Chemical Reaction Engineering, The Environment and Pollution Prevention

摘要

Manufacturing of desired products by chemical transformations is intrinsically tied with the side effects of potential pollution generation. Moreover, chemical reactions, by which atomic content or atomic configuration in a molecule are changed, are the only source of formation of both the desired products and the unwanted ones. Hence, reaction engineering, which is the discipline of taming reactions and conducting them in a predictable and controllable way, is the key to successful pollution prevention. We know that in order to conduct reactions on a large scale one must successfully marry kinetics, i.e the rate at which chemical transformation occur, with the transport phenomena, i.e the rate at which reactants can be brought together, products removed and heat supplied or removed. Hence, reaction engineering principles need to be employed to minimize formation of pollutants at the source, i.e during formation of desired products, to transform pollutants into less hazardous species (e.g. pollution abatement or "end of the pipe treatment"), and to prevent accidental discharges of reactor contents into the surroundings (i.e safety and emergency venting!).