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Improving Productivity Of Multiphase Flow Aerobic Oxidation Using A Tube-In-Tube Membrane Contactor, Michael Burkholder, Stanley E. Gilliland Iii, Adam Luxon, Christina Tang, B. Frank Gupton

Chemical and Life Science Engineering Publications

The application of flow reactors in multiphase catalytic reactions represents a promising approach for enhancing the efficiency of this important class of chemical reactions. We developed a simple approach to improve the reactor productivity of multiphase catalytic reactions performed using a flow chemistry unit with a packed bed reactor. Specifically, a tube-in-tube membrane contactor (sparger) integrated in-line with the flow reactor has been successfully applied to the aerobic oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde utilizing a heterogeneous palladium catalyst in the packed bed. We examined the effect of sparger hydrodynamics on reactor productivity quantified by space time yield (STY). Implementation …