CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

What is Chemical Engineering?

Chemical Engineering is a branch of engineering that specializes in designing, developing,
and optimizing processes for converting raw materials into valuable products. It combines
principles from chemistry, physics, mathematics, and biology to create efficient and
sustainable methods for producing chemicals, fuels, pharmaceuticals, and other materials.

Chemical Engineers handle various tasks such as process design, equipment selection,
process control, and safety analysis. They use their knowledge of chemical reactions,
thermodynamics, and transport phenomena to ensure that chemical processes are efficient,
safe, and environmentally friendly.

What is Chemical Technology?

Chemical Technology focuses on the practical aspects of chemical production and the
implementation of chemical processes on an industrial scale. It applies scientific and
engineering principles to develop and optimize manufacturing processes, ensuring that they
meet specific quality, safety, and cost requirements.

Chemical Technologists are responsible for operating and maintaining chemical plants,
monitoring process parameters, troubleshooting issues, and ensuring production targets are
met. They work closely with Chemical Engineers to translate theoretical concepts into
practical applications, playing a vital role in the successful execution of chemical processes.

What Is Chemistry?
Chemistry is the study of the atomic and molecular properties of substances. Chemists
research these properties and develop new products and substances. They also use chemistry
to test the attributes of existing products and other substances.

Key Differences between Chemical Engineering and Chemical Technology

Chemical Engineering and Chemical Technology share a foundation in chemistry and
chemical processes, but they differ in several key aspects:

Focus: Chemical Engineering focuses on designing and optimizing chemical processes, while
Chemical Technology emphasizes the practical implementation and operation of these
processes on an industrial scale.

Level of Detail: Chemical Engineering deals with fundamental principles and theoretical
aspects, while Chemical Technology focuses on applied aspects and practical considerations
in manufacturing chemicals.

Job Roles: Chemical Engineers are typically involved in research, process design, and project
management, while Chemical Technologists work in plant operations, production
supervision, and technical support.
Scope of Work: Chemical Engineers are involved in the entire lifecycle of a chemical
process, from concept to optimization. Chemical Technologists primarily focus on the
practical aspects of running chemical processes and ensuring their smooth operation.

Career Opportunities in Chemical Engineering

Chemical Engineering offers a wide range of career opportunities in various industries.
Graduates can find employment in pharmaceutical companies, petrochemical industry,
energy sector, food and beverage industry, environmental consulting firms, research
organizations, and government agencies.

Chemical Engineers can work as process engineers, project managers, research scientists,
environmental consultants, or quality control specialists. Their expertise is crucial in
developing sustainable and efficient chemical processes, improving product quality, and
ensuring safety in industrial settings.

Career Opportunities in Chemical Technology

Chemical Technology provides graduates with abundant career prospects in the chemical
manufacturing sector. They can work in chemical manufacturing plants, petrochemical
refineries, pharmaceutical production facilities, food processing industry, quality control
laboratories, and research and development centers.

Chemical Technologists can hold positions such as plant operators, production supervisors,
quality assurance technicians, process analysts, or technical support specialists. Their
practical knowledge and expertise enable them to contribute to the successful operation of
chemical processes and ensure compliance with industry standards.

Careers in Chemistry

Students who earn an undergraduate degree in chemistry can choose between many different
career paths. These include the following:

 Lab technicians perform tests and report on the results.

 Assistant chemists test and analyze products and substances.

 Process chemists conduct research and development and oversee lab management.

 Pharmaceutical chemists (entry-level) conduct pharmaceutical research and

development.

Students with advanced degrees in chemistry have even more career options. For example:

 Theoretical chemists use advanced computation models to investigate theoretical

models and methods.

 Analytical chemists study the composition of substances and develop new methods
of analysis.
  Inorganic chemists study metals, ceramics, superconductors, and other non-carbon-
based substances.

 Medicinal chemists research compounds that can be used to develop new

pharmaceuticals.

Industry Sectors That Employ Chemists

Chemists work in many different industries. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
(BLS), the largest employers of chemists are as follows:

 Chemical manufacturing. Chemical manufacturers include BASF, Dow, and

Formosa Plastics.

 Research and development in physical, engineering, and life sciences. Some

companies have internal R&D operations, whereas others hire outside firms, called
contract research organizations.

 Testing laboratories. Testing laboratories specialize in materials testing, minerals

testing, or blood or clinical testing.

 Waste management and remediation. Analytical chemists work for hazardous

waste remediation companies.

 Government. Federal, state, and local government agencies employ chemists to

identify the presence of hazardous and other substances in the environment.

