System Development/Field Test/ Commercialization

Gas-liquid contactor-reactor. This reactor can be used for gas absorption, effluent treatment, and chemical reactions in processes involving catalysts (oxidation hydrogenation, carbonylation, and hydroformylation). Conventional gas-liquid contacting devices have lower efficiency due to low gas hold-ups, back-mixing, and less safety. This new design is simple, compact, and flexible, requiring less power and a smaller operating volume. It is also scalable without losing efficiency. Reaction rates are controllable, and the lack of moving parts ensures safer working conditions. 

Recovery of organic and inorganic chemicals from wastewater. Residual water is recycled through Anti-Solvent Crystallization (ASC), Chemical Dewatering (ChD), Reactive Extraction (Rx), or Eutectic Freeze Crystallization (EFC). This extraction process eliminates secondary and tertiary pollution and the need for a landfill. Recycling water also reduces the amount of freshwater needed for the process. These processes are more efficient than traditional evaporators and address corrosion. 

Continuous flow reactors and continuous flow chemicals plays for fine chemical and pharmaceutical industries. This process reduces the amount of solvent required by improving heat transfer. It also enables controlling conditions to maximize conversion without risking competitive or consecutive reactions. Using less solvent and fewer impurities also reduces waste and disposal costs. Using smaller continuous reactors reduces the energy required for heating and cooling. Continuous processes also operate at a steady state, simplifying management. 

Lactones, salts, crystals, and other forms of high-purity glucaric acid through fermentation using microbes from biomass. kalion Inc. uses patented microbes from biomass through synthetic biological processes to produce lactones, salts, crystals, and other forms of high-purity glucaric acid through fermentation. Glucaric acid can replace phosphates and chelating agents in detergents and waste treatment. The traditional use of phosphates and chelating agents may include eutrophication, which may interfere with the removal and treatment of toxic metals.

Glass, metal, and ceramic continuous flow reactors and systems. Flow chemistry reactors are more efficient than traditional batch reactors. Flow chemistry reactors have more efficient heat transfer and temperature control due to rapid diffusion and high surface area-to-volume ratios. Increased efficiency allows for more production with less energy waste. Better control over temperature, reaction time, flow, pumped volumes, and pressure enables better control over hazardous materials, improving safety.

Biocatalysis, chemocatalysis, flow chemistry, crystallization, and photochemistry for the development of fine chemicals. Biocatalysis has high selectivity. Chemocatalysis enables efficient, customized synthesis of complex molecules while reducing waste. Flow chemistry allows for control of extreme reaction conditions and hazardous reactants. Due to its superior mass and heat transfer ability, flow chemistry has easy quality control and higher production. This company developed 3D metal-printed flow reactors and mixers using selective laser melting.

Enzymes and chemicals as chiral building blocks, intermediates, specialty chemicals, and recombinant enzymes. This company uses customized chemical synthesis and biocatalytic conversion to produce enzymes and chemicals as chiral building blocks, intermediates, specialty chemicals, and recombinant enzymes. These enzymes are suitable for research and development, diagnostics, and industrial production. Custom enzymes reduce complex synthesis processes into a single biocatalytic step, allowing for operation in milder conditions, product selectivity, and lower physiological toxicity.

Upcycled carbon black from end-of-life tires. Over 1.5 billion end-of-life tires enter the global waste stream annually. This process upcycles end-of-life tires to produce carbon black and tire pyrolytic oil and gas, reducing oil use and carbon dioxide emissions. These carbon blacks are a sustainable, one-to-one replacement for ASTM furnace carbon blacks. The process consists of 5 stages: steel removal, carbonization, de-agglomeration, pelletizing, and drying.