Profile & expertise
Speichim Processing is a French company (Séché Environment Group) specialized for more than 50 years in the field of distillation. Speichim is a member of ESRG (European Solvent Recycler Group).
Speichim processing owns 3 plants in France and is working jointly with Valls Quimica (Valls/Tarragona/Spain) a sister company with the same activity in the group (total of 150 employees).
As a global key partner to the fine chemical, pharmaceutical, perfume, petrochemicals, agrochemical industries, we provide tailor made solution to purify synthesis intermediates and solvents.
Acting as subcontractor/Toller, Speichim Processing can handle purification projects by setting up process from laboratory scale, scaling up at pilot scale or managing the whole project at industrial scale into our facilities located in Europe.
According to the technical constraints of the products, dedicated, high security equipment provides reliable distillation processing under high vacuum (down to 2 mbar) of thermo-sensitive products as well as Short Path/Molecular Distillation (down to 0.01 mbar). This flexibility allows Speichim’s distillation facilities to meet the qualitative and productivity requirements of our customers.
Our know-how:
- Purification of crude reactional mixture under high vacuum up to 2 mbar
- Isomers separation
- Distillation of high melting point product (up to 120°C) and high boiling point (up to 300 °C under 2 mbar)
- Purification of thermo-sensitive product (falling film evaporator, high vacuum and molecular distillation)
- Logistics in drums/IBC/bulk and flakes.
A resolutely EHSS approach:
- ISO9001 and 14001 certified
- GMP(Good manufacturing practices) approach to satisfy high quality standards required by the pharmaceutical industry
- Safety management system
- SEVESO II High level management
Distillation facilities:
- R&D and analytical labs
- Pilot plant (scale up and processing of small quantities)
- 3 columns from 20 to 80 theoretical plates
- Short path pilot scale 10 kg/h
- Industrial plants
- 5 columns (20 to 60 theoretical plates / structured packing in SS 316L)
- 30 columns (20 to 50 theoretical plates / Trays in SS 316L)
- 2 liquid-liquid extraction columns
- Short Path (molecular distillation)
- We process approximately 50 000 T/year.
Role in the Project
After PMMA depolymerization, the filtered MMA obtained “rMMA” has to be purified to reach a monomer grade quality. Speichim Processing job is to purify the rMMA by eliminating impurities which could be problematic for worker’s health and for the end user applications (VOC, Odor …). The steps will be:
- Identifying impurities
All impurities will be identified by GC-MS and by standard GC method; this step is needed to define the adequate purifying process.
- Determining the adequate equipment and purifying steps and parameters
A theoretical study is driven (bibliography and/or Process Simulator “ProSim”) to define the theoretical number of plates, the reflux ratio to be applied on the different steps.
- Optimizing the purification parameters
The calculated parameters will be applied and optimized by driving laboratory trials and preparing samples for quality control
- Scaling up the future purification process
The optimized parameters are conformed through a final pilot trial.
- Preparing samples for final quality control
