Who doesn’t know about the importance of energy and energy related products in this century? We are practically numb with energy!
Chemical engineering is considered as a remarkable profession. Scientists are able to upscale the smallest of discovering into products which needs to be manufactured in mass scale industry! Given below are few inventions of chemical engineering with not only had brilliant technologies behind them, but also has saved human race time and again.
1. Dosed Medications
Dosed medicines in form of tablets, pills and capsules are no new thing in this world. These were invented from Roman times and have only transformed to be better with each single day.
Though the mass production of these dosed medicines have only started from twentieth century for improving health and combating diseases.
The production of these precisely dosed medicines has been a boon to human civilization bestowed by chemical engineering. Chemical engineers follow all principles to ensure correct amount of medication in each tablet, capsule or pill and also ensures that they are well mixed! There are many specifications, such as some medications must be granulated before compression while other tablets include various lubricants and binders. They also has to be packaged properly, say in blister packs, and other medical equipment such as syringes need to be manufactured.
2. Life saving vaccines!
Who have not heard about the discovery and importance of vaccines since the days of Edward Jenner?
Vaccines contained weakened or dead microbes which are prepared biologically, and collected from serums of animals, usually horses, and then introducing in human beings to immunize them from certain life threatening diseases. Diseases such as rubella, small pox, measles, mumps, hepatitis, diphtheria, polio has vaccines invented.
The challenge is in mass production of vaccines which will be able to save lives of millions of people. Production of vaccines requires few complete stages and several steps. Usually bioreactors are employed to culture bacteria, and certain chemical engineering techniques like ultra filtration and column chromatography are used to separate microbes and useful genetic components from the waste.
The role of chemical engineers is to turn new challenges into solutions and save lives.
3. Generation of electricity from non-fossil sources!
Electricity had always been generated from fossil fuels until recently. With the improvement in science and technology, engineers with ultra hard work have invented techniques to generate electricity from renewable energy from wind, nuclear, solar, bio-fuels, biomass and hydropower! Many nations have implemented several projects which are targeted to produce electricity from renewable sources.
Chemical engineers have always been right at the centre of this revolution as they have planned cooling systems for nuclear reactors, put forward production ways of photovoltaic cells, analyzing certain flow patterns around the huge wind turbines installed and so on. They have been an integral part of generation of electricity from non-conventional sources.
It is also said by many scientists that generation of electricity from other sources is one of the best inventions of chemical engineering. There are many assignments given to students pursing chemical engineering in graduated schools in a short notice, which might prove to be quite difficult to complete. Our Chemical engineering Assignment Helpservice is of a great help at such times. Students shall have their assignments of superior quality delivered on time by taking our support.
4. Drinking water for everyone!
We cannot live without water. Not only 70% of our body is composed of water, but also water is fundamental to any life form. Some statistics in US show that 250 liters of water is utilized by a typical household, everyday for drinking, toilet, washing, laundry, gardening and other purpose. Thus proving safe portable water to each and every household in this world is one of the biggest concerns of the scientists.
Quality of water is maintained in most developed nations with the help of chemical engineering. Physical process like filtration, sedimentation and distillation are used. Biological processes though slow are effective such as slow sand filters or activated carbon. Chemical processes are also utilized which includes flocculation, chlorination and even electromagnetic radiation with ultraviolet rays.
There is another new technology called solar water disinfection which is a low cost technology and can be used across the globe. For countries with a hot climate and developing economies, solar water disinfection can be a popular water purifying procedure, besides desalination.
5. Plastics and its versatile uses!
Plastics are simple organic polymers with a high molecular mass. They are long repetitive chains of a couple of compounds. Organic raw materials like coal, cellulose, or crude oil can be used.
Polyethylene and its derivatives are used in mass production of plastics from 1940s. Plastics and related products are cheaper and simpler to manufacture than glass or metal objects, they are versatile, impervious to water and thus find a wide use. Plastic products are used in paper clips to spacecrafts! They have displaced many other materials from the industry such as stone, wood, paper, leather, metal, glass or ceramics! Chemical engineers have made these innovated, useful, versatile, lightweight and tough plastic products.
Everybody has benefited from plastic packaging. From manufacturers to consumers, everyone is comfortable with plastic products.
6. Fertilizers and its benefits!
Fertilizers are mostly nitrogenous compounds which are introduced to a partially unhealthy solid for reviving its lost nutrients for healthy growth of plants. It can increase yield of crops to benefit farmers. Production of fertilizers has become a global industry which has sustained the significant growth in world’s population by increasing crop production.
It was Fritz Haber who first brought this breakthrough at the beginning of twentieth century by converting atmospheric nitrogen to ammonia, which can be absorbed by the roots of plants! The very idea of producing fertilizers had started since then.
It is true that human survival is dependent on usage of fertilizers; be it inorganic or organic. Almost 50% of people in this planet are fed by the blessing of artificial fertilized made by using techniques of chemical engineering.
Simply put, current uprising demands in food supply could never be made without fertilizers and chemical engineers! One must also know, “The top accidental best inventions of all times!â€to stay aware about the man made miracles.