Sustainable Eco-Friendly Scale-Up Synthesis of Polytartaric Acid Using Renewable Feedstocks

Abstract

Scaling up polymerization reactions presents significant challenges due to unpredictabilities in the entire process, requiring careful attention to both mass and heat transfer dynamics. This work reveals the scale-up of the self-catalyzed polyesterification of tartaric acid from 5 g to 500 g (a scale-up factor of 100) through a simplified method without using a catalyst or solvent. In this instance, key operating parameters-including reaction conditions such as temperature, duration, and chemical composition-are kept constant, thus standardizing the reaction conditions. A pilot plant designed to simulate potential industrial sizes has been established to optimize the implementation of larger scales. The primary focus of the scale-up process is maintaining a consistent heat removal capacity across different reactor sizes. Additionally, the impact of upscaling on the polymer structure is analysed using solid-state 13 C-NMR and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), which provide measurable criteria for the success of the procedure. Finally, this paper examines the changes in the thermal conductivity properties of polytartaric acid resulting from the polymerisation scale-up process.