Yield Improvement of Chemical Reactions by Using a Microreactor and Development of a Pilot Plant Using the Numbering-Up of Microreactors

The yields of the main products obtained in three consecutive reactions when a conventional batch reactor was used were compared with the yields obtained when a microreactor was used. It was found that the yield of the main product in a bromination reaction increased up to 21.1% when the microreactor was uesd. Next, a pilot plant involving the numbering-up of 20 microreactors was developed. The 20 microreactor units were stacked in four sets, each containing five microreactor units arranged vertically, similar to a computer blade server. The maximum flow rate when 20 microreactors were used was 1 × 104 mm3/s, which corresponds to 72 t/year. Evaluation of the chemical performance of the pilot plant was conducted using a nitration reaction. The pilot plant was found to capable of increasing the production scale without decreasing the yield of the products.