SCI和EI收录∣中国化工学会会刊

Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering ›› 2023, Vol. 53 ›› Issue (1): 332-345.DOI: 10.1016/j.cjche.2022.01.014

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Green microfluidics in microchemical engineering for carbon neutrality

Qingming Ma1, Jianhong Xu2   

  1. 1. School of Pharmacy, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266021, China;
    2. The State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
  • Received:2021-10-19 Revised:2022-01-04 Online:2023-04-08 Published:2023-01-28
  • Contact: Qingming Ma,E-mail:qma@qdu.edu.cn;Jianhong Xu,E-mail:xujianhong@tsinghua.edu.cn
  • Supported by:
    The authors would like to sincerely thank Prof. Tiantian Kong (School of Biomedical Engineering, Shenzhen University) and Prof. Zhou Liu (College of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University) for their kind help in this work. The authors gratefully acknowledge the supports of the National Science Foundation of China (22008130, 22025801), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2020M682124), the Qingdao Postdoctoral Researchers Applied Research Project Foundation (RZ2000001426) and the Scientific Research Foundation for Youth Scholars from Qingdao University (DC1900014265) for this work.

Green microfluidics in microchemical engineering for carbon neutrality

Qingming Ma1, Jianhong Xu2   

  1. 1. School of Pharmacy, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266021, China;
    2. The State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
  • 通讯作者: Qingming Ma,E-mail:qma@qdu.edu.cn;Jianhong Xu,E-mail:xujianhong@tsinghua.edu.cn
  • 基金资助:
    The authors would like to sincerely thank Prof. Tiantian Kong (School of Biomedical Engineering, Shenzhen University) and Prof. Zhou Liu (College of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University) for their kind help in this work. The authors gratefully acknowledge the supports of the National Science Foundation of China (22008130, 22025801), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2020M682124), the Qingdao Postdoctoral Researchers Applied Research Project Foundation (RZ2000001426) and the Scientific Research Foundation for Youth Scholars from Qingdao University (DC1900014265) for this work.

Abstract: The concept of “carbon neutrality” poses a huge challenge for chemical engineering and brings great opportunities for boosting the development of novel technologies to realize carbon offsetting and reduce carbon emissions. Developing high-efficient, low-cost, energy-efficient and eco-friendly microfluidic-based microchemical engineering is of great significance. Such kind of “green microfluidics” can reduce carbon emissions from the source of raw materials and facilitate controllable and intensified microchemical engineering processes, which represents the new power for the transformation and upgrading of chemical engineering industry. Here, a brief review of green microfluidics for achieving carbon neutral microchemical engineering is presented, with specific discussions about the characteristics and feasibility of applying green microfluidics in realizing carbon neutrality. Development of green microfluidic systems are categorized and reviewed, including the construction of microfluidic devices by bio-based substrate materials and by low carbon fabrication methods, and the use of more biocompatible and non-destructive fluidic systems such as aqueous two-phase systems (ATPSs). Moreover, low carbon applications benefit from green microfluidics are summarized, ranging from separation and purification of biomolecules, high-throughput screening of chemicals and drugs, rapid and cost-effective detections, to synthesis of fine chemicals and novel materials. Finally, challenges and perspectives for further advancing green microfluidics in microchemical engineering for carbon neutrality are proposed and discussed.

Key words: Microchemical engineering, Carbon neutrality, Microfluidics, Aqueous two-phase systems (ATPSs), Environment, Chemical processes

摘要: The concept of “carbon neutrality” poses a huge challenge for chemical engineering and brings great opportunities for boosting the development of novel technologies to realize carbon offsetting and reduce carbon emissions. Developing high-efficient, low-cost, energy-efficient and eco-friendly microfluidic-based microchemical engineering is of great significance. Such kind of “green microfluidics” can reduce carbon emissions from the source of raw materials and facilitate controllable and intensified microchemical engineering processes, which represents the new power for the transformation and upgrading of chemical engineering industry. Here, a brief review of green microfluidics for achieving carbon neutral microchemical engineering is presented, with specific discussions about the characteristics and feasibility of applying green microfluidics in realizing carbon neutrality. Development of green microfluidic systems are categorized and reviewed, including the construction of microfluidic devices by bio-based substrate materials and by low carbon fabrication methods, and the use of more biocompatible and non-destructive fluidic systems such as aqueous two-phase systems (ATPSs). Moreover, low carbon applications benefit from green microfluidics are summarized, ranging from separation and purification of biomolecules, high-throughput screening of chemicals and drugs, rapid and cost-effective detections, to synthesis of fine chemicals and novel materials. Finally, challenges and perspectives for further advancing green microfluidics in microchemical engineering for carbon neutrality are proposed and discussed.

关键词: Microchemical engineering, Carbon neutrality, Microfluidics, Aqueous two-phase systems (ATPSs), Environment, Chemical processes