Technology scale up: process development from the laboratory to pilot scale connected to market (part 1)

In this article, it is described the main aspects to be considered during the process of scaling up hard sciences technologies developed in the Science and Technology Institutes aiming at industrial application. Based on the experience of our group in scaling up, pre-acceleration, and acceleration of different technologies, a methodology was developed and divided into four main stages: Step 1, which involves basic research, Step 2 with a focus on product development, and Step 3 with a focus on process development, all on the laboratory scale and the last one, Step 4 focused on pilot plant development. The most important aspect of this article is to show that many critical questions can be answered even in the laboratory phase. In this way, the risks of Step 4 are minimized. Step 4 is a complicated, lengthy, and expensive process of construction and operation of a pilot plant. Aspects such as proof of concept, technical and economic feasibility studies, minimum viable product, capital expenditures, and operating expenses of pilot plants are approached in a simplified way to serve as a basis for researchers who wants to know the long path to be followed by technology before reaching the industry, consequently the market.

Keywords:
scaling up; pilot plant; proof of concept