It is with great pleasure to invite you to participate in the 22 nd International Symposium on Chemical Reaction Engineering (ISCRE 22) to be held in Maastricht , the Netherlands , from Sunday September 2 to Wednesday September 5, 2012. This symposium stands in a long tradition that dates back to 1957 when the first symposium was held in Amsterdam in the Netherlands . Since 1970, ISCRE went back and forth between Europe and the United States with a 2-year schedule. It was in 2002 that for the first time ISCRE was organized in the Asia-Pacific region.

Since its start more than 50 years ago, ISCRE continued to play an important role in the development of the fundamentals of the field of chemical reaction engineering. Over the years, other symposia, conferences and congresses covering sub-areas have split off, however ISCRE is still recognized as the main symposium in the field and attracts many participants from all over the world.

Traditionally, the field of chemical reaction engineering is very much application-oriented and plays a key role in many areas in society, most obviously in creating and securing a sustainable supply of energy, raw materials and feedstocks, and in improving the worldwide condition of human health and quality of life. It is for that reason that we have chosen as the symposium theme:

“Chemical Reaction Engineering: the key to resource sustainability, human health, and quality of life”.

Sustainability has been the main symposium theme of ISCRE 20 in 2008 in Kyoto , Japan , and it was one of the important themes of ISCRE 21 in 2010 in Philadelphia , USA , as well. Resource sustainability is also one of the three sub-themes of ISCRE 22 as energy, raw materials and feedstock resources will remain increasingly scarce in the next decades. Novel technologies need to be developed for utilizing a range of alternative materials with the associated new processes, for example for the production of chemicals from biomass feedstocks and for the use of renewable and clean energy sources for electricity production and transportation.

Next to “sustainability”, we have chosen “human health” and “quality of life” as the other symposium sub-themes. We are convinced that chemical reaction engineering can contribute significantly in the development of innovative systems in the field of controlled drug release, smart medical devices, diagnostics and analytics, and so on. Also our discipline plays a crucial role in improving air and water quality, emission reduction, development of new materials and new personal care products, and not to forget in improving safety and its impact on equipment and process design.

We will do our best to put together a very attractive and high-quality program with appealing plenary lectures, orals and poster presentations covering many different aspects of these exciting topics. We are confident that by doing so ISCRE 22 will be an attractive platform for the exchange of knowledge, information and new ideas. ISCRE used to be well-attended by representatives from many chemical companies and industries. By implementing special sessions for contributions from industry, we expect to be able to re-establish and continue that worthwhile tradition.

The venue of ISCRE 22 is Maastricht , the most southern and one of the oldest cities of the Netherlands . Maastricht is a true European city, with a clear European culture and style, and with a rich European tradition. Its streets are full of reminders of its rich history, dating back to the periods that it served as Roman post and as medieval fortified city. Maastricht is situated in the beautiful region of South Limburg, at the river Meuse . On Monday evening, we will make a boat trip on the river, and on Tuesday evening, we will enjoy the symposium diner in a beautiful, ancient underground limestone quarry in the South Limburg Hills. This will provide nice opportunities for relaxing and for networking and meeting old and new friends.

We are looking forward to welcome you in September 2012 to ISCRE 22 in Maastricht .

On behalf of the Organizing Committee,
Jaap Schouten – Chair ISCRE 22