Conclusion
In conclusion, Chemical Engineering and Chemical Technology are two distinct fields that
play vital roles in the chemical industry. While Chemical Engineering focuses on the design
and optimization of chemical processes, Chemical Technology emphasizes their practical
implementation and operation. Both fields offer rewarding career opportunities and require
specialized education and expertise. Understanding the differences between Chemical
Engineering and Chemical Technology is essential for individuals considering a career in the
chemical industry.

What is chemical engineering?

 Chemical Engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with the design and
operation of industrial chemical plants.
 A chemical or process plant is required to carry out transformation of raw materials
into the useful/desired products efficiently, economically and safely.
 Chemical Engineering is that branch of engineering which deals with the production
of bulk materials from basic raw materials in a most economical way by chemical
means.

Role of Chemical engineer:

  Chemical engineer is the one who develops, constructs, operates and controls any
physical and/or chemical or biochemical changing process.
 A chemical engineer plays a vital role in the production and processing of food, in the
manufacturing of fertilizers, insecticides, herbicides, plastics, synthetic fibres, pulp,
paper, etc.
 One is also engaged in the processing of petroleum crude, the production of synthetic
fuels and equipment to control the release of harmful substances to protect the
environment.
 Chemical engineers work in four main segments of the chemical process industries -
Research and Development, Design, Production and Sales.

Chemical Engineering Achievements

Another way of illustrating the vast influence of chemical engineering on our modern society
is to summarize a few of the historical achievements of this field.
Semiconductor Fabrication: Chemical engineers have played a key role in the flourishing of
the electronic and computer age. They have developed and refined semiconductor fabrication
processes to make smaller and more powerful semiconductor systems, leading to powerful
personal computers, cell phones, portable music players, and other “smart” electronic
devices.
Medicine: Because the body is essentially a chemical plant, chemical engineers have worked
hand in hand with physicians to develop medicines, replacement parts, and physiologic
support products. The resulting biomedical technology has led to improved clinical care,
high-tech diagnostic and therapeutic devices, new “wonder drugs,” and artificial organs.
Environmental Protection: Chemical engineers are seriously involved in environmental
technology to clean up existing problems and to prevent future pollution. Chemical engineers
have helped, to develop catalytic converters for cars, double-hosed gasoline pumps, and
modern jet engines, Scrubbers on smokestacks also help maintain air quality.
Crude Oil Processing: Chemical engineers discovered ways to use crude oil by breaking
down (“cracking”) long carbon molecules into smaller ethylenes, propylenes, and so on.
These advancements opened the way for the development of many of the petrochemical
products used today, including fuels, plastics, pharmaceuticals, and the like.
Plastics: During the awakening of the plastics age in the 1930s, chemical engineers helped to
develop nylon, polyvinylchloride, acrylics, polystyrene, polyethylene, and polypropylene,
followed more recently by aerospace plastics, composites, and laminates.
Synthetic Fibers: Beginning with the first extrusion of rayon fibers in 1910 and nylon in
1939, chemical engineers have helped to develop and manufacture many synthetic fibers,
from blankets, to clothing, to upholstery, to carpets, to very strong (even bulletproof) fabric.
Today, some eighty billion pounds of synthetic fibers are produced each year.
Synthetic Rubber: Chemical engineers helped to develop synthetic rubber (styrene-
butadiene rubber, or SBR) during World War II, when natural rubber was hard to obtain.
Today, approximately two-thirds of the 40 billion pounds of rubber produced annually is
synthetic, and SBR still accounts for half of all synthetic rubber produced. Synthetic rubber is
used in tires, gaskets and hoses, and in many consumer products, such as running shoes.
Gases from Air: Chemical engineers pioneered ways to process and use purified oxygen and
nitrogen. Air is separated into these gases through cryogenics (liquefying the gases at very
low temperatures). Nitrogen is used as an inert gas in many applications, while oxygen is
used in many industrial processes and in hospitals. Chemical engineers also developed
vacuum-insulated tank trucks for delivering liquefied gases.
Food: Chemical engineers have helped to produce fertilizers, like phosphates and urea, and
pesticides that protect crops. They are also at the forefront of efforts to improve food
processing technology, such as freeze-drying and microwave processing.
Separation and Use of Isotopes: Chemical engineers developed the processes that separate
isotopes from one another. Chemical engineers also played a major role in developing and
using isotopes from fission in nuclear medicine as advanced diagnostic and treatment
techniques. Radioisotopes are also useful in medical imaging and monitoring, biochemical
research, archaeological dating, and production of nuclear energy.
Antibiotics: Chemical engineers have developed ways to mass produce antibiotic drugs. For
example, with penicillin (discovered in 1929), research led to a thousand-fold increase in
yield through mutation and through development of methods for “brewing” penicillin in huge
tanks. These and similar developments have resulted in low-cost, widely available “wonder
drugs” including penicillin, streptomycin, erythromycin, and many more.

