SPINNING MESH DISC REACTOR (SMDR)
Modular, flexible and scalable technology for faster and efficient manufacturing of pharmaceuticals
THE TECHNOLOGY
The SMDR is a novel catalytic chemical reactor, which has potential to enable fast reactions and efficiently scale-up production of fine chemicals. The reactor consists of a rotating disc which has a cloth with immobilised catalyst resting on top. The liquid feed is distributed at the centre of the disc, and the spinning motion of the disc allows the formation of a thin liquid film, over and within the cloth. This increases the contact time between the liquid feed and the catalyst, achieving high mass transfer and thus fast reaction rates. The cloth protects the catalyst from shear forces and this catalyst cloth can be easily removed from the disc at the end of the reaction and can be reused multiple times. Reaction scale-up can be achieved with minimum capital investment and a small footprint, by simply adding more catalyst cloths onto the disc eliminating the need for a reactor re-design for higher feed throughput.
WHAT WE DO
The business offering is in the form of developing optimised protocols for ton/day scale production of pharmaceutical intermediates in the SMDR. This involves screening and immobilising the right catalyst for the process, tuning the spinning speed and feed flowrate to achieve maximum productivity. Companies are able to either lease or buy the SMDR units with an optimised package. We will provide support through remote reaction monitoring and replace spent catalyst cloth. Do get in touch with us to find out how we can support your process development needs.
OUR TEAM
![Shivaprasad P 29975-0053[2179].jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/be2f11_82a8f913575c42e9813a5d4534e93989~mv2.jpg/v1/crop/x_0,y_0,w_2241,h_2241/fill/w_220,h_220,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/Shivaprasad%20P%2029975-0053%5B2179%5D.jpg)
DR PARIMALA SHIVAPRASAD
Director
Parimala holds a PhD in chemical engineering from the University of Bath, where her research focused on investigating the applications of SMDR for scale-up of novel chemistry. She is a graduate of the 2019 ICURe program and carried out the market assessment for SMDR. Parimala was nominated for 'Forbes Asia 30 under 30' as an eco-entrepreneur and is an advocate for women in STEM.
DR EMMA EMANUELSSON
Founder and Director
Emma is the inventor of the SMDR and is currently a senior lecturer at the University of Bath. She has over 15 years of experience in designing and optimising catalytic reactors. She has designed the largest open surface area SMDR as well as a tiltable SMDR for natural sunlight experiments in Spain. Emma is also a professional coach and holds an ILM certification in leadership and management.
MR PETER KEEVILL
Business Advisor
Pete is a seasoned entrepreneur with over 15 years of experience in Telecom R&D. Since leaving Cisco in 2015, Pete has worked as Entrepreneur-in-Residence for SETsquared incubators in both Bristol and Bath drawing on his start-up experience to help young companies develop their business strategies and growth plans. Peter has been instrumental in the business development activities of SMDR Limited.
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