16.07.13: The innovative Globe jacketed reactor system from Syrris has enabled chemical engineering students at Worcester Polytechnic University, USA, to safely investigate the production of biodiesel. Professor William Clark from the Chemical Engineering Department explained: "As part of their senior thesis, some of our undergraduate students suggested a Œgreen' experiment; converting vegetable oil into biodiesel. This base-catalyzed process uses methanol and potassium hydroxide, which is not that simple a reaction or particularly safe. To implement this process in an undergraduate teaching laboratory, we needed a computer-controlled mini pilot plant that could run the reaction safely at different temperatures; the Globe system was ideal."
Chemical engineering student Ngan Nguyen with the Globe jacketed reactor system"Globe enables the biodiesel reaction to be performed under computer control, eliminating manual transfer of reagents and allowing the experiment to be carried out safely, which is paramount. Working with Syrris, we designed a small chemical factory; two Globe reactors and a Globe Reactor Master Module enabling the integration of balances, pumps, temperature probes, stirrers, a temperature bath and a pH meter controlled by Globe Reactor Master Software. The catalyst potassium hydroxide in methanol is generated at a controlled temperature in the first reactor, then pumped across to a second reactor containing heated vegetable oil to start the biodiesel process. The software is very easy to use and controls the entire process a great advantage as we do not have to write additional programmes to control other integrated modules as well as providing an audit trail. This set-up has proved very reliable, and the temperature control is phenomenal; we are really thrilled with the system."Syrris Limited
Syrris is world renowned for excellence in chemical reactor systems and is a world leader in flow chemistry systems. Established in 2001, Syrris employs over 30 scientists and engineers at its facility in Royston (near Cambridge, UK) and has offices in the US, Japan, India and Brazil plus over 30 distributors worldwide.
Syrris develops laboratory automation products for research and development chemists in industries such as pharma, petrochem, agrochem, fine chemical synthesis etc. as well as academia. Syrris products are used in a wide variety of applications and laboratories including process, discovery, crystallization, process safety, scale-up and many more.
Syrris products include the innovative range of fully automated batch reactor products (Atlas), a manually operated jacketed reactor platform (Globe) and flow chemistry systems (Asia and Africa). In recognition of its technological achievements, Syrris has been awarded the "Eastern Region's UKTI Best Established Exporter" and the "Most Outstanding Export Achievement" at the Global Opportunity Conference on International Trade. Syrris' Asia Flow Chemistry system was the recipient of a prestigious 2012 R&D award.