Chemistry & more

It has been a family affair. Born into a family of chemical engineers, Sandeep Lanjewar used to work at his father’s paint manufacturing plant in Nagpur during the holidays.

“My grandfather was a chemical engineer. My father is a chemical engineer,” he says, so it was but obvious that Lanjewar enrol for the BE programme in chemical engineering at Mumbai’s Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT), considered one of the best for this discipline. However, keeping the paints portion of the curriculum aside, “what I learnt in college was totally different”, says the 23-year-old Lanjewar, now operations officer, catalytic cracking unit (where the products are made usable for consumers), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd, Mumbai.

Chemical engineering does include chemistry but only about 10-20 per cent, says Lanjewar. This discipline is usually chosen by the IIT Joint Entrance Exam finalists, after computer science, electrical engineering and “to some extent” mechanical engineering.

According to Prof. Anurag Mehra, head, department of chemical engineering, IIT Bombay, “This is partly because of the number of job opportunities in the country and also because most people think that chemical engineering is all about chemistry, when, in fact, it is a lot more about physics and mathematics, and now some biology, too.

“Also, what is not understood by most people is that chemical engineers have a lot of ‘overlap’ with other engineering branches, which makes them versatile.”

Chemical engineering, traditionally speaking, is about the design and operation of chemical plants but it is now an inter-disciplinary field.

Says Prof. VG Gaikar, head, department of chemical engineering, ICT, “Chemical engineering is not just about chemistry. It’s a discipline itself with its own characteristics. Knowledge of chemistry is a must, however, to conduct molecular transformations at scales varying from thousands of tonnes to a few kilograms per day. You need to have proficiency in basic sciences such as chemistry, physics, mathematics and even biology if you wish to opt for the biochemical field after graduation.”

As technology moves ahead by leaps and bounds, those studying chemical engineering today have to deal with new topics such as surface science, nanomaterials (nanotechnology), energy science, and biological processes of industrial importance. Mehra says, “Many elements of these areas are taught in chemical engineering, and chemical engineers now look at some of these fundamental things instead of large-scale (industrial) plants...

“The discipline has evolved by subsuming these newer things and also by pursuing the understanding of problems with more and more of science, at smaller and smaller levels. A modern curriculum has far more fundamental stuff than the more application-oriented curriculum of yesteryears.”

This interaction between sister sciences has thrown open new professional vistas for chemical engineers, beyond traditional employers such as chemical, paints, oil and gas, pharmaceutical, polymers (plastics), glass, cement and steel and aluminium industries.

“There are a small number of companies that provide research and development-oriented jobs in the newer areas of interfacial/surface science, material science (semi-conductors, electronic and magnetic materials), nanotechnology, biotechnology and biosciences.

“In general, because chemical engineers are trained to develop processes to manufacture all kinds of products, they play an important role in the process development for biological and electronic materials,” says Mehra.

The study programme arms graduates with skills that get them jobs even in the knowledge process outsourcing, management and finance sectors.

Mehra continues, “Chemical engineering is perhaps the most versatile of all engineering branches in that it... provides engineers with the unique ability to deal with widely different areas such as pharmaceutical engineering, material science, biomedical devices and even immunology.”

“There are very bright options,” says Lanjewar. “Everything around you is chemical engineering: water, toothpaste, bed-sheets (dyes), clothes, the food you eat, polythene, (pen) ink, pencil lead. Biodiesels mean chemical engineering. I’m not saying other branches are useless. But look at, for instance, petrol. It’s the main driver of today’s life.”

Yet, Mehra says, “In India, most industries, with very few exceptions, still seek skills patterned on classical chemical engineering. All classical areas are given reasonable focus in the curriculum.”

Author: Rahat Bano

Date: 6th Jan., 2010

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