Processing Design and Intensification in Chemical Engineering

Topic Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Topic on "Processing Design and Intensification in Chemical Engineering" aims to highlight recent advancements and innovations in process design and intensification within the field of chemical engineering. As global demands for sustainability, resource efficiency, and environmental protection continue to grow, chemical engineering plays a pivotal role in addressing these challenges. This Topic invites original research articles, reviews, and technical notes focusing on novel process design, optimization of existing technologies, and technological innovations. Particular emphasis is placed on approaches that significantly enhance energy efficiency, reduce environmental impact, improve product performance, and promote circular resource utilization.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Advanced separation technologies and their integrated applications;
• New concepts and methodologies in reaction engineering;
• Practices in green chemistry and engineering;
• Process intensification techniques;
• Digital transformation and its application in chemical process design;
• Multi-scale modeling and simulation for understanding complex system behavior and optimizing process design.

We encourage interdisciplinary research and look forward to contributions that present cutting-edge findings, case studies, and critical reviews, with the aim of inspiring new ideas and advancing the frontiers of chemical engineering.

Dr. Yang Yuan
Dr. Wenyu Xiang
Dr. Haisheng Chen
Topic Editors

Keywords

Participating Journals

Journal Name	Impact Factor	CiteScore	Launched Year	First Decision (median)	APC
Applied Sciences applsci	2.5	5.5	2011	16 Days	CHF 2400	Submit
ChemEngineering ChemEngineering	3.4	4.9	2017	32.8 Days	CHF 1800	Submit
Molecules molecules	4.6	8.6	1996	15.1 Days	CHF 2700	Submit
Processes processes	2.8	5.5	2013	14.9 Days	CHF 2400	Submit
Reactions reactions	2.2	3.3	2020	18.8 Days	CHF 1200	Submit
Separations separations	2.7	4.5	2014	16 Days	CHF 2600	Submit

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26 pages, 2255 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Development of the VARICOL Process for the Resolution of Racemic Menthol

by Linhe Sun, Ying Yang and Jianguo Yu

Separations 2026, 13(3), 95; https://doi.org/10.3390/separations13030095 - 17 Mar 2026

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Abstract

This paper reports the chiral separation of menthol enantiomers using the VARICOL process to improve productivity. Amylose 3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate coated on silica gel was employed as the chiral stationary phase, and n-hexane/2-propanol (95/5, v/v) was used as the eluent. To design [...] Read more.

This paper reports the chiral separation of menthol enantiomers using the VARICOL process to improve productivity. Amylose 3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate coated on silica gel was employed as the chiral stationary phase, and n-hexane/2-propanol (95/5, v/v) was used as the eluent. To design and optimize the VARICOL process, a linear driving-force model was developed to predict the separation performance. Separation regions of the conventional simulated moving bed (SMB) and VARICOL processes were evaluated and compared. It was found that, under an outlet purity requirement of 95.0%, the five-column VARICOL process has a separation region comparable to that of the six-column conventional SMB process. As an illustrative example, a five-column VARICOL unit and a six-column conventional SMB unit, both operating under the same conditions, were employed to resolve the menthol racemate. Purities for both the extract and raffinate were above 95.0%, and a productivity of 0.400 g_racemate/(L_CSP∙min) and a solvent consumption of 0.355 L/g_racemate were achieved in the VARICOL process. Productivity increased by 20% while solvent consumption maintained relative to the conventional SMB process, though product purities decreased slightly. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Processing Design and Intensification in Chemical Engineering)

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26 pages, 3728 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Chiral Separation of Menthol Enantiomers by Simulated Moving Bed Chromatography: Mathematical Modeling and Experimental Study

by Linhe Sun, Ying Yang and Jianguo Yu

Separations 2026, 13(2), 67; https://doi.org/10.3390/separations13020067 - 14 Feb 2026

Viewed by 281

Abstract

l-menthol is one of the most popular flavors in the world. The separation of menthol enantiomers is crucial because of the unpleasant taste of d-menthol. This work presents the chiral separation of racemic menthol by simulated moving bed chromatography for the first time. [...] Read more.

l-menthol is one of the most popular flavors in the world. The separation of menthol enantiomers is crucial because of the unpleasant taste of d-menthol. This work presents the chiral separation of racemic menthol by simulated moving bed chromatography for the first time. Six preparative columns packed with amylose 3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate coated on silica gel were used for separation, and a mixture of n-hexane/isopropanol was selected as the mobile phase. The hydrodynamic properties of the SMB columns were studied to minimize the packing asymmetry in the SMB experiment. The binary adsorption isotherm of menthol enantiomers was measured by the adsorption–desorption method. Fixed-bed batch chromatography was carried out to evaluate the adsorption kinetic behavior. Mathematical models, considering the mass transfer resistance and axial dispersion, were applied to describe the dynamics of the chromatographic separation process. The SMB process for chiral separation of racemic menthol was designed by evaluating the separation region using simulations. Reasonable agreements were achieved between the predicted results and the experimental results. Purities for both the extract and raffinate were above 99.0%, and a productivity of 0.267 g_racemate/(L_CSP∙min) and a solvent consumption of 0.431 L/g_racemate were achieved. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Processing Design and Intensification in Chemical Engineering)

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