It is also very important to use new equipment to separate impurities and improve product quality.

Modern production technologies for pesticide intermediates focus on integrating advanced methods and equipment to enhance efficiency, reduce environmental impact, and improve product quality. A key objective is to identify chemical reactions that are both cost-effective and environmentally friendly, while leveraging cutting-edge tools. For instance, replacing catalytic hydrogenation with iron powder or sulfuric alkali reduction can lead to shorter processes, higher yields, better quality, and less waste, which is particularly beneficial for aromatic nitro compounds. Additionally, phase-transfer catalysis can accelerate reaction rates, lower temperatures, and make previously difficult reactions feasible, while also influencing the selectivity of isomerization products.

Enzymes, as highly efficient biocatalysts, operate under mild conditions and can significantly boost reaction efficiency. For example, lipases or hydrolases can facilitate the hydrolysis of esters into amines, while oxidases can introduce functional groups such as hydroxyls into aromatic compounds at room temperature. Enzymatic systems can also separate stereoisomers, offering precise control over product structure and purity.

The German company Herschite was among the first to replace aromatic nitro groups with chlorine atoms. By using meta-dinitrobenzene in the presence of a catalyst under high-temperature conditions, they successfully produced meta-dichlorobenzene. The importance of new equipment in purifying products and enhancing quality cannot be overstated. For example, Jiangsu Chemical Pesticide Group Co., Ltd. improved the quality of m-phenoxybenzaldehyde from below 98% to over 99% by implementing advanced computer-controlled membrane separation technology, allowing full export instead of reliance on imports.

Continuous development of new processes and strengthening engineering research are essential in upgrading existing production methods for pesticide intermediates. This includes evaluating and replacing outdated techniques with more efficient ones, ensuring feasibility through thorough analysis. Even when raw material routes remain unchanged, introducing new catalysts or technologies in individual reaction steps can enhance product quality, increase yield, and reduce costs and waste—especially for general-purpose intermediates used in large-scale production. Improving mass transfer, heat exchange, and separation processes contributes to reduced material and energy consumption, further boosting overall efficiency. Whether developing new methods or refining existing ones, ongoing technical support and research from scientific institutions greatly enhance success and innovation in the field.