OPTIMUM (Oxidative Flow Platform Utilising Porous liquids, 3D printing and Microbubble Technology at Almac)

OPTIME是一个创新和新颖的项目，重点是在工业化学领域培养一位女性未来领导者，但它也将提供一个成功的利用分子氧的连续氧化平台。分子氧是一种廉价、丰富、原子效率高的试剂，但目前在化学制造行业中未得到充分利用。规模经济使大宗化工流程能够以高度集成的方式进行，并伴随着运营效率和协同效应。对于在制药/精细化工行业内运营的CDMO(如ASL)来说，这是根本不可行的，因为需要较低的输送目标/更复杂的分子，因此需要在多用途反应器内开发这种流动过程(如其间歇对应的流程)。有氧氧化属于一种独特的反应类型，由于反应器内有相当大的顶空空间和相关的爆炸风险，很难批量进行。如A到E：A点所述，选择流动化学而不是传统间歇反应有五个战略驱动因素。更快的反应：通常在连续流动下，反应速度更快，因为改进了混合，由于较小的建筑提供了与传统间歇容器相比更大的表面积和体积，所以更好的热传递。B.更安全的反应：连续流动本质上更安全，因为在任何时候都能与就地处理的活性中间体/危险试剂反应，从而显著降低风险。c.具有挑战性的反应：难以批量放大的反应，如高压、高能、氧化或光化学反应，可以在连续流动下进行。D.产品质量：严格的化学计量控制提高了产品质量，因为产品被泵离试剂，从而减少了副产品中形成的杂质。在线监测可以识别产品质量的变化，并允许转移到废品中，消除不合格的批次。执行受控淬火的能力意味着简单的操作，通常需要减少处理步骤。E.占地面积更小：设备比典型的间歇容器小得多，能够量身定做流动装置以适应工艺和更高的单位生产率。公众可能会对化学和制药生产中使用的简单方法以及我们都依赖的药品和精细化学品生产中产生的大量环境有害废物感到惊讶。英国化学工业面临着来自低成本经济体的严重竞争，以及将新产品推向市场的真正困难。为了作为英国经济的重要组成部分生存下来，并继续提供医疗解决方案，该行业寻求通过使用尖端技术和更高效的运营实践来保持竞争力，所有这些都是在确保其实践的可持续性的背景下进行的。尽管连续流近年来受到越来越多的关注，但目前工业化学品生产的最新技术仍然是简单的间歇过程。OPTIME的目标是进一步培训/发展已确定的研究员(以及他们的相关项目团队)，并在有助于改变目前最先进的生产工艺的领域开展研究，开发用于生产精细化学品的连续流动设备培训。

OPTIMUM is an innovative and novel project, centred on the development of a female Future Leader in the industrial chemical sector, but which will also deliver a successful continuous oxidation platform utilising molecular oxygen. Molecular oxygen is a cheap, abundant, atom efficient reagent but is currently under utilised within the chemical manufacturing industry. Economy of scale allows bulk chemical processes to be performed in a highly integrated manner, with attendant operational efficiencies and synergies. For CDMOs like ASL operating within the pharmaceutical/fine chemical industry this is simply not feasible, due to the lower delivery targets/more complex molecules required, and as such flow processes (like their batch counterparts) need to be developed within multi-purpose reactors. Aerobic oxidations fall into a unique category of reactions which are difficult to perform in batch, due to the considerable headspace within reactors and the associated risk of explosion.There are five strategic drivers towards choosing flow chemistry over traditional batch as outlined in points A to E:A. Faster reactions: typically under continuous flow reactions are faster due to improved mixing, better heat transfer as a result of the smaller-scale architectures offering higher surface area to volume when compared with traditional batch vessels. Reaction rate is increased also by the ability to access temperatures and pressures inaccessible in batch and there is the potential for automated reaction screening.B. Safer reactions: continuous flow is inherently safer due to the small volumes reacting at any one time with reactive intermediates/hazardous reagents handled in situ thus minimising the risk significantly.C. Challenging reactions: reactions which are difficult to scale up in batch, such as high pressure, high energy, oxidation or photochemical can be performed under continuous flow.D. Product quality: tight controls of stoichiometry improves product quality, as product is pumped away from reagents resulting in fewer impurities formed as by-products. In-line monitoring can identify a change in product quality and allow for diversion to waste eliminating failed batches. The ability to perform a controlled quench means simple work-up with typically a reduced number of handling steps required.E. Smaller footprint: equipment is much smaller than typical batch vessels with the ability to tailor the flow rig to suit the process and higher unit productivity.The public may well be surprised at the unsophisticated methods that are employed for chemical and pharmaceutical production and the large amounts of environmentally harmful waste generated in the production of medicines and fine chemicals that we all rely on. The UK chemical industry faces serious competition from low cost economies and real difficulties in bringing new products to the market. To survive as a significant part of the UK economy, and continue providing healthcare solutions, the industry seeks to remain competitive through using cutting-edge technologies and more efficient operating practices, all with a backdrop of ensuring sustainability in its practices. Although continuous flow has gained increasing attention in recent years, the current-state-of-the-art for industrial chemical production is still simple batch processes. OPTIMUM aims to further train/develop the identified Fellow (along with their associated project team) and carry out research in areas which will help change the current state-of-the-art production processes developing continuous flow equipment trains for the production of fine chemicals.