New Britest methodologies launched to address key business drivers 

Britest has launched three new methodologies to help organisations generate value from process understanding by addressing key business drivers.

A new Biocatalysis Assessment Methodology is used to assess the techno-economic feasibility of implementing a biocatalytic step in a chemical process. It can be used for conceptual studies to assess the feasibility of biocatalysis based on limited data through to supporting implementation of full-scale production processes. 

A new Driver Prompts Methodology is an enhanced feature to the Britest study approach.It is intended to ensure that higher-level drivers, such as various sustainability drivers, are actively considered when discussing technical process details during a Britest study. 

A new Catalytic Process Design Methodology aims to support whole process design where a catalyst is used. In these processes, the large number of potential variables can make early identification of the “best” process options very challenging. The structure of the methodology ensures that more innovative process solutions, for example those involving continuous processing or process intensification, are considered. Developed within the EU funded SYNFLOW project - in collaboration with a number of European Universities and industry - the methodology helps development teams assess all key material and process variables in a holistic fashion and prioritise selection of the lead process options. The methodology has three parts:

1. A high-level feasibility assessment. This is an initial triage to understand whether implementation of a biocatalytic process could provide sufficient benefit to justify further investigation.
2. Detailed option comparison. This provides a multi-parameter comparison of the proposed biocatalytic option with alternatives and can be used to guide development of the biocatalytic process.
3. Deciding on the mode of delivery of the biocatalyst. This uses a standard Britest approach.

All three methodologies are now available to members via the members' portal.