What is Chemical Engineering (ChemE)
Have you ever wondered how fossil fuel from the depths of the mother earth is refined so that it can be used for the benefits of mankind, how palm oil is milled and refined from the palm trees, how water and energy consumptions are reduced, recycled, reused to ensure sustainability, what is involved in the production of high-tech materials such as Teflon, or how one would construct a fuel cell? Have you ever thought about how all of these processes are so much more environment friendly than processes of 50 years ago? It is likely that chemical engineers have played a big role in the answers to these questions.
Chemical Engineering vs. Chemistry?
A typical misconception is the similarity between chemical engineering and chemistry. Chemical engineering is not chemistry – it is the bridge between applied chemistry and the real world outside the laboratory. Let put it this way – chemists study chemical reactions in lab-scale test tubes. Chemical engineers find a way to scale up those reactions in industrial chemical reactors, so that products can be manufactured by the truckload. Chemical engineers also find ways to make chemical reactions in a test tube work in industrial settings. To do so, they apply engineering principles to conceive, design, develop, and operate processes to produce products based on their understanding of chemical and physical phenomena.
What Chemical Engineers Do?
Chemical engineers use the basic principles of chemistry, mathematics, physics, biology and economics, combined with computer technology to design, develop, operate or/and troubleshoot processes that are used to manufacture the materials that are in the building blocks of almost everything around us. The job specification of chemical engineers is broad. However, they are very much acknowledged, valued and respected for their capability to solve practical problems or make useful products. We can find chemical engineers work in petrochemical, edible oil and food industries. In addition, they can also be found in consultancy firms and the academia.Nowadays, chemical engineers play an important role to ensure sustainability of our earth especially in the area of clean technology, energy and resource conservation, product and process design, optimal process operations, and minimizing environmental impact of human and industrial activities.
