Preface

Evelina Colacino, Felipe García

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingForeword / PostscriptOtherpeer-review

4 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Mechanochemistry generally refers to the use of mechanical force to perform chemical reactions, instead of relying on traditional methods based on the combination of heat and the use of solvents. Mechanochemical approaches offers several advantages, including the ability to perform reactions under milder conditions, reduced waste production, and more precise control over reaction outcomes.

At industrial level, technologies that incorporate mechanochemistry into chemical manufacturing pro-cesses are expected to play a key role in reducing the environmental footprint of the chemical industry as well as help achieving both United Nations’ Sustainable Development goals (SGDs) and the European Green Deal objectives. For example, the use of mechanochemistry in pharmaceutical manufacturing has been shown to drastically reduce the amount of waste produced, while improving the quality and purity of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API). Similarly, mechanochemical methods have shown great promise in the production of energy storage materials, catalysts, and other products (fine chemicals, agrochemicals, etc.) that are critical for the current transition to a more sustainable economy.

This book focusing on mechanochemistry and other enabling technologies encapsulates the enthusiasm and motivation of a wide range of world leading experts to discover and adopt chemical manufacturing methods that are cleaner, safer, and more eco-friendly. The book, which is complemented by a brief historical introduction and a terminology and nomenclature section, is divided into four distinctive yet complementary parts.

The first part, “Mechanochemistry – A General Introduction”, includes an overview of mechano-chemistry with a focus on in-situ monitoring methodologies, followed by an insight on kinetics and thermodynamics, which discuss both computational and experimental approaches (Chapters 2 and 3). The part is accompanied by a discussion on life cycle analysis (Chapter 4) and current aspects of intellectual property (Chapter 5).

The introductory segment of the book is followed by a section covering "Solvent-Free Sustainable Technologies at Large Scale". This section discusses process intensification and scaling up using continuous mechanochemical methodologies (Chapter 6) and batch processes (Chapter 7), also including solvent-free acoustic synthesis and Resonant Acoustic Mixing (RAM) (Chapter 8).

The third section of the book, “Case Studies/Perspective”, focuses on mechanochemical technologies for the large-scale sustainable synthesis of APIs and biologically active compounds (Chapter 9), or the use of industrial eccentric vibratory mills on energy related materials (Chapter 10). This section is completed by a chapter on scalable solutions for continuous manufacturing on organic synthesis (Chapter 11).

To ensure the book provides a comprehensive coverage of the topic, it includes two final chapters that discuss other enabling technologies that use reduced or benign solvents. Chapter 12 focuses on flow chemistry at large scale, while Chapter 13 highlights sustainable industrial chemical manufacturing using water as a solvent.

Presenting a comprehensive overview of Mechanochemistry and Emerging Technologies for Sustainable Chemical Manufacturing is challenging, but creating a concise, engaging, and well-structured textbook is even more difficult. However, the assembled team, including both authors and editors, has devoted their efforts to addressing this challenge and producing a book that we hope will engage students, educators, enthusiasts, and experts alike.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationMechanochemistry and Emerging Technologies for Sustainable Chemical Manufacturing
EditorsEvelina Colacino, Felipe García
PublisherCRC Press
Pagesxi
Number of pages1
ISBN (Electronic)9781003178187
ISBN (Print)9780367775018
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 6 Jul 2023

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