Chemical engineering plays an important role in a variety of research fields through the convergence of chemistry and biology, and is positioned as a key discipline for the development of future industries. This gives students a wide range of career options, and it’s a fascinating field with the potential for continued research and development.
The roots of chemical engineering can be traced back to the Department of Applied Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, but in the modern era, it has been merged with bioengineering to form the current name of chemical engineering. As the name suggests, the discipline is based on chemistry and biology, and is pioneering new areas at the intersection of the two disciplines.
The confusing part of the name chemical engineering has to do with the words “chemistry” and “biology”. While both of these disciplines focus on understanding and explaining the laws of nature, it’s the word “engineering” that sets chemical engineering apart. Engineering is not just about acquiring knowledge, it’s about utilizing science and technology to create tangible benefits. In other words, it goes beyond understanding the laws of nature and applies them in a practical way to solve human problems and contribute to industrial development.
The fields of chemical engineering are diverse. Specifically, it is divided into process systems, inorganic semiconductors, organic polymers, and biological environments, each of which plays a pivotal role in the development of modern industry and technology.
First, the field of organic polymers contributes to the chemical industry by studying disciplines such as fiber polymers and polymer chemical synthesis. This field studies plastics, fibers, and synthetic rubbers that are widely used in everyday life, with a focus on developing new materials or improving existing ones. This can lead to major advances in developing environmentally friendly materials, improving durability, and more.
The field of process systems studies the optimization of processes in industrial facilities, with the goal of maximizing the efficiency of production processes, reducing energy consumption, and minimizing environmental impact. This enables companies to reduce costs and increase productivity at the same time, and furthermore, to pursue sustainable development.
In the field of inorganic semiconductors, semiconductor research and nanotechnology research are conducted based on knowledge of inorganic chemistry. The field focuses on improving the performance of electronic devices and developing smaller and more efficient semiconductors. In recent years, advances in nanotechnology have made this field more prominent, and it plays an important role in a variety of applications, including electronics, medical devices, and energy storage.
In the bioenvironmental field, environmental engineering and eco-friendly technologies are being studied, which have recently emerged in response to global warming. This field utilizes biological principles to address environmental pollution and contribute to the development of sustainable energy resources. For example, the development of biofuels or improvements in wastewater treatment technologies are among the research achievements of this field.
As such, chemical biomedical engineering is a field of study that combines chemistry and biology, which make up a large part of science and technology, and is a future-oriented field with unlimited potential for development because it deals with process technology (P.T.), biology technology (B.T.), and nanotechnology (N.T.). These three technologies stand for process technology, biology technology, and nanotechnology, respectively, and are becoming key technologies in modern industry.
P.T. stands for process technology, which deals with the optimization and design of processes. It contributes to increasing the efficiency of manufacturing processes, reducing unnecessary waste of resources, and maximizing productivity. These technologies are especially important in large-scale production facilities and can be a key factor in determining a company’s competitiveness.
B.T. is biotechnology, and projects like the recent mammoth restoration research fall into this category. Biotechnology utilizes gene technology, bioinformatics, and biocatalysis to improve human health and the environment, and plays an important role in a variety of fields, including drug development and agricultural innovation.
N.T. is nanotechnology, which is the study of technology that utilizes microscopic particles at the nanoscale and applies them to catalysis, medicine, and more. Nanotechnology maximizes the physical and chemical properties of materials to present new application possibilities beyond their existing limits, leading to revolutionary changes in various industries such as healthcare, electronics, and energy.
There are many different career paths for chemical and biomolecular engineering majors. They can choose to go on to graduate school, join a company, or prepare to become a patent attorney or engineer. If you go on to graduate school to continue your research, you can help develop new technologies or improve existing ones. If you go into the corporate world, you can work for a large chemical or refinery company and apply your skills in areas such as process optimization, product development, and quality control. You can also use your knowledge of chemical biology to gain a competitive edge in a professional career such as patent attorney.
At the end of the day, chemical engineering is a science based on chemistry and biology with the goal of making money. As you can see from this article, the field of chemical engineering is active in a wide variety of fields, including process systems, inorganic semiconductors, organic polymers, and the biological environment, and this research is playing an important role in shaping the future of science and technology. For this reason, it would not be an exaggeration to say that chemical engineering is a window to the future of science and technology, and I think it is a fascinating field that is well worth studying.
