Chemical Engineers and the Work They Do

Signature: ____________________: January 5, 2017

By: Pewee Datoo Kolubah
Pewee2g6@yahoo.com

Table of Content

Introduction..1

Section 1.0:
Overview of Chemical Engineering As a Profession2
1.1: What is Chemical Engineering..2
1.2: Importance of Chemical Engineering ..2
1.3: Transferable Skills You Get While Working As a Chemical Engineer.3
1.4: Early Beginning of Chemical Engineering ..4
Section 2.0:
Chemical Engineers; Their Work, Organizations, Job Placement and Salary statistic..6
2.1: What Do Chemical Engineers Do?............................................................................................6
2.2: Chemical Engineering Organizations....7
2.3: Chemical Engineering Job Placements and Salary Statistic.7

Conclusion ..9
References..10

Introduction
Beginning from the food we eat to the clothes we wear, extending to the technological devices we
use, to the gasoline and fuel that power our engines as well as the instituting of measures to protect
our environment, chemical engineers play major roles that can be seen and use by us every day.
Have you ever try to ask yourself this question; If there were no chemical engineers, what would
be the look of our planet? We can agree to say that there would have not been any refined fuel or
gasoline to power our engines; the production of the drugs that cure our diseases would have been
a complex adventure. There would be no sheets of paper or pens to take our notes in class, and we
would have a planet that is as complicated and difficult in which to live our daily lives. The works
of Chemical Engineers are so numerous, and they can be scientifically considered to a wider
extends as one of the profession that contributes to the building blocks of human existence. Their
ability to design and operate chemical plants and equipment are unique attributes that distinguish
them from other engineers.
However, most people and even some first-year chemical engineering college students fail to
conceptualize the work of Chemical Engineers.
As a first year chemical engineering student, I have been asked to piece together this term paper
to outline some of the many works that chemical engineers do in different industries such as:
Chemical Industrials, Pharmaceutical Industrials, Food Processing Industrials, Petrochemical
industrials, Petroleum Industrials, Biotechnology Industrial, among others, as a partial fulfillment
in completing my first chemical engineering course in college title Introduction to Chemical
Engineering.

Section 1: Overview of Chemical Engineering as a Profession

1.1: What is Chemical Engineering?
1.2: Importance of Chemical Engineering
1.3: Transferable Skills You Get While working as a Chemical Engineer
1.4: Early Beginning of Chemical Engineering

1.1 What is Chemical Engineering?

Chemical Engineering is a distinct branch of engineering that utilizes the knowledge of unite
operation, transport phenomena, and thermodynamics to analyze and process raw materials into
consumer products on an industrial scale.
Moreover, chemical engineering can be considered as a unique branch of engineering that uses
scientific principals and the application of engineering fundamentals to design and manufacture
consumer products as well as to derive suitable measures to protect our environment from the hard
risk of health hazards caused by the processing of various raw materials.
1.2 Importance of Chemical Engineering
Chemical Engineering is a unique branch of engineering that plays a very important role in our
everyday life. The production of materials that covers a range of categories, which include the
food we eat, the medicines that cure our diseases, the clothes we wear, the energy that powers our
engines as well as the technological devices we use. They all heavily depend on the involvement
of chemical engineers. Because of the ingenious role Chemical Engineers play in finding solutions
to real world problems, there are often referred to as the Universal Engineers.
Moreover, chemical engineers can be considered as the pillar of modern day chemical industries,
manufacturing industries, pharmaceutical industries, and petrochemical industrials. The road to sustainable
development and a vibrant and growing Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of any nation is a well-developed
industrial sector that will provide basic health and social welfare to its citizens through its social cooperative
responsibilities, which is one important factor that makes chemical engineering an important branch of
engineering that contributes to nations developmet.