The History of Chemical Engineering

Chemical engineering is one of today’s broadest and most in-demand engineering disciplines.
Chemical engineers work in a variety of industries, including energy, mining, chemical
production, food production, and water treatment. Because of their diverse skillset and the
industries in which they work, chemical engineers are highly sought-after.
There is no set definition of what chemical engineering is because of how broad chemical
engineering is and the diversity of industries in which chemical engineers work. A good
definition might be “the union of chemistry, physics, biology, mathematics, and economics to
refine and add value to raw materials and to develop and optimise chemical processes, often
at an industrial level”. This definition captures the disciplines relied upon by chemical
engineers and the key functions of the discipline.
The chemical engineering discipline is less than 150 years old, yet still has a fascinating
history. From manufacturing dyes and perfumes in small batches to the largest chemical plant
in operation today, this discipline has evolved by leaps and bounds in a relatively short time.
Although the chemical engineering field owes its existence to Democritus, a Greek
philosopher who proposed the concept of the atom around 440 BC, this event technically
relates to chemistry. The proposal of an atom led to further developments in chemistry
throughout the ages, eventually culminating in the advent of industrial chemistry. Industrial
chemistry is where the story of chemical engineering truly begins.
Before the Industrial Revolution, industrial chemicals were produced via batch production,
limited by the amount of reagents used to produce them. The Industrial Revolution created a
serious demand for industrial chemicals and strained the limited resources produced by batch
production. Something needed to be done so that resource production could keep up with the
newly inflated demand.
The solution soon came, as society shifted away from batch towards continuous production,
such as can be done with an assembly line. This allowed for the production of more goods at
a much lower cost. Enough industrial chemicals could thus be produced to meet the needs of
a newly industrialized world. Large-scale manufacture was born.
Industrial chemistry was recognized as the production of valuable products from raw
materials via chemical and physical processes. Developing and controlling these processes,
however, was viewed as separate. This separate discipline eventually became known as
“chemical engineering”.
The chemical engineering industry was born in 1878 when George E. Davis, an Englishman,
visited numerous chemical works in his role as a chemical inspector. His visits allowed him
to identify the idea of unit operations, a core concept in chemical engineering in which a
chemical process can be further broken down into operations such as distillation or
crystallization. Because of this discovery, he is widely regarded as the father of chemical
engineering. He was also responsible for coining the term “chemical engineering”, using it to
describe an area of engineering that addressed the chemical industry’s problems.
Davis’ contributions to the discipline of chemical engineering do not stop there. Through his
consulting business, he became well versed in chemical engineering concepts. This led him to
found the Chemical Trade Journal in 1887 where he regularly published his ideas on
chemical engineering. The articles in the Journal, which were mainly on British chemical
industry operating practices, served as the basis for a famous series of 12 lectures at
Manchester Technical College in 1887.
Davis’ work in his consulting business and the contents of his lecture series became the basis
for his most famous publication: the Handbook of Chemical Engineering, published in 1901.
Among other things, this textbook introduced the concept of unit operations (although not
named as such until 1915 by Arthur D. Little) and was where he first used the term “chemical
engineering”.
Davis also tried to rename the Society of Chemical Industry, a London-based society for
chemists, as the Society of Chemical Engineers. That name quickly faded into obscurity as
members of the Society of Chemical Industry resisted the name change. However, Davis’
efforts weren’t for naught. It was recognized that an association for chemical engineers
should be formed. Today, the two most well-known are the American Institute of Chemical
Engineers and the Institution of Chemical Engineers.

Recognizing chemical engineering as a profession

Chemical engineering started to become a recognized profession when formal chemical
engineering education was developed. There were courses in industrial chemistry and other
areas of chemistry, but none which specifically tackled chemical engineering concepts.
The world’s first four-year curriculum in chemical engineering was developed in 1888 by
Lewis M. Norton, a chemistry professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was
inspired both by the advancement of the German chemical process industry and by Davis’
lecture series.
Norton died in 1893 having seen students graduate from his program. The first class had
seven graduates. Frank H. Thorpe took over the program and worked to refine it. In 1898,
he published the first chemical engineering textbook: Outlines of Industrial Chemistry.
While Davis is viewed as the father of the discipline of chemical engineering, Norton and
Thorpe can be considered to be the fathers of chemical engineering education.
The first publication dedicated to chemical engineering, The Chemical Engineer, came about
in 1903. This publication included articles on industrial chemistry and chemical engineering.
In 1908, the first association dedicated to chemical engineering, the American Institute of
Chemical Engineers was formed after members of the American Chemical Society
recognized the need for a separate association for chemical engineers. When the Institute was
formed, it had fewer than 1,000 members; today, it has more than 60,000 members.