The ability to provide an ever-growing product spectrum at increasingly competitive prices requires suppliers of bulk or fine chemicals to maintain a technical edge over their competitors. ILS works together with clients in the both the Bulk- and Fine-Chemicals markets to design and construct custom R&D platforms, which are optimally-suited to the clients needs.

The recent dramatic increases in oil prices as well as ever-tightening environmental controls requires todays modern refiners to implement increasingly novel catalytic technologies in order to meet their clients demands. Gas-to-liquids technologies are needed to convert low-value gas resources to easily transportable liquid fuels, which can be sold as high-value additives for high-performance blends. Developing HDS catalysts capable of meeting new, more-stringent environmental regulations is forcing FCC suppliers to develop novel HDS catalysts capable of reaching ever lower sulfur concentrations.

A key step in the development of many pharmaceutically-active compounds requires the stereospecific hydrogenation of complex intermediates. ILS has worked with both small and large suppliers of fine chemicals to the pharmaceuticals market in order to develop novel reactors for efficiently performing asymmetric hydrogenation reactors with air- and moisture-senstive catalysts. Slightly larger, multireactor systems have also been develop, for clients interested in scale-up and process optimization studies.

Nanotechnology has rapidly become a well-known materials technology area, offering promising high-value added materials for a wide variety of sectors. ILS has developed a wealth of experience in combination with its partner company, Premex, which allow for the synthesis of nanomaterials via a variety of different pathways. In particular systems have been developed for both the semibatch- and continuous-synthesis of mixed-metal oxide compounds. An additional system has been designed, which allows for the synthesis of mixed-metal oxide compounds via a supercritical hydrothermal synthesis route.

Novel adsorption technologies are increasingly needed in a variety of markets. Often, such adsorbents must be capable of removing extremely low concentrations of trace components in gas and/or liquid feed streams. ILS has worked closely with the University of Brussels to develop a unique, high-throughput testing system capable of determining zeolite adsorbtion kinetics.

Increasingly stringent environmental regulations post a continuous challenge to suppliers of automotive exhaust catalysts and soot-particle removal systems. ILS has a wealth of experience in both areas. In particular, ILS has worked closely with Premex to develop a novel, internal-recycle reactor system, capable of performing kinetic studies on catalytic monoliths. This unique system allows for monoliths to be tested under truly ideal conditions, where temperature and concentration gradients can be neglected and kinetic studies can be performed.

ILS’ strategic partner, Premex, already has nearly 20 years of experience in designing novel reactors capable of performing reactions under supercritical conditions. ILS has worked closely with Premex and a number of clients to develop completely-automated batch and continuous units, capable of performing reactions in supercritical media.

ILS has worked closely with a number of universities and industrial clients to develop completely-automated miniature and bench-scale systems capable of performing polymer synthesis. These include both polyolefins synthesis as well as polycondensation reactions. The parallel system is capable of performing 24 to 96 synthesis with air- and moisture-sensitive catalysts. The slightly larger, bench-top systems, are capable of performing polymerizations under ideal conditions of temperature, pressure and mixing quality, when larger amounts of substance are required for subsequent characterization.