Introduction
Introduction
The Section of Integrated Reaction & Separation Processes
The Section of Integrated Reaction & Separation Processes was established in 2002 as a subordinate organization of the Division of Chemical Reaction Engineering. Prof. Naotsugu Itoh (Utsunomiya Univ.) and Prof. Shigeyuki Uemiya (Gifu Univ.), who were instrumental in the establishment of the subdivisions, had been the chairpersons of the section from 2002 to 2009.
Up to now, under the strong leadership of the previous chairpersons, we have held symposia and workshops every year and issued newsletters introducing international conferences and research trends overseas. In the future, we would like to conduct a wide range of academic activities while keeping an eye on new fields.
Integration of Reaction and Separation
“Reactions" and "separations" are the primary operations or elemental technologies in chemical processes. In the Society of Chemical Engineers, Japan, the Division of Separation Processes and its subdivisions deal with the research and development of separation technology and processes, while the Division of Chemical Reaction Engineering deals with the research field of reaction processes and reaction engineering. In each of the Divisions and subdivisions, researchers and engineers specializing in "reaction" and "separation" have been very active. However, now that the elemental technologies for both reaction and separation have become more advanced and complicated and the efficiency of the processes should be improved, it is necessary to develop reaction and separation processes that organically combine the two processes and aim for even higher efficiency (energy saving) and compactness. For this reason, the role of our section, which aims to link reaction and separation, is very significant.
In addition to the integration of processes, there are many microscopic phenomena in which reaction and separation proceed simultaneously. For example, in fuel cells and solid-state catalytic reactions, reaction and separation are important elements for the control of functions and the improvement of performance. We would also like to focus on the integration of reactions and separations at such a microscopic level.
Through the academic activities like symposia, we would like to create a place where we can actively discuss various processes and phenomena of such reactions and separations, and we hope that many people will participate.
