In 2003, Lonza decided to enter the microreactor market and initiated a technology project for the production of fine chemicals. The program resulted in the realization of our in-house designed microreactors (patent pending) on different scales. The novelty of the technology is that a large range of flow rates can be covered from few milliliters/min up to several hundred milliliters/min. As opposed to the current devices on the market, the Lonza system does not require external/internal parallelization for high flow applications. Thus, the Lonza microreactor is able to produce even multi-ton large-scale quantities with the same device.
“We are pleased to offer our microreactor technology to our pharmaceutical partners. The Lonza microcreactor offers state-of-the-art technology and assures quality robustness, easy cleaning and change-over procedures in a GMP environment. The Lonza reactor is capable of producing three tons of isolated materials within a campaign of a few weeks”, comments Uwe H. Böhlke, Head of Lonza Exclusive Synthesis.
Microreactor technology utilizes continuous flow processes based on plug flow reactors. It requires minimal reagent volumes while offering rapid dynamic responses and robustness. The systems allow excellent temperature control and efficient mixing procedures. MRT furthermore delivers the following advantages: new chemical routes, reduced solvent usage, higher yields than conventional batch process and reduced change-over time.
For more information on the Lonza microreactor technology please contact microreactor@lonza.com.
About Lonza
Lonza is one of the world's leading suppliers to the pharmaceutical, healthcare and life science industries. Its products and services span its customers’ needs from research to final product manufacture. Lonza is the global leader in the production and support of active pharmaceutical ingredients both chemically as well as biotechnologically. Biopharmaceuticals are one of the key growth drivers of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Lonza has strong capabilities in large and small molecules, peptides, amino acids and niche bioproducts which play an important role in the development of novel medicines and healthcare products. Lonza is a leader in cell- based research, endotoxin detection and cell therapy manufacturing. Lonza is also a leading provider of value chemical and biotech ingredients to the nutrition, hygiene, preservation, agro and personal care markets.
Lonza is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland and is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange. In 2008, Lonza had sales of CHF 2.937 billion. Further information can be found at www.lonza.com.
