Objective
The chemical industry is a major contributor to employment, technology and wealth creation in Europe and directly employs 520,000 people. More than 95% of the chemical companies are SMEs employing about 30% of the workforce. To maintain this position, the chemical industry is constantly seeking to increase yields and reduce production times. Microwaves operating with a frequency of 2.45GHz are able to drastically reduce chemical reactions from hours, under conventional heating, to just minutes and in addition produce more controlled reactions required to create eco-friendly green chemistry. Currently only a laboratory system exists for producing a few cc of chemicals. The project aims to develop a prototype chemical reactor using microwave chemistry, for the continuous production of bulk chemicals at commercial production rates (kg/hr). This will be achieved by combining, for the first time, both centrifugal technology and microwave sources having tuneable frequencies within the range 2GHz to 26GHz. The availability of a tuneable frequency will allow the microwave process to be optimised at all stages of its reaction to generate maximum product yield whilst reducing the time consuming chemical extraction procedures. In addition, sensors for measuring temperature, power and dielectric properties within the chemical reactor, will permit computer control of the process. It is proposed to use the new system to investigate the production of four important pharmaceuticals having a high commercial added value. Such experiments will create a wealth of new information, from which it may be possible to elucidate the mechanism of how microwave energy is able to substantially speed up these polar chemical reactions. By creating a microwave chemical reactor both the microwave and chemical sectors of industry will benefit by the consolidation of existing employment in the EC and create new jobs by gaining a technology lead over the competitors in the USA, Canada and Japan.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology environmental engineering waste management
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pharmacology and pharmacy pharmaceutical drugs
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering information engineering telecommunications radio technology microwave technology
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering electronic engineering sensors
- engineering and technology industrial biotechnology biomaterials biofuels
You need to log in or register to use this function
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
FP6-2003-SME-1
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Data not available
Coordinator
LIVERPOOL
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.