Chemtrix BV and Ajinomoto OmniChem NV are proud to announce their collaboration on a project in the area of flow chemistry. OmniChem, an innovative provider of small molecule API, contract development and manufacturing services, has successfully completed a commercial scale manufacturing campaign based on a multi-step continuous flow process. The adoption of continuous flow processing at OmniChem compliments other service offerings such as thin film evaporation, suites for highly potent API & sensitive chemistries, oligopeptide & oligonucleotide manufacturing, micronization and preparative HPLC.
OmniChem were faced with a request to scale-up a challenging multi-step process initially to 10’s kg and subsequently to multi-tonne’s per week. The process combined three highly exothermic steps, a thermolabile intermediate, a potent product (OEB-5 1 to 0.1 μg/m3) and gaseous by-products, posing significant safety concerns as the batch size increased. With experience of continuous flow processes at the lab-scale, OmniChem looked to develop a continuous process to increase process safety, reduce unit operations & increase throughput.
The Plantrix flow reactor from Chemtrix was selected to be at the heart of the multi-purpose, modular, automated (GAMP), flow system which was designed, constructed & HAZOP evaluated by OmniChem. Plantrix was chosen for the two most energetic steps (a reaction & neutralization, ~400 J/g) to provide the needed thermal control & chemical compatibility – replacing two slow batch additions (2 x 8 h).
The high heat exchange capacity of the Plantrix flow reactor allowed for a significant reduction in solvent, which shortened the post-reaction time & increased productivity. The flow system also limited exposure risk (OEB-5 material), as the process stream remains contained as it passes through the various reaction steps, allowing collection in a bunker where it is further converted in batch mode. OmniChem found the benefits associated with continuous manufacturing for this process, to include higher productivity (x2 compared to batch), reduced inventory and containment (OEB-5) as well as enhanced process robustness (due to automation).Through this development, OmniChem successfully implemented continuous flow technology at both the research & production-scale, delivering to their Customer the target material at a scale of 3 x 40 kg.
The collaboration was a great success for all parties. As Dr. Eric De Vos says: “We have been very eager to implement our continuous flow design & our Teams have gained significant knowledge around this platform which will facilitate changeovers & modifications for future Client programs. Adopting continuous flow technology is instrumental to OmniChem’s expansion strategy.
” Next Step, will be up-scaling (x25) to achieve multi-tonne per week production capabilities!
Contact: Danielle Raats, Chemtrix
d.raats@chemtrix.com
