CSIR-NCL and GMM-Pfaudler sign pact for glass-lined micro-reactors

CSIR-NCL and GMM-Pfaudler sign pact for glass-lined micro-reactors

PUNE: CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory (CSIR-NCL) has developed the first-of-its-kind miniaturised glass-lined flow reactors, where glass is coated on metal, thereby increasing the chemical compatibility of the reactors without compromising on its performance.

NCL on Monday signed a licensing agreement with GMM-Pfaudler Ltd for the design, engineering, fabrication and marketing of these precision reactors.

Amol Kulkarni, a lead scientist in the project said, “Multinational companies sell micro-reactors and flow reactors at exorbitant prices. Existing micro and flow reactors are available in metals, polymers, glass and ceramic. For metal reactors, there is a need to coat it with alloy so that it does not react with chemicals and this becomes extremely costly as the alloy will be costly. When we use just glass for reactors, it can get damaged under too much pressure or extreme temperature changes. The glass-coated metal micro-reactor, however, will not face both problems.”

Explaining its uses beyond its compatibility with corrosive chemicals, Kulkarni said, “These are miniature in size. Which means instead of those bulky batch reactors, now a continuous reaction will happen in a reactor which will be one-tenth or one-twentieth the size of the batch reactors. This smaller size will ensure better heat dissipation and ensure better safety standards.”

Kulkarni, Vivek Ranade and a team of scientists have been working for the past six years in the field, finally arriving at a product of industry standards. The reactors will cater to the manufacturing of agrochemicals and pharmaceutical sectors primarily handling halogenated reactants, intermediates and products.

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