What pops in your mind when you first hear the word, “CHEMICAL ENGINEERING”. Is it the big industries, huge boilers, heavy heat exchangers, and tall chimneys. Well, then you would be utterly surprised to know the number of workplaces where chemical engineers are actually employed.
Nuclear engineering is the branch of engineering concerned with the application of breaking down atomic nuclei or of combining atomic nuclei, or with the application of other sub-atomic processes based on the principles of nuclear physics. Nuclear engineering inturn has multiple branches like core design, reactor physics and radiation transport etc.It was born in the 20th century with the announcement in 1939 of the discovery of nuclear fission by the German chemists Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassmann. Nuclear engineers perform functions for various employers like architectural engineering firms, hospitals, defense programs etc.
Petroleum engineering is and will be needed for decades to come to provide the required energy for the world and help alleviate the challenges of climate change. Of course, petroleum engineering will evolve into energy transition as it has been changing since its inception in modern history with the Drake well in 1895, located in Pennsylvania. It is concerned with the activities related to the production of Hydrocarbons, which can be either crude oil or natural gas. Completions engineers, drilling engineers, production engineers, reservoir engineers are some examples of petroleum engineers. It can be studied at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.
The term synthesis refers to the chemical and physical means by which atoms and molecules are combined to form materials. Material Synthesis is the heart of the science of chemistry. It is the activity in which new materials are produced and in which new paths for the manufacture of materials are invented. It is the major source for the discovery of new chemical and physical phenomena in solids. Material Synthesis is a crucial component in the development of new technologies and in the improvement of existing technologies Materials synthesis and engineering drive innovation in both research and industry in everything from aerospace to medicine.
Materials processing is defined as the series of steps or “unit operations” used in the manufacture of raw materials into finished goods. The operations involve a succession of industrial processes with various mechanical or chemical procedures, usually produced in large quantities or batches. Chemical engineering methods are applied in order to modify the cellular structure or molecular properties of materials on a microscopic level.
Mechanical operations employ the use of specialized equipment in the transformation of solid matter.
These processes can be applied to a variety of materials and applications including:
● Electronic Materials.
● Nanomaterials.
● Pharmaceuticals.
Environmental engineering is the branch of engineering that is concerned with tackling the challenges posed by the changing environment. An environmental engineer tries to find solutions to problems that arise from water recycling, waste disposal, public health, and water and air pollution control. We know that climate-changing solutions are needed to tackle the problems that come with it. This field has become one of the most up-and-coming branches of science with great minds throughout the world searching for breakthroughs.
Current research in this field: a problem with the energy produced by renewable sources like wind or water is that it is very erratic and hence appliances may not be able to run at its optimum pace when connected to it. This is a pressing matter because in the future when fossil fuels inevitably run out it will become necessary to turn to renewable sources of energy as an alternative. This being the case it becomes all the more necessary that we find a solution to the given problem.
And cometh the hour cometh the man. Dr Csaba Janaky and his team seem to have found the solution to this problem. A CO2 electrolyzer has been designed by them with an arrangement that resists pressure fluctuations thereby making it possible to power this device through renewable energy sources.
Alternative energy: Alternative energy refers to energy sources other than fossil fuels such as wind geothermal heat, hydrogen gas or the sun. Fossil fuels being a non-renewable resource will soon exhaust themselves and as we enter an era of advancements in every field the want for energy will only rise. We must therefore take into consideration the future demand for energy and invest in alternative sources of energy. There is a huge demand for engineers in this field and many companies invest heavily.
Medical professionals have consistently urged the need to have precisely designed and manufactured biomedical parts for intensive medical procedures involving tissue replacement and for tissue-specific drug research. With the advent of 3d bioprinting as a revolution in biochemical engineering, this problem is sure to be solved. The procedure involves techniques much similar to 3d printing, using materials called "bioinks" for layer-wise deposition that can create organic, tissue-like structures. given the complexity of this technique, and the number of tissues needed for complete organ replacement, it has a long way to go, but with emerging biomedical companies like Organovo, Cyfuse Biomedical and Cellink, the future for 3d bioprinting looks bright.
One of the most commonly used methods for treating water used for sanitization in food processing industries is chlorination. While an effective process, chlorination has several drawbacks such as potential taste and odour, objections and reduced effectiveness in disinfecting hard water. Plasma-activated water treatment is hence emerging as a suitable alternative. Reactive chemical species are captured in either water or discrete, plasma-activated microdroplets and passed through a plasma jet. While the shorter-lived products are lost, the longer live reaction products get suspended in water and are used just like chemical sanitisers but with a chlorine-free composition, hence holding the potential to switch food industries from a conventional chlorine-based sanitisation process to a better alternative.