Diamines are important industrial chemicals. In this paper we outline the feasibility of lignocellulose as a source of diol-containing molecules. We also illustrate the possibility of turning these diols into their diamines in good to excellent yields. Central to these transformations is the use of commercially available Raney Ni. For diol formation, the Raney Ni engages in hydrogenation and often also demethoxylation, that way funneling multiple components to one single molecule. For diamine formation, Raney Ni catalyzes hydrogen-borrowing mediated diamination in the presence of NH.

Three-dimensional (3D) printing has already shown its high relevance for the fabrication of microfluidic devices in terms of precision manufacturing cycles and a wider range of materials. 3D-printable transparent fluoropolymers are highly sought after due to their high chemical and thermal resistance. Here, we present a simple one-step fabrication process via stereolithography of perfluoropolyether dimethacrylate. We demonstrate successfully printed microfluidic mixers with 800 µm circular channels for chemistry-on-chip applications. The printed chips show chemical, mechanical, and thermal resistance up to 200 °C, as well as high optical transparency. Aqueous and organic reactions are presented to demonstrate the wide potential of perfluoropolyether dimethacrylate for chemical synthesis.

An event-driven approach based on dynamic optimization and nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC) is investigated together with inline Raman spectroscopy for process monitoring and control. The benefits and challenges in polymerization and morphology monitoring are presented, and an overview of the used mechanistic models and the details of the dynamic optimization and NMPC approach to achieve the relevant process objectives are provided. Finally, the implementation of the approach is discussed, and results from experiments in lab and pilot-plant reactors are presented.

In marine diesel engine applications, selective catalytic reduction (SCR) upstream of the turbocharger may become the preferred technology when dealing with high sulfur fuels and low exhaust gas temperatures. The target nitrogen oxide reductions in combination with minimum ammonia slip and reduced gas diffusion rates under elevated pressures require understanding of the impact of catalyst geometry on the SCR kinetics. The extent, trends, and sources for this observation are elucidated in this work by systematic testing of catalysts with equal geometry and/or intrinsic activity.

The German "Energiewende" is heavily based on electric power and, therefore, requests solutions to serve non-electric energy uses and to store electric energy in large scale. Synthetic natural gas (SNG) produced with hydrogen from water electrolysis and with CO from mainly renewable sources is one approach. For the catalytic SNG production efficient removal and utilization of the reaction heat is the main issue. A metallic honeycomb-like carrier-based reactor proved in laboratory scale to match this challenge. This type of reactor shows good heat conductivity and enables optimized operation. In the EU-funded project Store&Go the honeycomb methanation is scaled up to MW-scale. For this, heat transfer and kinetic data were determined experimentally and used in CFD calculations for the reactor design. Finally a SNG plant with 1 MW feed-in will be built and fully integrated operation will be shown.