What do Chemical Engineers do?

Chemical engineers rely on their knowledge of mathematics and science, especially chemistry, to overcome technical problems safely and economically.

Chemical engineers may also apply their knowledge to other areas such as:

• law
• education
• publishing
• finance
• medicine
• other fields that require technical training

Chemical engineers strive to improve manufacturing and processing techniques.

Typical tasks of the chemical engineer are to:

• maintain and operate a process
• fix some perceived problem
• increase capacity or selectivity at minimum cost

For example, chemical engineers improve food processing techniques, and methods of producing fertilizers, to increase the quantity and quality of available food.

They also construct the synthetic fibers that make our clothes more comfortable and water resistant; they develop methods to mass-produce drugs, making them more affordable; and they create safer, more efficient methods of refining petroleum products, making energy and chemical sources more productive and cost effective.

Chemical engineers develop solutions to environmental problems, such as pollution control and remediation.