Chemical and Environmental Engineering Group

Reaction Systems

Low pressure polymerization set-up.
1L glass stirred tank reactor. Monomers (ethylene, propilene) and gases purification set-up. Low pressure (< 8 atm).


High pressure polymerization set-up.
2 L stainless steel reactor. Working pressure up to 40 bar. Continous controlled feeding of ethylene and hydrogen. Liquid phase discontinous feeding of n-heptane, isobutane and 1-butene. Reactants purification system. Gas phase analysis by microGC.


Autoclave stirred reactors for liquid phase reactions.
For oxidation, hydrogenation, isomerization, etc. Volume capacity from 25 mL to 1 L. Pressure up to 230 bar. Temperature up to 450 ºC. Stirring up to 3000 r.p.m.


Fixed bed reactor.
Both liquid and gas phase operation. Pressure up to 100 bar. Temperature up to 800 ºC.


Fluidized bed reactor for methane catalytic decomposition..
Quartz reactor (D: 22 cm; L: 21 cm) with porous plate (100-160 µm) as bed support. Simultaneous feeding of up to 4 gaseous streams. Liquid feeding through HPLC pump. Thermoelectric condensation unit. On-line products analysis by GC (Pora Plot Q and Mol. Sieve 5A columns, TCD, He and N2 as carrier gases). Pressure: atmospheric. Temperature: 20 – 1000 ºC.


Photocatalytic reactor with immersion type lamp for polluted water tratment.
1L glass photocatalytic reactor. Medium-pressure Hg lamp. Inlet for constant air/nitrogen bubbling.


Sonocatalytic reactors.
Volume capacity: 3 L. Two sounds (power: 600 and 1000 W).


Fermentator/Bio-reactor.
3 L vessel with jacket. Controlled temperature, stirring, dissolved oxygen and pH. 4 peristaltic pump.


Cryogenic reactor for enantioselective synthesis.
100 mL discontinous jacket reactor. Julabo FP-50 unit with cooling fluid (minimum temperature: -50 ºC). Nitrogen flow for inertization. Feeding though Terumo STC-52 syringe pump.


Fixed bed reactor for steam reforming.
Stainless steel tubular reactor (D: 9.2 mm; L: 300 mm). Simultaneous feeding of 3 gaseous streams. Liquids feeding with HPLC pump. Thermoelectric condensation unit. On-line products analysis by gas chromatography (Hayesep Q and Mol.Sieve 13X columns, TCD and He as carrier gas). Pressure: atmospheric. Temperature: 20 – 700 ºC.


Photocatalytic hydrogen production setup.
1L glass photocatalytic reactor. Medium-pressure Hg lamp. On-line analysis by micro-GC (Molsieve 5A and PoraPLOT U/Q columns, TCD, He and Ar as carrier gases).


Discontinous reactor for plastic wastes cracking.
Stainless steel cylindrical reactor (D: 35 mm; L: 250 mm). Electric engine-propeled helicoidal stirrer. Gaseous products carried by nitrogen flow. Separation by condensation in cold trap. Tilting axle to collect solid products. Pressure: atmospheric. Temperature: 20 - 600 ºC.


Equipment for high pressure volumetric adsorption.
Rotatory vacuum pump and oven for degasification up to 250 ºC. Determination of adsorption-desorption osotherms of pure gases or mixtures previously prepared at pressures between 5 and 50 bar. Analysis temperature: -191 – 200 ºC.


Fixed bed reactor for water-gas shift.
Stainless steel tubular reactor (D: 9.2 mm; L: 300 mm). Simultaneous feeding of 3 gaseous streams. Liquids feeding with HPLC pump. Thermoelectric condensation unit. On-line products analysis by micro-GC with 2 carrier gases (He and Ar) and 2 analysis channels (Poraplot Q and MS5A Plot capillary columns). Pressure: 1 - 15 bar. Temperature: 20 – 700 ºC.


