Flow Chemistry Asia 2026 Agenda

Welcome and Introduction by Conference Co-Chairperson
Guangsheng Luo, Professor, Tsinghua University, China

Welcome and Introduction by Conference Co-Chairperson
Paul Watts, Distinguished Professor and Research Chair, Nelson Mandela University, South Africa

Scaling Mechanochemistry via Continuous Bead Milling Technology
C. Oliver Kappe, Professor and Scientific Director, Center for Continuous Flow Synthesis and Processing, University of Graz, Austria

Mechanochemistry offers significant potential to improve the efficiency, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness of pharmaceutical manufacturing. However, many mechanochemical approaches remain at relatively low technology readiness levels and lack the chemical intensity required for industrial implementation. In this lecture we examine a technology referred to as bead milling as promising method to scale mechanochemistry from lab to production scale. In addition to presenting several recent literature examples, a recent case study from our labs will be highlighted where an amidation reaction was scaled from gram scale using ball milling equipment to multikilogram scale employing commercially available bead mills of different sizes/volumes.

Plant Extraction for Health Nutrition using Flow Chemistry in “Plants for Space (P4S)”
Volker Hessel, Professor,, Adelaide University, Australia

Space exploration is not only about spacecraft, energy, and habitats. Humans must have all what they need for survival and, moreover, feel well in space during their voyages, when facing the extreme conditions. Space food through grown plants for space is most crucial for human space exploration.

The ARC Centre of Excellence Plants for Space (P4S) reprograms and fortifies plants to act as ‘biomanufactories’, producing medicines and health supplements. Those can be extracted from the plants by means of solvent extraction, using continuous-flow chemistry as frontier approach. This is assisted by plasma treatment of the biomass, to break cell walls in order to facilitate access to their internal value materials. Health nutrient examples, bio-resourced through solvent extraction, are quercetin, beta carotene, and p-phycocyanin. This solvent extraction is one step within a designed circular plant growth in space, for which the other steps will be presented as well. The health nutrients are formulated to liquid space medicines (nanoemulsions, nanoemulgel) by means of flow chemistry, and their stability under microgravity has been investigated (simulations, cosmic-ray exposure on Earth, sounding rocket flight, ISS experiment). A life cycle assessment (LCA) study has been conducted to decipher the environmental impact of plants grown for space (vertical/indoor farming) and the subsequent health nutrient solvent extraction. As an outlook, new kinds of space foods (cheese, snack, steak) will be presented.

Introduction to Afternoon Session: Emerging Topics in Flow Chemistry 2026 -- Chaired by Professor Volker Hessel, Professor, Adelaide University, Australia
Volker Hessel, Professor,, Adelaide University, Australia