The Future of Chemical Engineering in the Global Market Context
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J.-C. CHARPENTIER: The Future of Chemical Engineering, Kem. Ind. 52 (9) 397–419 (2003) 397 KUI 21/2003 The Future of Chemical Engineering Received April 25, 2003 in the Global Market Context: Accepted June 3, 2003 Market Demands versus Technology Offers J.-C. Charpentier President of the European Federation of Chemical Engineering Department of Chemical Engineering/CNRS, Ecole Supérieure de Chimie Physique Electronique de Lyon BP 2077 – 69616 Villeurbanne cedex (France), Tel. 33 4 72 43 17 02 – Fax 33 4 72 43 16 70 – Email: [email protected] In today’s economy, Chemical Engineering must respond to the changing needs of the chemical process industry in order to meet market demands. The evolution of chemical engineering is ne- cessary to remain competitive in global trade. The ability of chemical engineering to cope with scientific and technological problems is addressed in this paper. Chemical Engineering is vital for sustainability: to satisfy, both, the market requirements for specific end-use properties of products and the social and environmental constraints of industrial-scale processes. A multidisciplinary, multiscale approach to chemical engineering is evolving due to breakthroughs in molecular mo- delling, scientific instrumentation and related signal processing and powerful computational tools. The future of chemical engineering can be summarized by four main objectives: (1) Increase pro- ductivity and selectivity through intensification of intelligent operations and a multiscale approach to process control; (2) Novel design equipment based on scientific principles and new production methods: process intensification; (3) Extended chemical engineering methodology to product de- sign and product focussed processing using the 3P Engineering “molecular Processes-Product-Pro- cess” approach; (4) Implemented multiscale application of computational chemical engineering modelling and simulation to real-life situations from the molecular scale to the production scale. Keywords: Future of chemical engineering, sustainability and chemical engineering, multidiscipli- nary and multiscale approach, product-oriented processing, the triplet “molecular Processes-Product-Process Engineering”, end-use property, soft solids, complex fluids, molecular modelling, process intensification. Introduction culture and food, environment, textile, iron and steel, bitu- minous,building materials, glass, surfactants, cosmetics and In the new consumer-based global economy, new needs perfume, and electronics, are evolving considerably at the and challenges arise. The key to survival for chemical engi- beginning of this new century, due to unprecedented mar- neering is the ability to cope with societal and economical ket demands and constraints, stemming from public con- problems encountered by the chemical process industry.1,2 cern over environmental and safety issues. This report highlights some of the challenges faced by che- mists and the awaiting chemical process industry in terms Chemical knowledge is also growing rapidly, and the rate of market demand and sustainability. The new multi-disci- of discovery is increasing every day, shown in Figure 1. plinary and multiscale approach to chemical engineering Over fourteen million different molecular compounds ha- and the necessary tools to ensure the success of this inte- ve been synthesized and about one hundred thousand can grated approach will also be presented. We propose that be found on the market. Only a small fraction of them are future research in chemical engineering is heading in four found in nature. Most of them are and will be deliberately directions: tailoring materials with controlled structures, conceived, designed, synthesized and manufactured to process intensification, product oriented engineering, and meet a human need, to test an idea or to satisfy our quest multiscale simulation and modelling from the molecular of knowledge. The development of combinatory chemical scale to the product scale. synthesis is a current example. Chemistry already plays an essential role in our attempt to feed the world’s population, to tap new sources of energy, Chemical and related industries are to clothe and house humankind, to improve health and at the heart of a great number of scientific eliminate sickness, to provide substitutes for rare raw ma- and technological challenges to be taken terials, to design necessary materials for new information and communication technologies, and to monitor and pro- up by chemical engineering tect our environment. Chemical and related industries, including process indu- Thus, the challenges faced by chemical and related indu- stries such as petroleum, pharmaceutical and health, agri- stries and the specific business of chemists is to imagine re- 398 J.-C. CHARPENTIER: The Future of Chemical Engineering, Kem. Ind. 52 (9) 397–419 (2003) process itself will be sought. Innovative processes for the production of commodity and intermediate products such as sulfuric acid, ammonia, calcium carbonate, ethylene, methanol, where patents usually do not concern the pro- ducts but the processes, need to be researched. Economic constraints will no longer be defined as: sale pri- ce minus capital cost plus operating costs plus raw material and energy costs. The problem will become more complex as other factors such as safety, health, environmental aspects, including non-polluting technologies, reduction of raw material and energy losses and product/by-product recyclability, are considered. Indeed, the customer will buy a process that is non polluting, is defect-free, and per- fectly safe. 2) Progression from traditional intermediate chemistry to new specialities, active material chemistry and related in- dustries involves the chemistry/biology interface of agricul- Fig. 1 – Chemical knowledge is growing rapidly ture, food and health industries. Similarly, it involves up- Slika 1 – Znanje iz kemije naglo raste grading and conversion of petroleum feedstocks and inter- mediates, conversion of coal-derived chemicals or synthe- sis gas into fuels, hydrocarbons or oxygenates. actions that will convert the chemical substances we find around us into substances or products that meet the con- This progression is driven by the new market objectives, sumer’s needs. Modern chemistry has evolved to meet where sales and competitiveness are dominated by the these new needs, such that the new keywords associated end-use properties of a product as well as its quality. The with it are: life sciences, information and communica- quality of a product is a function of its properties: size, sha- tion sciences, and instrumentation in the 21th century. pe, colour, esthetics, chemical and biological stability, de- gradability, therapeutic activity, solubility, mechanical, rhe- ological, electrical, thermal, optical, magnetic characteri- What do we expect from chemical and stics for solids and solid particles, touch, handling, cohe- sion, friability, rugosity, taste, succulence, and sensory pro- process engineering? perties etc. There are two demands associated with the previous chal- Control of the end-use property, expertise in the design of lenges to assure competitiveness, employement and sustai- the process, continual adjustments to meet changing de- nability in the process industry: mands, and speed in reacting to market conditions will be the dominant elements. Indeed for these new specialities What products and processes will be competitive in the and active materials the client will buy the product that is new global economy, where the keywords are globaliza- the most efficient and the first on the market, thus tion, technology, partnership and innovation (innovation strengthening the existing competition between the deve- means discovery + development)? The speed of product loped country producers. innovation is accelerating. For example, in the fast moving consumer goods business, to which the majority of the fo- In the framework of sustainability, these are examples of od businesses belong, product development time has de- current problems and challenges faced by chemical and creased from 10 years in 1970, to an estimated 2–3 years 3 process engineering specialists in the chemical industry. in the year 2000. This means that it is increasingly difficult What are the implications for chemical engineering? to be the first on the market with an innovative product. Thus, speeding up the product/process development cycle is of paramount importance. The chemical and process engineering The response to the evolution of market demands invol- approach in 2003 ves a double challenge: developing countries have low la- bour costs and less constraining local production regula- tions. Industrialized countries, on the other hand, have ra- The previous demands were satisfied by transforming ma- pid development in consumer demand, and more regula- terial and energy to create new industrial processes with tory constraints stemming from public and media concerns nearly zero pollution, zero defects and complete safety. over environmental and safety issues. The current chemical engineering approach accounts for new or emerging technologies such as biotechnology, mi- To respond to these demands, the following challenges will croelectronics and microoptoelectronics, biomedical, na- be faced by the chemical engineering industry: notechnologies, and new polymer, ceramic and composite materials and simultaneously remains competitive in tradi- 1) Processes will no longer be selected on a basis of econo- tional technologies