Chemical Engineering

Chemical engineering continues to play one of the most important roles in the maintenance and growth of our industrial economy. It serves as the foundation for the production of commodity chemicals, pharmaceuticals, polymers, and numerous other substances that play an important role in everyday life.

In contrast to chemistry, which focuses on original research involving the study of the properties and structure of matter, chemical engineering involves the application of basic physical science to solve problems in manufacturing. One of the roles played by chemical engineers is to design processes to maximize the efficiency of manufacturing operations. Each step in production is carefully planned and scrutinized for opportunities to reduce costs. For example, in many large scale reactions that require elevated temperature, engineers are able to reclaim and recycle the energy that might otherwise be lost to the environment as waste heat.

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