Modular Parallel Fixed Bed Reactor Accelerates Experimental Throughput

The Parallel Fixed Bed Reactor from Symyx Technologies Europe SA is a high-throughput system capable of screening and optimising catalysts and processes. The Symyx Parallel Fixed Bed Reactor can be used in a variety of traditional applications within petrochemicals and refining, in addition to emerging areas such as biofuels and other biorenewable processes.

"We've had the privilege of using an early prototype of the Parallel Fixed Bed Reactor from Symyx Technologies at the Instituto Mexicano del Petroleo (IMP) Combinatorial Catalysis Laboratory," said Dr. J.A. Montoya, Director of the Combinatorial Catalysis Laboratory at IMP. "The Parallel Fixed Bed Reactor has been successfully applied for a series of R&D projects in petrochemical and refining areas. Thousands of experiments have been performed using this workflow and we have found the equipment to be robust, versatile and easy-to-use. Most importantly, the Parallel Fixed Bed Reactor has achieved a very high level of throughput for catalyst development and optimisation."

The Symyx Parallel Fixed Bed Reactor provides data consistent with traditional laboratory-scale fixed-bed setups for gas, liquid and trickle-phase processes, and can be used effectively as a "pre-screen" for catalyst batches slated for use in pilot plants and manufacturing. Rather than automating and synchronising current lab equipment, the Parallel Fixed Bed Reactor is a step-change in R&D technology to provide business results in the mature fields of refining and petrochemicals as well as in emerging areas such as biofeedstock and biofuel applications, where time-to-market for processes is critical.

The Symyx Parallel Fixed Bed Reactor enables increased breadth of study allowing for the selection of more optimal catalysts and process conditions, consequently scientists and researchers will be able to test more catalysts under real-world conditions and see trends and impacts otherwise hidden. In addition the system provides on-line sampling and analytics allowing for seamless acquisition and databasing of catalytic results, giving researchers enterprise-wide access in near real-time as data from the system becomes available. The Symyx Parallel Fixed Bed Reactor also offers full integration capacity with catalyst synthesis equipment allowing for full correlation of catalytic phenomenon to synthesis parameters within the Symyx software environment.

"Parallel Fixed-Bed Reactor systems have provided a core high-throughput testing capability in the heterogeneous catalysis group at Symyx for many years, being employed in 13 diverse projects and cumulatively screening more than 80,000 catalysts and process conditions," said Anthony Volpe, Vice President, Catalysis, Symyx Technologies, Inc. "More than a dozen 48-channel systems have been constructed and used internally. This latest version is the most capable, with broad pressure and temperature operational windows, flexible analytics, the ability to produce pilot plant quality data, and a robust design that also facilitates maintenance. Parallel Fixed Bed Reactors have been instrumental in the commercialisation of new catalysts for us and our partners, and have even been used for the certification of commercial catalyst batches."

The Symyx Parallel Fixed Bed Reactor can be delivered to customers as a stand-alone Symyx Tool (16, 32 or 48 reactor channels) or as part of a Symyx Tools Integrated Workflow. Symyx can also run experiments for targeted catalyst and process optimisation problems on the Parallel Fixed Bed Reactor on behalf of a customer at Symyx Labs through Symyx Research Services.

Symyx Technologies, Inc. is the scientific R&D integration partner to companies in the life sciences, chemicals, energy, electronics and consumer products industries. With scientific R&D under tremendous economic and technical pressure, we help companies reduce R&D risk and enhance R&D productivity to help them bring more and better products to market quickly and cost-effectively. Our integrated technology platform combines Symyx Software (electronic laboratory notebooks, content, laboratory logistics and analysis), Symyx Tools (software-driven integrated workflows) and Research (collaborative research and directed services) to support the entire R&D process. Information about Symyx, including reports and other information filed by Symyx with the Securities and Exchange Commission, is available via the company website link.