Transient and stationary studies of avant garde catalysts and reactors: from microreactors to 3D printed catalyst elements

DLP 3D Printing and Microreactors: Revolutionizing the Chemical Industry

Structured catalysts and reactors are at the heart of sustainable development. As the climate crisis intensifies, it is imperative to take immediate action to improve the efficiency of current chemical processes, tackling the increasing release of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Microreactors and 3D-printed heterogeneous catalysts offer transformative potential for the industry. With them, it is possible to:

1) Enhance mass transfer rates in chemical reactors
In microreactors, molecules have much short distances to travel before reaching the surface of a heterogeneous catalyst. This makes the chemical processes faster and more efficient. The same idea applies to 3D-printed catalyst structures: by customizing the geometry of a catalyst, we can make it easier for molecules to move through the reactor, speeding up chemical reactions even further.
2) Minimize pressure drop
In modern chemical processes, pressure drop is one of the main challanges that engineers face when designing efficient reactors. High pressure drop lead to increased energy consumption, thus greenhouse emisions. However, 3D-printed heterogeneous catalysts and microreactors, with their open structures, significantly reduce pressure drops, making chemical processes far more efficient.

Luca Mastroianni, researcher at Åbo Akademi University, received a 5000€ encouragement grant from Finnish Foundation for Technology Promotion in 2024.