Abstract
Photochemistry using inexhaustible solar energy is an eco‐friendly way to produce fine chemicals outside the typical laboratory or chemical plant environment. However, variations in solar irradiation conditions and the need for an external energy source to power electronic components limits the accessibility of this approach. In this work, a chemical solar‐driven “mini‐plant” centred around a scaled‐up luminescent solar concentrator photomicroreactor (LSC‐PM) was built. To account for the variations in solar irradiance at ground level and passing clouds, a responsive control system was designed that rapidly adapts the flow rate of the reagents to the light received by the reaction channels. Supplying the plant with solar panels, integrated into the module by placing it behind the LSC to utilize the transmitted fraction of the solar irradiation, allowed this setup to be self‐sufficient and fully operational off‐grid. Such a system can shine in isolated environments and in a distributed manufacturing world, allowing to decentralize the production of fine chemicals.
Highlights
From Christopher Columbus to Neil Armstrong, humankind has always been drawn toward the exploration of new territories
The reactor is based on a 15 mL luminescent solar concentrator photomicroreactor (LSC-PM) (470 × 470 × 8 mm3) module
We describe the development of an off-grid, solarpowered, autonomous chemical mini-plant for producing fine chemicals under fluctuating solar light irradiation
Summary
From Christopher Columbus to Neil Armstrong, humankind has always been drawn toward the exploration of new territories. Our robots are reaching the border of Mars and will keep on extending further.[1] In those isolated and hostile lands, it becomes fundamental to have self-sustaining systems to provide energy, food and medicine. These systems must cope with environmental fluctuations and be energetically independent. As chemists and chemical engineers, we aim at contribu-. Noël Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Sustainable Process Engineering, Micro Flow Chemistry & Synthetic Methodology, Eindhoven University of Technology Het Kranenveld, Bldg 14 – Helix, 5600 MB Eindhoven (The Netherlands)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call