This unique online course was first offered at Carnegie Mellon University in 2011, and taught by Jeffrey Siirola, then a Distinguished Professor in Energy Systems, and a leader and pioneer in chemical engineering.
The course, which was primarily aimed at junior students of chemical engineering and public policy, and was extremely well received as it provides a comprehensive view on the evolution of the chemical industry, emphasizing major technology changes and sustainability issues.
Course description
This course, which consists of 10 videos (approximately 28 hours), surveys key sectors of the chemical processing industries. It discusses the structure of the industry, the historical development of keystone technologies, and the common flowsheet elements that have proven to be commercially successful. It draws examples from a range of industry sectors, production scales, chemistries, and enabling technologies. It examines the industry in light of the factors that have most influenced its development, including raw materials of choice, energy availability, and the development of new unit operations, as well as those that will influence its future course, such as advances in science and technology, environmental impact minimization, water availability, and sustainability concerns.