Discontinous reactor for catalytic wet oxidation.
100 mL glass autoclave reactor, presurization and feeding system (4 mL) and heating system. Stirring: 0 - 3000 r.p.m. K-type thermocouple (20 - 150 ºC). Bourdon-type manometer (up to 10 bar).


Continous reactor for catalytic wet oxidation.
Glass tubular reactor (D: 1.2 cm; L: 15 cm). GILSON 10SC HPLC pump with controlled flow up to 10 cm3/min. Heating up to 80 ºC. Cooling system.


Pilot scale continous reactor with recycle for catalytic wet oxidation.
Stainless steel cylindrical reactor (D: 2 cm; L: 30 cm; maximum pressure: 150 bar; maximum temperature: 500 ºC). Mass flow controllers for air, nitrogen and hydrogen. Reciprocating positive-displacement pump for feeding (maximum flowrate: 2.5 L/h; maximum pressure: 200 bar) and recycle (maximum flowrate: 17 L/h; maximum pressure: 150 bar). Cooling jacket. 1L stainless steel autoclave for homogeneization (maximum pressure: 150 bar; maximum temperature: 200 ºC). Turbine stirrer with internal cooling and electric heating jacket.


Continous olefin polymerization plant.
Automated pilot plant consisting of 2 high pressure stirred reactors in series with intermediate flash. Feeding of gaseous reactants and liquid solvent. Feedstocks purification beds. Analysis by gas chromatography. Maximum pressure: 15 bar. Maximum temperature: 90 ºC.


Membrane reactor for hydrogen production/separation.
Stainless steel tubular reactor (D: 36 mm; L: 200 mm). Up to 4 streams simoultaneous feeding. Use of carrier gas. HPLC pump for liquid feeding. Condensation thermoelectric unit. On-line analysis of feed, permeate and retentate streams by micro-GC with 2 carrier gases (He and Ar) and 2 analysis channels (Poraplot Q and MS5A Plot capillary columns). Maximum pressure: 15 bar. Allowable pressure difference: 5 bar. Temperature: 20 – 600 ºC.


Multi-reactor.
Six-places glass reactor. Volume capacity: 250 mL each place. Stirrer with controlled temperature up to 180 ºC. Cooling system. Inert atmosphere or vacuum.


Vegetable oils catalytic cracking setup.
Steel tubular reactor (D: 10 mm; L: 300 mm). Vegetable oils feeding though HPLC pump. Nitrogen as carrier gas. 2 electric ovens at 350 - 600 ºC. On-line products analysis by CP4900 micro GC (Molsieve 5A, TCD detector and He as carrier gas).


Chromatographic Techniques

Gas chromatograph.
Capillary column with electronic control for carrier gas. Automatic injection port. Detectors: FID and ECD.


Gas chromatograph.
Capillary column with electronic control for carrier gas. Detector: FID.


Gas chromatograph.
Capillary column with electronic control for carrier gas. Detector: FID. Detailed hydrocarbons analysis (DHA) and simulated distillation (SD). Automatic injection port.


Gas chromatograph.
Capillary column with manual control for carrier gas. Detector: FID.


Micro-GC.
Variable volume micro-injection port. Detector: TCD. Analysis time: 60 sec.


High performance liquid cromatography system (HPLC).
Single piston pump coupled to pulse absorption system, 10 µL/min to 10 mL/min. Up to 3 solvents isocratic or gradient feeding. Photodiodes detector with Deuterium lamp as light source.


High performance liquid cromatography system (HPLC).
Single piston pump coupled to pulse absorption system, 10 µL/min to 10 mL/min. Up to 3 solvents isocratic or gradient feeding. UV-vis detector.


High performance liquid cromatography system (HPLC).
Single piston pump coupled to pulse absorption system, 10 µL/min to 10 mL/min. Up to 2 solvents isocratic or gradient feeding. UV-vis detector.


