Process intensification - the time is now

Former ICI head of manufacturing technology Roger Benson says that after 30 years of false starts, the time has come for process intensification (PI) technologies to make a major breakthrough in the chemical and process industries.

Speaking yesterday at the 3^rd European Process Intensification Conference in Manchester, UK, Benson argued that PI practitioners had repeatedly failed to make a sound investment case in support of the adoption of ground breaking technologies, including rotating packed bed distillation columns.

Benson said: “In the 1980s business survival did not depend on the adoption of the latest technology.  Add to this a very conservative mindset amongst chemical engineers and a failure to shout about the cost benefits and it's no surprise that PI hasn’t had the impact that it should have had."

Nonetheless, the process solutions that PI offers are well understood and Benson told his audience that a shift in economic thinking could unlock new opportunities for European chemical manufacturers to become competitive in international markets. “Forget manufactured cost and concentrate instead on delivered cost.  PI will deliver an immediate cost advantage levelling the playing field with China”, said Benson.

“And if PI were adopted for distributed plants, costs will fall even further”, he continued.

The combined squeeze of raw material and energy costs, increasing regulation, foreign competition and pressure from retailers is creating a new climate of opportunity in Europe:  “PI will be essential for western countries to compete globally.  The time is now for PI”, Benson concluded.

The 3^rd European Process Intensification Conference has attracted 130 delegates from 19 countries to the UK.  The meeting continues though to Thursday with further keynotes by leading European PI experts including Albert Renken and Andrzej Stankiewicz. The proceedings will be available following the conference at www.icheme.org/shop