication between technologists and business
managers are required, through increased understanding (in both
directions) and the development of both financial and environmental
indicators for investors.
-
PI needs more 'champions' within end-user companies: not just
at a technical but also Board level, so that a sense of excitement
can be generated about what PI can achieve.
-
More fora are needed to bring chemists and engineers together,
and more multidisciplinary training in PI is needed at undergraduate,
postgraduate and later career stages. Standard methodologies
need to be embedded into training and education courses and
simple PI test kit provided to encourage familiarity with the
technology.
-
Legislation can be one of the strongest drivers for PI, particularly
if a company has no choice but to innovate to meet demands.
However PI exploits processing conditions not usually found
in conventional processing, which may present new hazards: as
a 'beacon technology' PI must also ensure that it follows impeccable
safety and environmental standards itself.
-
There is a clear need to establish an industry-led technology
roadmap for PI
-
Further R&D is needed, particularly on some of the enabling
technologies for PI, which are often at the boundary of chemistry
and engineering (eg measurement of kinetics, advanced process
and control technologies). All technologies need to be considered
at a 'total systems' level.
-
The UK, through initiatives such as Chemistry Leadership Council's
Innovation Task Force and proposed Chemicals Innovation Centre,
can play a significant role to support the uptake of PI. Influencing
and shaping the business and political agenda will be an important
challenge if the proposed programme is to succeed.
-
Whilst PIN - the Process Intensification Network - provides
a valuable forum for networking at a PI technology level in
the UK, a step change in resources is needed to move forward.
A Co-ordination Action within FP6 could provide such a vehicle,
and a submission is being made.
Finally, the
authors would like to thank Dr Mike Jones, Prof Colin Ramshaw,
Prof David Reay, Prof Julian Morris and Dr Andrzej Ordys for their
contributions both in the preparation and running of the workshops.
We also thank the chairman, presenters and delegates of the workshops,
whose contributions and views we hope are reflected in this report.
Please contact
us for a copy of the full report or to discuss your needs for
Process Intensification.
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