The development of innovative chemical processes that not only increase efficiency but could also revolutionize sustainability in chemistry has been the focus of Professor Lars Borchardt’s research group at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, for many years. The “Mechanochem” project aims to better understand chemical reactions without solvents and without heating and to set new standards in research. Lars Borchardt is being funded by the European Research Council ERC for five years with 2 million euros.

The chemical industry is one of the largest polluters and is responsible for very high levels of energy consumption. Two of the main drivers of this problem are the use of large quantities of solvents and the high energy requirement for heating in chemical reactions. “Mechanochemistry takes a radical approach,” explains Lars Borchardt: “It harnesses mechanical energy to trigger chemical reactions without any solvents or heating.”

At the heart of mechanochemistry are so-called ball mills – comparatively simple devices in which milling balls collide with each other. These mechanical impacts initiate chemical reactions – without any solvents or additional energy supply through heating. “Mechanochemical processes have the potential to drastically reduce the environmental impact of the chemical industry,” explains Lars Borchardt. “What’s more, they often also enable chemical reactions that wouldn’t be possible under normal conditions. As a result, this approach is not only sustainable, but also a fascinating area of science.”

Despite the successes that have already been made in mechanochemistry – in particular the transfer of numerous classic reactions to the solvent-free environment of milling balls – many unanswered questions remain. Why and how mechanical energy enables chemical reactions is not yet fully understood. The Bochum-based research group will now explore these fundamental aspects using the funding from the ERC grant.

The project operates at the interface of different chemical disciplines, including inorganic, organic, polymer and physical chemistry. The team will study in detail the impact of mechanical collisions on chemical processes at the microscopic and mesoscopic level and the role of temperature and mixing. Ultimately, the researchers aim to create a roadmap of mechanochemistry that shows which reactions are feasible in mechanochemical reactions and under which conditions they take place.

The research results could have far-reaching consequences – not only for academic research, but also for industrial applications. “A world where chemical processes can be carried out with significantly less solvent and without additional heating is not a distant dream, but an achievable goal,” says Lars Borchardt. “This project is an important step in that direction.” The ERC grant is one of the most prestigious and competitive research funding programs in Europe. “For me and my team, this award is not only a recognition of our previous work, but also an opportunity to take mechanochemistry to the next level,” says Lars Borchardt.

Lars Borchardt studied chemistry at TU Dresden, where he received his PhD in 2013. He was then a postdoctoral fellow at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, and from 2015 he led a junior research group of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research at TU Dresden. Since 2019, he has been a professor at Ruhr University Bochum.