The Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering develops practical technologies through research in chemical engineering, industrial chemistry, and biological engineering, and trains global leaders in a variety of industries.
The Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering provides students with the cutting-edge subject knowledge needed to create practical technologies using original technologies from chemical engineering and biological engineering-related industries. In the process, students learn both basic and applied science, which helps them develop problem-solving skills and cultivate creativity. This education prepares global leaders for industry, research centers, and academia. The research areas of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering are divided into three areas: industrial chemistry, chemical engineering, and biological engineering. Industrial chemistry deals with organic polymeric materials, inorganic chemistry, and catalysis; chemical engineering deals with chemical plant development and process development; and biological engineering encompasses environmental engineering and bioengineering.
Within the field of industrial chemistry, organic polymer materials enable products that enrich our lives, such as monitors, cell phones, colorful lights, and neon signs. Organic polymer materials research also involves the study of biomaterials and nanomaterials related to the field of medicine. This research provides the technology to produce our daily necessities quickly and cheaply. Organic polymeric materials also offer innovative solutions for a sustainable future and play a major role in the development of environmentally friendly materials.
Within the field of industrial chemistry, inorganic chemistry is a field that utilizes nanotechnology. Nanotechnology is a technology that controls the physical, chemical, electrical, and magnetic properties of materials or obtains new properties by taking advantage of the fact that the properties of solid materials change significantly depending on their size, shape, surface state, etc. when they become 1-100 nm in size. The field of nano-inorganic materials is based on research on the synthesis and fabrication of nanomaterials and is pioneering a wide range of applications in the environmental, energy, biological, medical, electrical and electronic, and information industries. In particular, catalysis research using nanotechnology is expected to solve environmental and energy problems at the same time. Nanotechnology is also increasingly being utilized in the fields of space technology and aviation.
Let’s talk about chemical plants, the flower of chemical engineering. Chemical plants are large factories composed of complex and diverse units and processes that combine the content of several process fields. Organizing these processes efficiently, developing better processes, and other tasks that have a huge impact on the efficiency and profitability of a company are the research areas of process development teams. Almost all of the products we need in our lives are produced in chemical plants. Chemical plants play a key role in a wide range of industries, including petrochemicals, food engineering, pharmaceutical engineering, and more, and their importance is growing every day.
Let’s take a look at some of the fields that utilize both industrial chemistry and chemical engineering. Semiconductor technology is essential to enable fast central processing units (CPUs) and large amounts of memory. While it’s easy to think of semiconductor technology as the exclusive domain of electronics engineering students, it’s actually based on knowledge from industrial chemistry and chemical engineering. This is because the process of producing the devices is a chemical engineering process. Semiconductor technology also plays an important role in the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT), leading to future smart technology innovations.
Let’s also look at the biological sector. Environmental engineering is an effort by science and technology to find answers to the side effects of science and technology. Whether it’s purifying drinking water using membranes and advanced oxidation processes, treating industrial water, treating and reusing industrial wastewater through the development of new adsorbent carriers, developing pollution-free and cleaner production technology processes, or developing pollutant treatment technologies using solar energy, environmental engineers are finding solutions. The importance of environmental engineering is being recognized as a critical collective global challenge, not just a local or national issue. These advances in environmental engineering have become essential for a sustainable planet.
In the biological field, there is also a new field called bioengineering. Bioengineering research areas include defining, analyzing, and solving problems in the human body through natural science and engineering methods; bioreactor design and bioprocess development; production of useful materials through microbial, animal, and plant cell cultures; development of energy-related materials and environmental pollution alternatives using biological systems; biological environmental conservation technologies; biosensors and biomaterials engineering technologies; biocatalyst development and application; and biomaterials separation and purification technologies. Bioengineering is also an important contributor to medical technology innovation, with active research in the areas of personalized medicine and regenerative medicine.
Chemical and biological engineering encompasses a wide range of disciplines, including physics, chemistry, biology, and mathematics, making it a challenging but rewarding field. This is how diverse chemical and biological engineering is. The Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering is continuously striving to help students develop specialized knowledge in various fields and contribute to society.
