Abstract

High-pressure technologies have a long history. As early as 1914, Percy W. Bridgeman was awarded the Nobel Prize for discovering that microorganisms can be deactivated when subjected to high pressure of 6000 bar. Only a few years later, Haber and Bosch were both awarded Nobel Prizes for their work on the ammonia process. Since then, many new applications have been developed ranging from the mere use of pressure for fluid transport or component production to diverse processes for product extraction, precipitation and production, and even extending to food technologies. Previously, high-pressure processes have always taken place hidden behind thick-walled containers, whereas nowadays the focus is increasingly on making the processes visible within the containers and to analyze them with optical measuring methods. The laser-optical analysis of the particle formation during the SAS-process or the Raman-spectroscopic analysis of the chemical reaction processes inside the crystallization containers, as well as the corresponding corrosive attack at 300 MPa and about 700 °C or the production of new materials by high-pressure crystallization, are only a few examples. Furthermore, liquid food is sterilized in large volumes in supercritical gases, new substances, increasingly with pharmaceutical relevance, are extracted with more and more selective methods, and pharmaceutically-usable formulations and morphologies are studied in supercritical precipitation processes. But even the mere use of pressurized energy has opened new doors. Accordingly, the hydrotransport of ore slurries over distances of many 100 km is a feasible method to circumvent road construction in difficult terrain or the commonly used rail technology – nowadays with more than 200 MPa – and helps to optimize the combustion process. Furthermore, the technology of water jet cutting is using increasingly higher pressures of up to 800 MPa, and by adding abrasives, cuts in the range of up to 100 mm depth are possible. The control of wear and tear in both of these processes presents a challenge to scientific research. Last but not least, high-pressure technology can play an important role in cancer research. As pressure-treated cancer cells can be traced by the human immune system, a treatment for cancer requiring the human body to aid itself is on the horizon. Research has shown that pulsating high pressure has a distinctly higher apoptotic effect on cells and at the same time a much better impact on cell inactivation, so that continuous high-pressure inactivating processes have become possible. Furthermore, a step away from batch processes and towards continuous processes remains an important goal. These examples show that high-pressure technology is still a fascinating field of research bearing many exciting issues and gaining fresh momentum when related to energy efficiency as a relevant topic. High pressure plays a key role regardless of whether hydrogen or an alternative method is being considered for energy storage. The European Working Group for High Pressure Process Technology as an international network dedicates itself to all these topics and has initiated and realized the Fifth International Symposium of High Pressure Process Technology in Belgrade. The working group consists of partners from academia and industry from about 20 countries. Besides the symposia, this group also organizes an annual intensive Lifelong Learning-summer-course over a fortnight, focusing on High Pressure Process Technology for around 60 students (30 ECTS – European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System). This special issue of Chemical Engineering & Technology comprises a selection of the papers presented and discussed during the Belgrade Symposium. Moreover, a wide range of additional topics was also presented and discussed regarding their scientific or industrial relevance. Professor Dr.-Ing. Eberhard Schlücker, Institute for Process Machinery and Systems Engineering and Chairman of the European Working Group for High Pressure Process Technology.

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