Electrification, Process Intensification, and Artificial Intelligence for Modular and Improved Chemical Manufacturing

There is renewed interest in the chemistry and processing of small molecules, such as carbon dioxide, CO₂, ammonia, NH₃, and small hydrocarbons (methane, ethane and propane). The large energy demand and associated large production of CO₂ in ammonia production, the conversion of CO₂ to chemicals and fuels, and the revolution of shale gas in the U.S., and thus of small hydrocarbons, are changing the global energy and chemicals terrain and are creating new opportunities for research and manufacturing. Common to the small molecules are the challenges of activating chemical bonds, the large energy demand, the equilibrium limitations, the loss of selectivity, and catalyst deactivation. In addition, processing some of these resources may require distributed manufacturing, whose economic viability is uncertain. These challenges require understanding of the fundamental chemistry and development of new catalysts and processes. This talk will overview these emerging trends and present examples from chemical activation using electrification, such as microwaves, coupled with other process intensification concepts to allow scalability. The role of data science in process design will also be discussed.