eprintid: 1364162
rev_number: 33
eprint_status: archive
userid: 608
dir: disk0/01/36/41/62
datestamp: 2012-09-26 18:59:54
lastmod: 2021-11-07 23:42:04
status_changed: 2012-09-26 18:59:54
type: article
metadata_visibility: show
item_issues_count: 0
creators_name: Coppens, M-O
title: A nature-inspired approach to reactor and catalysis engineering
ispublished: pub
divisions: UCL
divisions: B04
divisions: C05
divisions: F43
note: © 2012. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
abstract: Mechanisms used by biology to solve fundamental problems, such as those related to scalability, efficiency and robustness could guide the design of innovative solutions to similar challenges in chemical engineering. Complementing progress in bioinspired chemistry and materials science, we identify three methodologies as the backbone of nature-inspired reactor and catalysis engineering. First, biology often uses hierarchical networks to bridge scales and facilitate transport, leading to broadly scalable solutions that are robust, highly efficient, or both. Second, nano-confinement with carefully balanced forces at multiple scales creates structured environments with superior catalytic performance. Finally, nature employs dynamics to form synergistic and adaptable organizations from simple components. While common in nature, such mechanisms are only sporadically applied technologically in a purposeful manner. Nature-inspired chemical engineering shows great potential to innovate reactor and catalysis engineering, when using a fundamentally rooted approach, adapted to the specific context of chemical engineering processes, rather than mimicry. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
date: 2012-08
official_url: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.coche.2012.03.002
vfaculties: VENG
oa_status: green
full_text_type: other
primo: open
primo_central: open_green
verified: verified_manual
elements_source: Scopus
elements_id: 445026
doi: 10.1016/j.coche.2012.03.002
lyricists_name: Coppens, Marc-Olivier
lyricists_id: MCOPP36
full_text_status: public
publication: Current Opinion in Chemical Engineering
volume: 1
number: 3
pagerange: 281 - 289
citation:        Coppens, M-O;      (2012)    A nature-inspired approach to reactor and catalysis engineering.                   Current Opinion in Chemical Engineering , 1  (3)   281 - 289.    10.1016/j.coche.2012.03.002 <https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coche.2012.03.002>.       Green open access   
 
document_url: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1364162/1/Coppens_CurrOpChemEng12_Proofs.pdf