Chemical engineers often are involved with research that provide answers to challenging
engineering problems. Because of the high importance of this profession, it has been clearly stated
in scientific articles, by research institutions, and by professional engineering organizations and

societies that chemical engineers will play key roles in finding suitable solutions to the grand
challenges of engineering facing the world now and in the future.
1.3 Transferable Skills You Get While Working As a Chemical Engineer
Because of the diverse scientific principals and skills acquire by chemical engineers during their
studies in college and whilst working, they often develop transferable skills that can be applied in
different work environments. There are lots of transferable skills chemical engineers possess. This
section outlines five (5) important ones that are very common. They include:
1. Team Work: Teamwork is an easily driven tool that yields a good result within any work
environment. Most chemical engineers possess this skill because within the work
environment of Chemical engineering, chemical engineers often work together in teams in
order to maximize productivity and minimize cost.
2. Analytical and Technical Skills: Your ability to analyze and provide suitable solutions to
internal and external problems within a company is a key skill employer will always look
for when they are recruiting new employees. This skill can be considered as one of the
exceptional attributes of chemical engineers because every chemical engineer must learn
this in college and be able to apply it in any giving real world problem that may be
encounter in their professional journey.
3. Excellent Communication Skills: Your ability to communicate effectively in a professional
environment demonstrates your capability to represent your organization or company at an
international forum, public gathering, or government meetings. From the first semester in
college of chemical engineering students to the final year, chemical engineering students
are often given responsibilities to do presentations and to write academic papers that are
intended to strengthen their communication skill.
4. Computer Skills: This is one of the very important driving tools for the smooth operation
and growth of any institution and industry. Our world has become a global village so the
need for employees with excellent computer knowledge is one of the employment criteria
for most companies, financial institutions, and government ministries and agencies. The
excellent ability of chemical engineers to work with process simulation
softwares and other real-world computer applications is another unique attribute that
chemical engineers can apply in any work environment in order to produce efficient results.
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5. Time Management: Time is natural; time is a resource that cannot be increased, and it
cannot be saved for future use. Time has value like currency. Proper time management is
a unique way to get things done efficiently. Your ability to manage your time properly
determines how well you will achieve your set goals within a reasonable time limit.
Chemical engineers often manage their time well, which enables them to set priorities in
their daily tasks in order to achieve their maximum quality output.
1.4: Early Beginning of Chemical Engineering
The origin of the chemical engineering profession can be dated back to the involvement of
industrial and analytical principals of chemistry and separation techniques principally in the
production of fine chemicals, which served as a getaway to the production of bulk chemicals. The
practice of chemistry and mechanical engineering principals goes back to the 1700s and 1800s by
passionate men like John Roebuck, Nicoles Lablanc, and others who created passion for chemistry
and decided to get involve with research in order to design processes for the production of highly
need chemicals. The development of the lead-chamber process for the production of sulfuric acid
(H2SO4) and the development of the Leblanc process for the production of soda ash (Na2Co3) by
John Roebuck and Nicoles Lablanc respectively were major achievements that revolutionize the
industrial sector between the 1700s and 1800s. However, despite these achievements, the
profession of chemical engineering was not recognized.
In addition to Roebuck and Lablanc, there were other individuals like Peregrine Philips who
develop an easy method called Contact Process for the production of H2S04, Ernest Solvay
developed the Solvay process, a process that uses Sodium Chloride and Calcium Carbonate
(NaCO3) for the production of Soda ash. Hou Debang is remembered as the man who uncovered
the secret behind Soda Ash production in his publication titled Manufacture of Soda; a soda ash
production process that uses NH3, CO2, NaCl, and H2O. Despite the many achievement by Germen
chemists in the designing and developing of different processes for the production of chemicals,
the chemical engineering profession did not begin in Germany because most of the chemicals that
were produced were fine chemicals, which were produced in small quantities and did not need
complex engineering techniques to be applied in the production processes.
However, their achievements led to series of lectures on chemical engineering, which provided a
complete summary of the chemical industries was presented in Britain. The lectures created
interest in the United Stated of America and motivated Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT) chemistry Professor Lewis M. Nonton to start the first chemical engineering degree program
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at MIT in 1888. Over the next 10 to 15 years, many Universities in The United State of America
and other parts of the world began offering chemical engineering degrees. Despite the
establishment of a chemical engineering degree program at MIT, there were no prescribed
chemical engineering text books that were used to teach the course. It was not until 1923 and later
did individuals stated to publish text books on chemical engineering, transport phenomena, unit
operations and other related chemical engineering topics. The publication of the book Transport
Phenomena marks the beginning of the modern chemical engineering profession. Since the
beginning of a degree-granting program in chemical engineering at MIT, the profession has
experienced rapid growth and gain lots of smart attractions to other engineering professions and
industries, which led to the establishment of many international chemical engineering societies
and organizations to provide more opportunities for chemical engineers and to regularly update
the curriculum content of chemical engineering courses in order to meet the growing needs for
more qualify chemical engineers within the many different professional work environments around
the globe.

