Novel process windows for the safe perester synthesis of tert.-Butylperoxypivalat by means of micro process technology

Goal of the project which is supported by the DBU graduation grant programme is the development of a novel-chemistry-concept allowing opening up new process windows for the safe perester synthesis of tert.-Butylperoxypivalat by means of micro process technology. The conventional perester process is done in batch or semi-continuous mode and has an intrinsic safety risk. A huge amount of chemicals is involved, leading to a very high level of damage in case of a malfunction. Moreover an enormous amount of cooling energy is required to remove the heat of reaction and to maintain the process at a moderate reaction temperature. Thus an intrinsically fast reaction is deliberately slowed down for safety reasons. At the end of this project the development of a continuous process for the safe perester synthesis by applying new process windows is expected. In order to realize this concept, microreactors and micromixers will be used. The work is done by Tobias Illg, co-worker in the mixing and fine chemistry department, and is supervised by Prof. V. Hessel in the course of his professorship the TU Eindhoven.