(Bio)Chemical engineering: the
cornerstone of human
development
Prof. Patricia Luis Alconero
Solvay Chair
Université catolique de Louvain
Index
What is Chemical Engineering?
A little bit of history…
The role of a Chemical Engineer
Achievements and Challenges in three
sectors:
o Energy
o Water
o Food
What is Chemical Engineering?
Imagine a world where…
Penicillin and other antibiotics are more expensive
than the most precious gems;
Natural fertilizers become increasingly scarce,
and pests devastate what little crops can be
grown;
Your automobile weighs 3 tons because of the
absence of today's lightweight alloys and highstrength polymers;
Cities choked with smog and soot from millions of
residential coal furnaces and millions of
automobiles without emission controls.
What is Chemical Engineering?
Advances in the laboratory
do not automatically
translate to the production
or manufacturing facilities
Understanding the process of
making a material is different
from understanding the
properties of the material itself
The link between the lab and
the plant is Chemical
Engineering!
Analysis, design and optimization of the different
unit operations (reactors, purification units, etc).
Particular attention is given to safety,
environmental and energy related aspect.
A little bit of history…
Political revolution of 1848 that began in France and swept across the
Rhine into Germany
Immediate improvement of work conditions in the industrialized
European countries.
Industrial workers demanded shorter work weeks, higher pay, and
safe(r) working conditions.
These demands led to a need to revise acceptable industrial processes
with an emphasis, albeit primitive, on safer and more efficient
production methods.
Latter half of the 19th century
Chemists were discovering, synthesizing, and otherwise stumbling upon
new compounds that were difficult enough to make in milligram
quantities.
A little bit of history…
The first steps were taken to formalize an education in "chemical
engineering“ in United Kingdom (George E. Davis -> Unit operations)
MIT (USA) is considered to be the first university in the world to offer
a four-year curriculum in chemical engineering (1888);
As a separate department at MIT, Chemical Engineering did not
become independent until 1920.
It was not until 1924 that the first Ph.D. degrees in chemical
engineering were awarded, at MIT.
The role of a Chemical Engineer
What do chemical engineers do with their degrees?
What jobs are open to chemical engineers?
< 1980: a person with a chemical engineering degree would go to
work in the petroleum, chemical, or food processing industries.
> 1980: more professional doors have been opened to chemical
engineers, including biochemical and biomedical sciences, polymer
science, microelectronics fabrication, environmental engineering,
meteorology, and microbiology.
The role of a Chemical Engineer
Today:
diversity of disciplines
Size: Angstroms (10-10 m)
diversity of scale
Kilometers
Time: picoseconds (10-12 seconds)
years (104 seconds)
Chemical engineering is at the core of huge societal challenges:
Climate change
Depletion of fossil fuels and other natural resources
Water scarcity
Sustainability of human activities / industry
Growing population, poverty, …
The role of a Chemical Engineer
Belgium is the n°1 chemical country in the world on a per capita
basis
Essenscia report, 2013.
The role of a Chemical Engineer
13 of the top 20 chemical companies have production sites in
Belgium
Essenscia report, 2013.
The role of a Chemical Engineer
First class availability of raw materials thanks to:
3 Major seaports
Central location in the Western
European pipeline network
Essenscia report, 2013.
The role of a Chemical Engineer
FOOD
ENERGY
WATER
Achievements and Challenges in… ENERGY
Achievements
Chemical engineers have been at the forefront of innovation in the
generation of energy.
Traditional refining
GASOLINE, DIESEL, JET FUEL,
CRUDE OIL
KEROSENE, LUBRICATION OILS, ETC.
Synthetic liquid fuels
COAL AND OIL SHALE
FUELS
Biofuels
RENEWABLE BIOMATERIALS
AND TRANSPORTATION FUELS
Electricity from coal
COAL
ELECTRICITY
(gasification instead of combustion)
SYNTHETIC LIQUID
ELECTRICITY
Achievements and Challenges in… ENERGY
Challenges
Use of hydrogen as fuel
Use of solar and wind energy
Use of nuclear energy
Reducing greenhouse gases
Achievements and Challenges in… ENERGY
Challenges
Chemical engineers are at the forefront of efforts to develop and
commercialize cost-effective strategies to control and counteract the
emissions of greenhouse gases:
Advanced combustion systems that reduce the formation of CO2 and
other combustion-related GHGs;
Pollution-control systems engineered to capture CO2 emissions; and
Use of cleaner-burning alternative energy sources, such as biomassderived fuels and solar- and wind-generated power.
Development of mechanisms for sequestering CO2 emissions
underground to prevent their accumulation in the atmosphere.
Achievements and Challenges in… ENERGY
Challenges
Absorption using amines for CO2 capture
Achievements and Challenges in… ENERGY
Challenges
Absorption using amines for CO2 capture
Environmental concerns:
• Solvent losses during the process.
• Large amount of heat that is required to regenerate
the solvent.
• Critical
operating
limitations
exist
(emulsions,
foaming, unloading and flooding).
• Amines are very toxic compounds.
Alternatives under research: Membrane technology
Achievements and Challenges in… WATER
Achievements and Challenges in… WATER
There is a tiny 3rd
bubble hovering over
Georgia, USA. That is
the size of a ball of
water with all the
freshwater in lakes and
rivers, yet the water in
that bubble has the
huge responsibility of
serving most of humans'
and
animals'
water
needs.
Achievements and Challenges in… WATER
But we need a lot of water to
produce food…
Achievements and Challenges in… WATER
WASTE WATER
Waste
water
Primary
treatment
POTABLE WATER
Secondary
treatment
Tertiary
treatment
Potable
water
Screens and sieves; Grit basins; Grease traps; Sedimentation;
Coagulation-Flocculation; Flotation
Achievements and Challenges in… WATER
WASTE WATER
Waste
water
Primary
treatment
POTABLE WATER
Secondary
treatment
Biological treatment
Tertiary
treatment
Potable
water
Achievements and Challenges in… WATER
WASTE WATER
Waste
water
Primary
treatment
POTABLE WATER
Secondary
treatment
Tertiary
treatment
Potable
water
Sand filtration; Application of pressure driven membranes;
Electrodialysis in wastewater treatment; Membrane bioreactor
(MBR); Disinfection; Reuse of wastewater
Location of Namibia and its most important rivers: the
Kuene river (1), the Oranje river (2), the Caprivi strip and
Zambezi river (3) and the capital Windhoek (4)
Achievements and Challenges in… WATER
Challenges
Potable water for everybody!
Conservation of
water bodies!
Societal acceptance of
alternatives!
Achievements and Challenges in… FOOD
Achievements
We expect our foods to be ready to eat or easy to prepare.
For much of this bounty we can credit chemical engineers. Their
contributions include:
The discovery of fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides that
protect and enhance fruit and vegetable growth;
Innovations in food processing and packaging that help improve
taste, appearance, and nutritional value while increasing safety,
convenience, and shelf life; and
New sterilization techniques that protect food against spoilage
and people against food-borne illnesses.
Achievements and Challenges in… FOOD
Achievements
Example: The role of membrane technology in dairy industry
Achievements and Challenges in… FOOD
Achievements
Example: The role of membrane technology in dairy industry
Achievements and Challenges in… FOOD
Challenges
More advanced
techniques for purifying,
sterilizing, and modifying
the ingredients in the
foods we eat!
Food for everybody!
Final remarks
Chemical engineering
is one of the main
pillars of human
development since it
is key in
ENERGY, WATER and
FOOD tecnology.
Final remarks
VERY CLOSE
RELATIONSHIP INTERRELATED!!!
Thank you for your attention
Merci de votre attention
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