An integrated system of a microreactor with a Taylor-Couette reactor for 2,2′-dibenzothiazole disulfide synthesis

An integrated microreaction system of a microreactor with a Taylor-Couette reactor (TCR) for continuous synthesis of 2,2'-dibenzothiazole disulfide has been developed, so as to improve the process efficiency and the stability with solid product generation compared with the current batch process. The homogeneous oxidation with hydrogen peroxide catalyzed by phosphotungstic acid was applied. In the microreaction system, two feedstocks can be rapidly mixed through the microreactor; stable particle flow ability and high conversion can be achieved through the TCR, due to the flow characteristics of high shear stress and limited back-mixing. Under the conditions of stable operation, the conversion can reach over 90%. The purity of the product is over 99%. The space-time yield can reach 160 g L-1 h(-1), which is much higher than that in the batch reactor. The microreaction system is stable for long-term running, which provides an effective design strategy for continuous flow processes with solid generation.