Preparative HPLC system.
Double piston isocratic pump. Flowrate: 0.001 to 3200 mL/min. Silica preparative column with capacity to separate grams of product in each injection. UV-vis detector.


Ion chromatograph.
Ion chromatography modular system with chemical suppression. Peristaltic pump. Separation unit consisting of column and suppression module. Ion conductivity detector.


Spectroscopic Techniques

Equipment for the determination of particles size distribution of solid-liquid suspensions.
Sources of red and blue light. Particles size range: 0.02 - 2000 µm. Data treatment. Samples dispersion system with 800-1000 mL volume capacity, stirring system (5000 r.p.m.), ultrasound emission and timer.


Gas chromatograph - Mass spectrometer (GC/MS).
Capillary column with electronic control for carrier gas (He). Electronic impact mass detector. Software with data base allowing the identification of the chromatographic analysis products from mass spectra.


Gas chromatograph - Mass spectrometer (GC/MS).
Capillary column with electronic control for carrier gas (He). Quadrupole mass detector. Software with data base allowing the identification of the chromatographic analysis products from mass spectra.


Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer.
Equipped with 2 sources and 2 detectors. 2 beamsplitter with KBr for MIR and CaF2 for NIR. Working range: 12000 - 350 cm-1. Spectral resolution up to 0.125 cm-1.


Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer (FTIR-imaging).
Optic system for attenuated reflectance measurements (ATR) of solids, liquids, films, etc. Spectral range: 50 - 20000 cm-1. Coupled UMA-600 microscope, which allows working with transmision, diffuse or attenuated reflectance, to obtain a spectral map with 20 μm space resolution.


Ultraviolet-visible-near infrared spectrophotometer (UV-VIS-NIR).
Equipped with accesories for liquid and solid samples. Integration sphere and Praying Mantis to obtain diffuse reflectance spectra for solid samples. Catalytic chamber to obtain spectra at high or low temperature and/or pressure.


Raman spectrometer.
Equipped with He-Ne laser source (632.8 nm) and CCD detector. Accerories for liquid and solid samples. Videocamera included to facilitate laser focus.


Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometer.
Equipped with CCD detector. Lengthwaves range: 167 - 785 nm. High resolution polychromated scale and 40 MHz RF powerful system. Analysis of 73 elements in less than 35 seconds.


Thermochemical Techniques

CHNOS elemental analysis equipment.
Quantification of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and sulphur (CHNS) or oxygen (O) content in both liquid and solid samples. Sample weight: 0.2 - 200 mg. Error < 0.1 abs%. Based on the catalytic combustion of samples under tungsten oxide, reduction of undesirable gases with Cu, separation of the measurable compounds in adsorption columns and detection in TCD.


Temperature programmed catalysts characterization equipment.
Equipped with TCD. Temperature programmed desorption tests (TPD). Temperature programmed reduction tests (TPR). Temperature programmed oxidation tests (TPO). Pulse chemisorption analysis. Temperature programmed reaction tests. Catalysts pre-treatments.


Thermobalance with differential thermal analysis and differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DTA-DSC).
Determination of mass variation with temperature (resolution: 0.1 μg). Determination of enthalpies and temperatures associated to physical and chemical changes. Weight capacity: 0.35 g. Controlled atmosphere (gas flow: 0 - 1000 mL/min). Temperature range: 25 - 1500 ºC. Heating rate: 0.1 - 100 ºC/min.


Thermobalance with differential thermal analysis and differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DTA-DSC).
Determination of mass variation with temperature (resolution: 0.1 μg). Weight capacity: 1 g. Controlled atmosphere (gas flow: 0 - 1000 mL/min). Temperature range: 25 - 1100 ºC. Heating rate: 0.01 - 50 ºC/min. Automatic sampler: 34 samples.


