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Chemical engineering products, processes, and
challenges
Commodities Molecules Nanostructures Key
cost speed to market function Basis unit
operations discovery properties
 
 
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A commodity TiO2 (titanium oxide)
Extremely white, opaque, edible, dirt resistant.
Used in paper, food, cosmetics, paint, textiles,
plastics. World consumption 4 million
tons/yr. Cost 2,000/ton. Total world value
8 billion/yr.
A 1 increase in production efficiency
0.012103 4106 /yr 80 million/yr.
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Molecules
Small and simple ammonia (NH3) sulfuric
acid (H2SO4) ethylene (C2H4) sugar
(C12H22O11)
Large and complex insulin C257H383N65O77S6
Large and simple (polymers)
polyethylene-CH2-CH2n
See www.psrc.usm.edu/macrog for a very good
introduction to polymers.
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Polymers, e.g. polyethylene
is made up of many monomers
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Copolymers are made up of two kinds of monomers,
say A and B
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SBS rubber (tires, shoe soles)
The polystyrene is tough the polybutadiene is
rubbery
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Nano applications of polymers Organized block
copolymer of PMMA (polymethylmethacrylate) and
PS (polystyrene).
Spin casting in electric field produces cylinders
of PS embedded in the PMMA which are oriented in
the direction of the electric field PMMA
cylinders are 14nm diameter, 24nm apart.
PS can be dissolved with acetic acid to leave
holes. Use as a microscopic filter?
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Computer application
Cylindrical holes are electrochemically filled
with magnetic cobalt. Each cylindrical hole can
then store 1 bit of information. bit/cm 1 /
(2.410-7) bit/cm2 1.71011
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Genetic engineering production of synthetic
insulin
1) Extract a plasmid (a circular molecule of
DNA) from the bacterium E-coli 2) Break the
circle 3) Insert a section of human
DNA containing the insulin-producing gene 4)
Insert this engineered gene back into the E-coli
bacterium 5) The E-coli and its offspring now
produce insulin
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Chemical Engineering
Two strategies for obtaining chemical compounds
and materials 1) Create the desired compound
from raw materials via one or more chemical
reactions in a reactor 2) Isolate the
compound where it exists in combination with
other substances through a separation process
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Reactors
fermenters in a brewery
pharmaceuticals reactor
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Separations
Based on differences between individual
substances Boiling point Freezing
point Density Volatility Surface
Tension Viscosity Molecular Complexity Size
Geometry Polarization
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Separations
Based on differences in the presence of other
materials Solubility Chemical reactivity
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Separations Garbage
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Garbage separation (cont.)
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Garbage separation (cont.)
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Counter-current processes
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Counter-current heat exchangers in nature
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Counter-current heat exchangers How do they work?
limited heat exchange
good heat exchange