Optimal design and operation of a separating microreactor

A bifunctional structured monolith is considered, in which chemical reactio n and product separation can be carried out simultaneously. It is demonstra ted on an example of a product-inhibited reaction (bioproduction of nicotin amide by immobilized nitrile hydratase) that important yield enhancements c an be achieved in a periodically operated monolith with simultaneous produc t separation, compared with its steady-state analog. Using a mathematical m odel of a single monolith channel, parametric dependence of solutions of a vector optimization problem is studied with respect to both operational and design parameters. Optimum arrangements of functional blocks within the mo nolith are shown to depend on the relative preference given to product yiel d and separation effects. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserve d.