The Swiss Chemical Society (SCG; Bern; www.swiss-chem-soc.ch) has awarded the 2010 Sandmeyer Prize for industrial chemistry to a team of four from Lonza (Basel; www.lonzagroup.com). The groundbreaking work in the field of microreactors and continuous flow processes was recommended and strongly supported by an international panel of reviewers.
Microreactor technology is a new field in chemical engineering and organic chemistry that performs reactions in tiny channels to dramatically enhance the mixing and heat transfer. The members of the team are Dominique Roberge, Markus Eyholzer, Michael Gottsponer and Norbert Kockmann. The Sandmeyer Prize was awarded for the team’s key achievements in the design and manufacturing of microstructured devices, including various laboratory studies describing pharmaceutical reactions in microreactors and the successful transfer of processes to commercial production. Usually these challenging chemical reactions are hazardous or run with unstable intermediates, but thanks to the small internal volume of Lonza’s microreactor technology, they can be operated safely. Thus, the research fosters the development of new industrial pharmaceutical processes with low energy and material consumption leading to greener, more sustainable manufacturing.
“We are proud about Dominique, Markus, Michael, Norbert and all those who have supported them. The prestigious Sandmeyer Prize is a great recognition of the excellent work of our team and the huge expertise Lonza has built up in this new and exciting field of microreactor technology,” comments Stefan Borgas, CEO of Lonza. “Microreactors could revolutionize the way the industry produces chemical APIs [active pharmaceutical ingredients], and Lonza is at the forefront of this innovation. We will continue to develop this technology for the benefit of our customers, the industry and the environment.”
The Swiss Chemical Society awards annually the Sandmeyer Prize to a person or to a group for outstanding work in industrial or applied chemistry. The work must be completed in Switzerland or with the involvement of a Swiss national company.