Section 2.0: Chemical Engineers; Their Work, Organizations, Job Placement and Salary
Statistic
2.1: What do Chemical Engineers do?
2.2: Chemical Engineering Organizations
2.3: Chemical Engineering Job Placements and Salary Statistic
2.1: What do Chemical Engineers do?
The work that chemical engineers do includes many areas of work and can be seen in the
production of raw material that have been processed and manufactured on an industrial scale.
Chemical engineers are mostly employed by large-scale manufacturing companies. Most chemical
engineers work 24 hours a day, 365-days a year optimizing productivity by translating
manufacturing processes developed in the lab into real world applications for the industrial
production of consumer products and the maintenance and improvement of processes. They apply
the concept of mass balance, thermodynamics, transport phenomena, and unit operations to
develop, as well as monitor and optimize the processing of raw materials and the production of
consumer products on an industrial scale.
Chemical engineers work in numerous fields and their impact on products we use on a daily basis
is so vast to mention. Outlining all of the work chemical engineers do would take too much space
but by knowing what industries they work in will give a clear picture of the many works they do.
Chemical engineers work in industries like; manufacturing, pharmaceutical, petrochemicals, food
processing, petroleum, design, construction, health care, and biotechnology. Collaterally, they also
work in law, education, medicine, and financial institutions. Whilst working in any of the abovementioned industries, chemical engineers are often tasked with any of the following
responsibilities; design and developing chemical processes, plants and equipment management
and operation, optimization and control of industrial operations, applied laboratory research to full
industrial manufacturing scale, environmental management and pollution control, process and
product monitoring, project delivery, and bioprocesses. A chemical Engineer can be employ by
financial institutions or government agencies to serve as a consultant to provide technical advice
on industrial investment or other negotiations. Chemical engineers are creative problem solvers
who always research new ways to develop processes that can be used on an industrial scale to
maximize productivity and product quality while minimizing production costs.
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2.2: Chemical Engineering Organizations

Due to the diverse and interesting nature of the chemical engineering profession, there are lots of
international and local chemical engineering organizations and societies that have been organized
to coordinate the affairs of chemical engineers by improving chemical engineering degree-granting
standards, serve as guardians for the profession, and to create platforms that chemical engineers
can use in their job searches as well as provide professional networks with other chemical
engineers. In addition to these, there are many other opportunities that are intended to help
chemical engineers meet up with the growing challenges of the general engineering profession.
Every chemical engineering organization or society has its standards and activities that are
intended to keep the organization active. The Institution of Chemical Engineers (ICHEM) is the
global professional organization for chemical engineering professionals and anyone involve with
the process industries. ICHEM is responsible for setting the standards for Chemical and Process
Safety Engineering Professionals. Apart from ICHEM, there are other chemical engineering
organizations according to countries and regions. Some of them include:
1. American Institute of Chemical Engineers (ALCHEM)
2. Canadian Society of Chemical Engineering (CSCHE)
3. Chinese Chemical Engineering Society
4. European Federation of Chemical Engineering
5. Institution of Chemical Engineers, UK
6. Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers
7. Korean Institute of Chemical Engineers
8. Nigerian Society of Chemical Engineers
9. Royal Australian Chemical Institute, Australia
10. South African Institution of Chemical Engineers

