Research using the Coflore ACR has been carried out at Heriot Watt university, resulting in a paper which has been accepted for publishing in the Chemical Engineering Journal.  The reaction involved a multiphase system in which solids, gas and liquid were present. 

The research, entitled “Liquid phase catalytic hydrodechlorination of 2, 4-dichlorophenol over Pd/Al2O3: Batch vs. continuous operation” ⁽¹⁾, compared the performance of a traditional batch reactor versus that of the Coflore ACR, a dynamically mixed multistage flow reactor, for the hydrodechlorination reaction.

The results showed a number of benefits arising from using the ACR when compared to the batch reactor including: 5x higher efficiency of H2 usage; greater hydrodechlorination rates resulting in enhanced phenol formation and a prolonged catalyst life.  These results showed the ACR’s ability to handle difficult multiphase reactions involving gas, liquid and solids, while outperforming traditional batch methods.

1.    Gómez-Quero, S., et. al., 2011, Liquid phase catalytic hydrodechlorination of 2, 4-dichlorophenol over Pd/Al2O3: Batch vs. continuous operation, Chemical Engineering Journal, vol 166, issue 3, 1044-1051