What Is A Chemical Engineer?

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Chemical engineering is an important profession, but most chemical engineers hate going to dinner parties, because answering the question "So what is it you actually do?" is so complicated.  When someone hears the words "chemical engineer" they invariably either think "mad scientist" or "glorified plumber", but the truth is far more complex.  The work that chemical engineers
do is not obscure academic research; it's important work that's applicable in the real world right now.
Chemical engineers are the lifeblood of industry.  They solve problems and provide materials for everything from the construction industry to farmers and pharmaceutical companies.  Without the skills of chemical engineers, large scale manufacturing of fertilizers would not be possible, and life-saving medical devices would be far more expensive than they are today.  Almost every product you see in the supermarket was made possible by advances in chemical engineering.


What do Chemical Engineers Make

Chemical engineers are involved in the production of almost everything that you consume on a day-to-day basis.  They design systems to purify drinking water, then produce ammonia which can be used to make fertilizers, they help with the manufacturing of chips for your computers, and they come up with the formulas for the detergents you use in your home.  They're even responsible for many of the "space age" fabrics and materials used in modern clothing.
Synthetic fibres, plastics, drugs, and even synthetic rubber are all recent triumphs of chemical engineering.  However, engineers don't just make things, they also work on processing, breaking down, and recycling things.  The problems of pollution and waste reduction are on everyone's minds at the moment, and chemical engineers are no exception here.  The power of chemistry is being harnessed to find ways to break down oil spills, and "scrub" gas in order to reduce pollution from burning certain fuels.

Becoming a Chemical Engineer

Chemical engineers need a sound background in science and mathematics.  Naturally, a good understanding of chemistry is useful, but if you want to study chemical engineering at University you should also aim to have a sound understanding of biology, mathematics, and physics.
Many university students combine their chemical engineering courses with computing courses, or courses in environmental engineering.  This gives them a solid foundation to explore other fields, such as large scale manufacturing, biochemical engineering, or environmental engineering.

What Does The Future hold?

Chemical engineering is a relatively young field, and as such discoveries are being made at a rapid pace. Engineers focus on finding ways to turn raw materials into useful end products, and then try to find ways to make the process that they have discovered as efficient, inexpensive, and safe as possible.  They use their knowledge of chemistry (and, to an extent, biological processes) to do this.
While Moore's Law may be taking effect in the world of computing, chemical engineers have barely scratched the surface of what they can do.  This is an exciting field, and one that is well worth exploring.

This article was written by Amy Fowler on behalf of Tennant Rubber. Take a look at their site by clicking here.