2.3: Chemical Engineering Job Placements and Salary Statistic

The entry-level salaries of any profession vary based on your areas of expertise, experience,
education, supervisory responsibility, accountability for projects, and the geographic location,
size, and industry of employer. Chemical engineering is a unique and well-paid profession that has
a very attractive entry-level salary globally. Moreover, there are so many large employers in the
chemical engineering sector with endless employment opportunities. Employment opportunities
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in the profession are diverse giving chemical engineering graduates the privilege to get hands-on
job experience immediately after graduation. According to the Institution of Chemical Engineers,
2016 salary survey in the United Kingdom; Chemical Engineering ranked third place among the
top paid jobs in the United Kingdom with an annual entry level salary of 28,600 Euros.
Additionally, the United Stated Department of Labor reported in 2015 that there are 32,230
employed chemical Engineers who are working in different industries across America.
According to the report, employment in the chemical industrial in America is expected to rise by
2.7 percent, and the mean hourly wage of chemical engineering professionals in America will
experience a 0.9 percent increase in the coming years. The annual entry level salary for chemical
engineers in America is $67,600 which makes the profession the third highest pay engineering
profession in America next to Petroleum Engineering and Computer Engineering.

YES!!!!!!!! I Am
Innovative..I Can
Design and Operate
Chemical Plants..

BIOTECHNOLOGY
& BIOMEDICAL
INDUSTRIES

PHARMACEUTICAL
INDUSTRIES

CHEMICAL
INDUSTRIES

A qualify chemical engineer can be employ in a wide range of sectors but

the most common ones are outline in the diagram above.

Conclusion
As the demand for more consumer products increases, the need for more professional chemical
engineers will increase in response to the demand. The work that chemical engineers do is unique
and interesting. They are involved in the design, modification, and operation of processes to
produce the things we rely on every day - food, petrol, cosmetics, electricity, cars, aspirin,
medicines, technological devices, clothes, and the list is endless. Due to the transferable skills
chemical engineers learn at university, they are employed across a huge range of sectors including
energy, healthcare, food, water, and many more. They work 24 hours a day 365-days a year
optimizing processes to maximize productivity and minimize production cost. The entry level
salary of chemical engineers is very astrictive and is consider as one of the well paid profession in
many countries across the globe.

References
1. Yu-xin, W. (2016). Lecture Note; Introduction to Chemical Engineering, School of
Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, P.R China.
2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Chemical Engineering. (2007,
2016). History of Chemical Engineering at MIT. Retrieve form
http://web.mit.edu/cheme/about/history.html.
3. David, H. & James, R. (2012, August 7). What is Chemical Engineering and
Bioengineering Section 1.2. Retrieved from http://www.informit.com.
4. Wayne, P. (2000, September 18). The History of Chemical Engineering. Retrieved from
http://www.pafko.com/history/h_chem20.pdf.
5. Sokanu. (2016). What Does a Chemical Engineering do? Retrieve from
www.sokanu.com/careers/chemical-engineer/#waht-does-a-chemical-engineer-do.
6. American Chemical Society. (2016). Chemical Engineering; Education, Licensing,
Workplace, Technical skills, Career Path, and Future Employment Trends. Retrieved from
http://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/careers/college-to-career/chemistry-careers/chemicalengineering.html.
7. US Department of Labor (May 2015). Occupational Employment and wages report. (172041 Chemical Engineering). Retrieved from
http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes172041.htm#nat
8. Institution of Chemical Engineering. (2016), United Kingdom salary survey, Benefit and
salaries of chemical engineers. Retrieved from
www.whynotchemeng.com/information/benefits-and-salary-information.aspx
9. Institution of Chemical Engineering. (2016). About IChemE. Retrieved from
www.icheme.org/about_us.aspx.

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