The Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Program
What do pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, gasoline, jet fuel, home heating oil, tortilla chips, aspirin, Vitamin C, artificial kidneys, solar panels, refrigerators, carpets, water softeners, household detergents, cookies, camera film and ceramics all have in common? They are all products that rely upon the practice of chemical and biochemical engineering at various points in their production. Chemical and Biochemical engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with the chemical and physical processes and materials used to develop and produce these and a myriad of other products. Chemical and Biochemical Engineering is the branch of Engineering that deals with the chemical and biochemical processes used to develop and make many different kinds of products. Traditional strengths of chemical/biochemical engineers are their ability to think across length and time scales and integrate descriptions of molecular level phenomena into an understanding of macroscopic systems. Hence, the world of chemical and biochemical engineering fully embraces current areas that are at the forefront of research, such as nanotechnology, biotechnology and environmental science. Chemical/biochemical engineers translate scientific aspects of technology into new, cost-effective products and processes, and improve existing ones. For example, chemical and biochemical engineers play very significant roles in developing the intellectual and technological bases for pharmaceuticals, scaffolds for artificial kidneys, chemical sensors, drug delivery, energy technologies, such as fuel and solar cells, novel techniques for purifying water, biomedical devices, membrane reactors, personal care and agricultural products, biocompatible polymers, etc.
The Brown ABET-accredited curriculum is based on the foundations of the chemical and biochemical sciences. Through fundamental courses involving thermodynamics, transport processes, reaction engineering and design, students learn how to work with molecules as simple as hydrogen and methane, to as complex as proteins, nucleic acids and lipids, and learn how new products and processes are developed. The Chemical and Biochemical Engineering program is an integral part of the Division of Engineering, and collaborates across disciplinary lines in areas such as advanced carbon materials, advanced adsorbents, electrochemical processing, nanocomposites, sensors, bio-fluid mechanics, biocompatible materials, biomedical chips, high throughout screening, folding and unfolding kinetics of biomolecules, crystallization and nucleic acid amplification and detection.
What are the distinguishing aspects of the Chemical and Biochemical Program at Brown?
- A flexible curriculum that allows students to co-specialize in biochemical engineering/biotechnology, environmental issues, computer applications, electronics applications and entrepreneurship.
- Regular courses include additional topics in the areas of biochemical, nanotechnology, and environmental science. For example: EN111 covers bio-transport processes; EN112 includes enzymatic and cell growth kinetics and bioreactor analysis and design; and EN113 includes environmental and biological applications.
- Students have the opportunity to obtain research experience. Many of our faculty work with undergraduates in their laboratories and conduct collaborative research with other faculty, such as in the biomedical and materials program.
- Up-to-date laboratories equipped with the latest instrumentation and experimental techniques.
Fundamental chemical and biochemical engineering principles include:
Environmental Considerations
The Engineer must provide substitutes or alternatives to environmentally harmful chemicals that are used or generated in a process, and/or explore alternate, more environmentally acceptable synthesis routes with Chemists or Biochemists. In addition, all materials must be selected with product economics in mind.
Selection of Reactor Systems and Separation Processes
The selection of the type of reactor system will be a key part of the design and development of the process. While a simple glass flask may work in the laboratory, larger batch or continuous reactor systems must be devised to match the required production levels. The reactor system must also be well integrated with the required downstream separations in order to devise the most economical process, since separation processes are typically the most costly operations in a chemical process.
Heat Transfer
Sufficient heat transfer rates must provided for in the reactor system so that the temperature of the larger amounts of material that must be used in production will not rise to unacceptable levels. Many organic molecules are heat labile, and great care must be taken to ensure good temperature control. Higher temperatures may adversely affect product quality via thermal degradation of heat-labile products, or the appearance of new undesirable chemical side reactions, or by shifting the thermodynamics of the reaction system, etc., etc.
Mass Transfer
If the reaction system is heterogeneous (that is, reactants present in more than one phase), provision must be made for effective mass transfer. For example, in the laboratory a simple stirrer may be used to insure that transport of the reactant and products between phases is sufficiently rapid that it does not interfere with the overall rate of reaction. Depending on the type of large-scale reactor, however, the interphase mass transfer problem might become a very important issue, especially if the reaction fluid is very viscous.
Fluid Mechanics
The viscosity of the reaction fluid and its potential variation with temperature and shear rate was not much of a problem in the laboratory. For larger scale production reactors, however, the selection of reactor type might well be controlled by the type and intensity of mixing that may be required. Many biomolecules, for example, are shear-sensitive. Also, the fluid mechanics in the interconnecting piping between process units will affect piping size selection and pumping costs.
Thermodynamics
The thermodynamics of the reaction system must be carefully considered in reactor selection, since it will control the maximum extent of conversion that can be achieved in the reactor as a function of operating conditions. Fluid residence time in the reactor could also be a factor if thermodynamic equilibrium is rapidly approached under process conditions.
Biology/Biochemistry
The growing interface of biology with that of chemical engineering principles is currently an area of rapid growth. Many chemical engineering principles are readily adaptable bioprocessing. In addition to heat and shear sensitivity, as mentioned above, other biological and biochemical considerations may include fundamental principles such as metabolic flux, dynamic equilibrium, rate controlling reaction steps, and modeling and the development of computational tools.
Degree designation
Graduating students receive a Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering.
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