MACBETH Project and Modelta's Creation
In the process industry, downstream processes are the steps with the highest consumption of energy and resources in industrial operations. Moreover, the integration of new processes often requires a large portion of the CAPEX and OPEX. To significantly enhance the competitiveness of the European process industry and to contribute to Europe’s goal of a clean and liveable environment, it is highly desired to have a very broadly applicable concept for an efficient integration of downstream operations in the overall process chain.
The MACBETH project provided a breakthrough technology by combining catalytic synthesis with the corresponding separation units in a single highly efficient membrane reactor. This technology could reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of large volume industrial process by up to 35% and increase resource and Energy efficiency by up to 70%. The MACBETH consortium combined the catalytic synthesis step with the highly efficient separation step via tailor-made membranes. The project consisted of 4 main pilot lines for highly relevant and large-scale processes, namely:
I – Hydroformylation (HYFO)
II – Hydrogen Production (H2)
III – Propane Dehydrogenation (PDH)
IV – Bio-catalytic Oil Cleavage (BOC)
MACBETH aimed to bring membrane reactor technology to the level of TRL 7 and build the basis to move forward for commercialization. To take a further step forward and to extend the know-how created within MACBETH towards industry, the idea of a spin-off was born in 2019. This company would aim to become a common platform of knowledge on membrane reactors, combining best-in-class knowledge and competences, breakthrough innovative technological solution at single building block, integrated reactor and overall downstream process level, for the benefit of strategic industrial market sectors in Europe.
In October 2022, the spin-off was officially registered as Modelta B.V. under Dutch law. Modelta has became a technical start-up company specialized in providing modelling services and consultancy around membranes and membrane reactor technology. This modelling and consultancy are provided using mathematical models, acquired through:
• 10+ years of expertise on membranes and novel multiphase reactor systems developed within the Inorganic Membranes and Membrane Reactors group (SIR) at TU Eindhoven and the Group of Energy COnversion Systems (GECOS) at Politecnico di Milano
• Breakthrough technological advancement on membrane reactors developed and validated for several chemical processes within MACBETH
In the next months, within MACBETH project, Modelta will contribute to the commercialisation of MACBETH’s
technological solutions as a commercial modelling tool.
For more information on the MACBETH project, go to www.macbeth-project.eu
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