On 21 July 2022, Chemical and Engineering news from the American Chemical Society, one of the world’s largest scientific organisations, highlighted the disruptive industrial potential of upscaling mechanochemistry in an article titled “Mechanochemists want to shake up industrial chemistry“.
The article provided insights on the current efforts toward upscaling mechanochemistry by members of the COST Action CA18112 Mechanochemistry for Sustainable Industry (MechSustInd).
MechSustInd aims to establish a multi-disciplinary network of European scientists, engineers, technologists, entrepreneurs, industrialists, and investors addressing the exploitation of mechanical activation in the production of chemicals through sustainable and economically convenient practices on the medium and large scales.
The research network, launched in 2019, includes 38 participating countries, and 87 academic and research institutions in Europe and across the world (Canada, China, Japan, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, USA).
The Action focuses on developing the field of mechanochemistry and mechanochemical techniques within the context of chemical, pharmaceutical industries, and process engineering.
The chemical industry is one of the largest manufacturing sectors in Europe, and a strategic enabling activity.
The chemical sector is undergoing rapid structural changes to meet the demand for innovation and competitiveness on the global level, thus maintaining the leadership in the development of Key Enabling Technologies in the attempt to provide strong solutions for societal challenges such as climate change, health, and nutrition. The MechSustInd network was formed to face these challenges, which are critical points in the EU agenda.
“The Action members have shown a deep commitment in implementing the Action objectives despite the limitations faced by the scientific community worldwide to access the laboratories during the pandemic. The Action has continuously worked to raise awareness of the importance of mechanochemistry and related technologies to foster the green transition, answering the needs of the EU Green Deal and the objectives of EU taxonomy. The Action also aims to catalyse the cooperation between industrial partners and academic researchers to facilitate the integration of mechanochemistry into chemical processes at both R&D phase and production scale.”
Dr Evelina Colacino, MechSustInd Action Chair
The features of mechanically activated (organic) transformations is expected to enable the attainment of far-reaching objectives connected with the development of a green economy, the improvement of European market competitors’ capabilities, the innovation of process engineering, and the growth of a new generation of specialised researchers.
Additional information
- View the Action webpage
- View the network website
- COST News Advances in Mechanochemistry
- Follow the Action on social media: Twitter @MechSustInd and Instagram @MechSustInd