History and Role of Chemical Engineering

An introduction to the history of chemical engineering and its evolution over time

By: Aaron Wheaton

Overview

Early history of chemical engineering Chemical engineering throughout the 20th

century Modern chemical engineering and its effects

on everyday life

Origins of Chemical Engineering

Began in the late 1800s

Influenced by developments in German and British industrial chemistry

Early chemical engineering had heavy ties to mechanical engineering

Arose out of a need to mass produce chemicals to feed the growing industrial revolution

William H. Walker

From Batches to Assembly Line

Before chemical engineering, chemicals were fabricated in a process known as “batch processing”

Batch processing involves mixing individual chemicals and “cooking” them until a correct purity is reached

This method was too slow and inefficient for the demands of the industrial revolution, so a switch to assembly lines was made possible by chemical engineering

Chemical Engineering Becomes Official

1888: MIT became the first university to establish a chemical engineering cirriculum

1901: George Davis wrote the 1000+ page “Handbook to Chemical Engineering,” which is still used today

1932: American Institute of Chemical Engineering (AIChE) is formed

Chemical Engineering Today

Chemical Engineers are instrumental in the design and maintenance of plants all over the world

The advent of computers and advances in computer science have simplified many processes that were once done by hand

Chemical Engineers are now making advances into genetic engineering and biotechnology

Role of Chemical Engineers Today

Managing optimal plant operations and chemical reactions

Designing plants and designating proper equipment and materials

Designing and managing processes for preparing reactants, products, unit operations, etc.

Managing transport phenomena like heat transfer, mass transfer, and fluid dynamics

Works Cited

http://web.mit.edu/cheme/about/history.html http://www.ecs.umass.edu/che/che110/

che_general_history.html http://www.halfen.com/t/25_10996.html http://www.chemheritage.org/discover/

chemistry-in-history/themes/chemical-engineering/little-walker-lewis.aspx