A microreactor based on sinter-locked microfibrous media with open porous structure for nitration of benzene

A microreactor with an integrated heat-exchanger was developed for strongly exothermic liquid?liquid reactions based on a novel metallic microfibrous structure. This microreactor was studied for benzene nitration. This new approach facilitates mass and heat transfer by taking the beneficial properties in terms of large void volume, three-dimensional micron-grade pore structure, and large surface area/volume ratio. Benzene nitration could proceed completely in this microreactor with high selectivity at a short residence time. The selectivity of 99.4% for nitrobenzene was achieved with a benzene conversion of 91.7% at a residence time of 30 sec and 60°C. A higher reaction temperature and longer contact time favored benzene conversion. The microfibrous network resulted in small scale segmentation and the fast mixing of the fluids and allowed for rapid removal of the reaction heat from the reaction region, thereby avoiding local hotspots.