Flow microreactors can influence the very essence of chemical reactions, because of fast mixing as well as temperature and residence time control derived from their small size and flow nature.

Jun-ichi Yoshida, Heejin Kim and Aiichiro Nagaki, Kyoto University, Japan, provide a brief outline of characteristic features of flow microreactors that allow them contribute to green and sustainable chemical synthesis and production.
Contributions of flow microreactors include e.g., improving product selectivity and so giving less waste, avoiding energy-consuming cryogenic cooling, and protecting-group-free synthesis to improve atom and step economy. Microreactors also enable on-demand and on-site synthesis, which leads to less energy for transportation and easy recycling of substances.

Therefore, flow microreactors may play a major role in the environmentally benign synthesis and production of useful substances.

• Green and Sustainable Chemical Synthesis Using Flow Microreactors,
  Jun-ichi Yoshida, Heejin Kim, Aiichiro Nagaki,
  ChemSusChem 2010.
  DOI: 10.1002/cssc.201000271