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Process Intensification by alternative energy forms and transfer mechanisms
Chemical Engineering and Processing 71 (2013) 1
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Chemical Engineering and Processing: Process Intensification journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/cep
Editorial
Process Intensification by alternative energy forms and transfer mechanisms
The use of alternative energy forms and transfer mechanisms is one of the key approaches of Process Intensification. Significant increase in the number of research papers published every year on the development of chemical processing technologies enhanced by plasma, electric and magnetic fields, electromagnetic and ultrasound waves and high gravity fields show that researchers in both industry and academia have recognized the potential of alternative energies. Some of these technologies have already found their way to commercialization for certain applications. However, their widespread industrial implementation will depend on the production cost, profitability, robustness and flexibility. The progress in the development of alternative energy transfer-based processes in various disciplines of chemicals and materials manufacturing reported in the open and patent literature gives confidence that the above criteria will be met. The broad impact of alternative energy transfer technologies on reactions, separations and materials synthesis is demonstrated in the current Special Issue where breakthrough results are reported by world leading research groups in various application areas. Among the 13 contributions comprising the Special Issue, a review paper on microwave-assisted combustion synthesis and a paper describing an interesting vision on the application of plasma, microwaves and ultrasound to nitrogen fixation and hydrogenation reactions are included. The other contributions contain original research results bringing new insights into the equipment design,
0255-2701/$ – see front matter © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cep.2013.03.017
application areas, methodologies and fundamental understanding of processes involving microwaves, light, plasma, ultrasound, hydrodynamic cavitation, as well as magnetic and high-gravity fields. The very diverse application areas reported in the Special Issue including polymers, pharmaceuticals, advanced materials and inorganic chemical compounds manufacturing, wastewater and exhaust gas treatment as well as solid biomass and bio-oil processing also highlight the potential impact of alternative energy forms and transfer mechanisms on the relevant industries. We would like to extend our sincere thanks to all the authors for their efforts and valuable contributions. We thank Elsevier for providing the platform to share information provided by experts in various disciplines of Process Intensification. We hope that the relevant research communities will find this information useful and inspiring. Georgios D. Stefanidis ∗ Andrzej Stankiewicz Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands ∗ Corresponding author. E-mail address: [email protected] (G.D. Stefanidis)
Available online 29 April 2013
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Chemical Engineering and Processing: Process Intensification journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/cep
Editorial
Process Intensification by alternative energy forms and transfer mechanisms
The use of alternative energy forms and transfer mechanisms is one of the key approaches of Process Intensification. Significant increase in the number of research papers published every year on the development of chemical processing technologies enhanced by plasma, electric and magnetic fields, electromagnetic and ultrasound waves and high gravity fields show that researchers in both industry and academia have recognized the potential of alternative energies. Some of these technologies have already found their way to commercialization for certain applications. However, their widespread industrial implementation will depend on the production cost, profitability, robustness and flexibility. The progress in the development of alternative energy transfer-based processes in various disciplines of chemicals and materials manufacturing reported in the open and patent literature gives confidence that the above criteria will be met. The broad impact of alternative energy transfer technologies on reactions, separations and materials synthesis is demonstrated in the current Special Issue where breakthrough results are reported by world leading research groups in various application areas. Among the 13 contributions comprising the Special Issue, a review paper on microwave-assisted combustion synthesis and a paper describing an interesting vision on the application of plasma, microwaves and ultrasound to nitrogen fixation and hydrogenation reactions are included. The other contributions contain original research results bringing new insights into the equipment design,
0255-2701/$ – see front matter © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cep.2013.03.017
application areas, methodologies and fundamental understanding of processes involving microwaves, light, plasma, ultrasound, hydrodynamic cavitation, as well as magnetic and high-gravity fields. The very diverse application areas reported in the Special Issue including polymers, pharmaceuticals, advanced materials and inorganic chemical compounds manufacturing, wastewater and exhaust gas treatment as well as solid biomass and bio-oil processing also highlight the potential impact of alternative energy forms and transfer mechanisms on the relevant industries. We would like to extend our sincere thanks to all the authors for their efforts and valuable contributions. We thank Elsevier for providing the platform to share information provided by experts in various disciplines of Process Intensification. We hope that the relevant research communities will find this information useful and inspiring. Georgios D. Stefanidis ∗ Andrzej Stankiewicz Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands ∗ Corresponding author. E-mail address: [email protected] (G.D. Stefanidis)
Available online 29 April 2013