Reaction engineering: Status and future challenges

This manuscript summarizes the plenary lecture delivered at the ISCRE 20 meeting in Kyoto on Tuesday, September 9, 2008. The scope, history and status of our chemical reaction engineering (CRE) discipline are briefly outlined complementing the broad review presented by Professor J. Schouten in a plenary lecture a day earlier (Schouten, 2008). It is argued here that the key challenge for CRE is the development of new more efficient and profitable technologies. This is to be accomplished via an improved science-based scale-up methodology for transfer of molecular discoveries to sustainable non-polluting processes that can meet the future energy, environmental, food and materials needs of the world. Available foundations for such scale-up are introduced and the role of science in developing the improved methodology for multiphase systems is described. It is also argued that progress in implementing the desired environmentally benign processes depends, in addition to overcoming technical challenges, on achieving changes in the socio-economic and political arena. Global regulations and peer pressures are needed to provide the economic incentives for cleaner and sustainable processes.