Mechanochemistry in Europe: where we come from and where we are now

Mechanochemistry is several thousand years old, but it has been overlooked in favour of solution-based chemistry for long time and its methods have only recently emerged as a key technology for advancing green and sustainable chemistry, offering a solvent-free (or low-solvent) alternative to traditional chemical processes. Successfully used in metallurgical industry, mechanical alloying paved the way to the use of mechanochemistry in other industrial sectors ( e.g., for waste treatment and soil decontamination), with potential applications also for preparing pharmaceuticals, transforming biomass, recycling and degrading polymers, just to cite some. Overall, it seems to provide an interesting pathway to decarbonizing the chemical industry. Several initiatives have subsequently blossomed under the combined efforts of scientists belonging to the International Mechanochemical Association (IMA): the approval of the COST Action CA18112 MechSustInd and the consequent building of collaborative networks favoured the funding of the EU Horizon IMPACTIVE project, the establishment of the EuChemS Working Party on Mechanochemistry, the organization of the Round Robin project on mechanochemical transformations and the approval of the IUPAC project on terminology and symbolisms. All these initiatives are actively promoting mechanochemistry by addressing challenges in the field and fostering collaboration across academia and with industry. These initiatives place Europe at the forefront of mechanochemical innovation, pushing forward environmentally friendly chemical processes while fostering the development of standardised terminology and industrial applications.