Scientific Update

Returning once again for 2010, in conjuction with Pharmaspec Europe, Scientific Update will be hosting a series of technical workshops:

Wednesday 9 June - 11am

Workshop 1
Novel technologies; possible directions of development and scale-up / Is batch processing yesterday's technology?

·         Discusses the possibility of using more continuous processing in pharmaceutical production
·         Discusses the impact of microreactors by example
·         The intention is to stimulate the audience and provoke some discussion

Although batch processes have been operated for many decades and have the advantage of being able to be used in multipurpose reactors, they are not the most efficient and may not always give the best yield and selectivity, which translates into cost of manufacture.  New technologies for continuous processing, which retain the advantages of batch process equipment (suitable for small scale manufacture, flexibility etc) may offer advantages of ease of scale up and selectivity in the chemical reaction as well as efficiency in throughput.

 

This provocative presentation and discussion aim to highlight developments in process intensification, and its perceived benefits, and to stimulate discussion regarding the technology likely to be applied in the future chemical processing plant in the fine chemical, pharmaceutical and allied fields.

 

Wednesday 9 June - 3pm

Workshop 2
Microwaves

Whilst microwaves are routinely used in the discovery laboratory for heating chemical reactions, this technology is only just starting to be used on kilogram scale.  This workshop will discuss the equipment available for kilo scale and the barriers to implementation and how these can be overcome.  Continuous processing may have some advantages over conventional batch processes.  Safety issues will also be discussed.

 

Thursday 10 June - 11am

Workshop 3
Catalysis

 

For efficient and green manufacture, a well-designed catalytic process is essential.  This workshop will discuss some case studies of processes looking at issues such as catalyst cost, IP, turnover number and frequency, separation and recycle of catalyst.  For many catalytic systems the active catalyst is generated “in situ” and the implications of this for turnover, catalyst removal and recycle will be discussed.

 

 

Thursday 10 June - 2pm
 

Workshop 4

Chemical Engineering Elements a Chemist Should Know?
 

The aim of the talk is to highlight areas where even a limited awareness of some of the principles of chemical engineering could prove very beneficial for development chemists, even at the early stages of developing a process.  The main focus of examples and discussion is on the first and perhaps most obvious issues of heat transfer and where that could impact not only on safety but perhaps the selectivity of chemistry.  Next there will be discussion of what I believe is the next most obvious area of agitation/mixing, another area which chemists tend to ‘gloss over’ and assume that if the materials look like they are mixing well then they must be.  The talk aims to generate some discussion by suggesting closer interactions between chemists and chemical engineers is very often beneficial, even essential, and perhaps even moreso as later technologies such as continuous processing become increasingly popular and sought after at earlier stages in the development lifetime of a target.