Cooperation makes Microreactor Technology Accessible to Fine-Chemistry and Pharmacy

The Dutch companies Micronit Microfluidics, FutureChemistry and Flowid have announced the start of a cooperation named Access2Flow. Together, the three companies will offer a new generation of microreactor systems that enable chemists to perform fluid reactions on an industrial scale.

Access2Flow will function as a so-called ‘one-stop shop’ for the fine-chemical and pharmaceutical industry by allowing synthesis reactions to be carried out in a continuous-flow system.

The glass microreactors of Access2Flow will enable chemists to produce fine-chemical and pharmaceutical compounds. Processes that have always been performed in small batches can now be turned into continuous processes. Furthermore, the continuous flow reactors can be scaled to include reaction volumes of tens of millimetres and even more.

Each of the three companies will bring their respective areas of expertise to the table. Micronit has years of experience in manufacturing glass microreactors. FutureChemistry has experience in testing, optimizing and implementing chemical processes in these microreactors. Furthermore, FutureChemistry develops and supplies automation equipment to control continuous flow reactors. Flowid has process technologists with the expertise to distribute microreactor systems on an industrial scale.

Research Director of FutureChemistry Pieter Nieuwland explains: “Testing new chemical reactions is often done in a traditional way: step by step. With the technology of Access2Flow, these reactions have become full-continuous processes that we can optimize with our software and translate to much larger reactors. Such continuous-flow processes go better and faster than traditional batch methods. The products and expertise of the three companies in this cooperation go together perfectly. Chemists gain time from two sides: in testing new reactions as well as in scaling up to production volumes.”