Thermobalance with differential thermal analysis and simulated DSC.
Determination of mass variation with temperature (resolution: 0.1 μg). Weight capacity: 5 g. Controlled atmosphere (gas flow: 0 - 1000 mL/min). Temperature range: 25 - 1600 ºC. Heating rate: 0.01 - 50 ºC/min. Automatic sampler: 34 samples.


Differential scanning calorimeter.
Determination of temperature and heat duty associated to sample physical and chemical changes. Duty measurement range: ± 350 mW. Temperature range: -150 - 700 ºC. Heating rate: 0.01 - 200 ºC/min. Gas flowrate: 0 - 250 mL/min. Nitrogen as both carrier and dry gas.


Adsorption-desorption thermal analysis equipment.
Gravimetric determination of gases/vapours adsorption-desorption isotherms as a function of pressure. Mono- and multicomponenet static or dynamic analysis. Equipped with mass spectrometer. Stability: ± 1 µg. Weight resolution: 0.2 µg. Pressure transducers ranging between 0-2 mbar and 0-10 bar. Maximum pressure: 20 bar. Temperature range: -196 – 400 ºC.


Total organic carbon determination equipment.
Determination of organic and inorganic carbon content in aqueous solutions. Analysis based on the catalytic combustion with Pt catalyst. Non-dispersive infrared detector (NDIR). Working temperature: 680 ºC. Air flowrate: 150 mL/min.


Chemisorption volumetric analyser with pretreatment under gas flow.


Textural Properties Measurement

Textural properties characterization equipment for micro- and mesoporous solids.
Adsorption-desorption isotherms determination. Based on the measurement of gas pressure in a calibrated volume. Sample degasification by heating or under vacuum up to 350 ºC. High accuracy for the pressure measurement and high vacuum attainable for microporous solids analysis. Turbomolecular pump for maximum vacuum 10-3 mmHg. Adsorbates: N2 and Ar at boiling temperature. Up to 3 samples simultaneous analysis.


Textural properties characterization equipment for meso- and macroporous solids.
Determination of gas adsorption-desorption isotherms on solid surfaces. SMARTPREP degasification unit based on thermal treatment under high vacuum. Control module. Up to 6 samples simultaneous analysis.


Textural properties characterization equipment for mesoporous solids.
Determination of gas adsorption-desorption isotherms on solid surfaces. Degasification unit based on thermal treatment under high vacuum. Customization of parameters calculus . Up to 4 samples simultaneous analysis.


Textural properties characterization equipment for mesoporous solids.
Adsorption-desorption isotherms determination. Based on the measurement of gas pressure in a calibrated volume. Sample degasification by heating or under vacuum up to 350 ºC. High accuracy for the pressure measurement and high vacuum attainable for microporous solids analysis. Turbomolecular pump for maximum vacuum 10-7 mmHg. Adsorbates: N2 and Ar at boiling temperature. Up to 3 samples simultaneous analysis.


Preparative Equipments

Glove-box for samples treatment under inert atmosphere.


Vacuum drying oven.


Samples drying ovens.


Controlled atmosphere oven.


Thermal treatments furnances.


Sterilizing autoclave.
Volume capacity: 75 L.


Microwaves oven.
Volume capacity: 4.3 L. Maximum power: 1000 W. HPR-1000/10s high pressure propylene segmented rotor with capacity for 10 containers or reactors. Maximum pressure: 52 bar. Maximum temperature: 260 ºC.


Others

Elemental mercury analyser.
Mercury content determination following EN13506 regulations. Concentration range: 0.1 ppt - 10 ppm. Coupling to HPLC for speciation studies.


Polarograph.
Determination of metallic and ionic elements in aqueous solutions. Concentration measurement up to ppt for certain elements. UV digestor for the removal of organic interferences.


Karl-Fischer titrator.
Determination of water in liquid samples.


Cross-flow filtration system.
Membrane filtration test cell. Effective membrane area: 139 cm2. Recycle mode. Storage tank (capacity: 10L). Temperature control by circulating feed water through a stainless-still coil immersed in a thermostatic bath.


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