(451a) Innovation at the Frontiers of Chemical Engineering Practice and Science

Chemical engineering industrial practice has always forged ahead to create new processes and products driven mostly by the pull of society’s desire for improved quality of life. This often leaves room for advances in process systems engineering and in chemical engineering science to explain more subtle aspects of chemical technologies. Such advances in understanding and predictive capabilities enable processes and products to be systematically improved. Successful examples are plentiful, and a selection from several industrial sectors will be described in the lecture. Looking to the future, the transition from batch to continuous manufacturing in the pharmaceutical industry provides a vehicle for showcasing the possibility of impacting work flows and technology development via digital design of drug products and manufacturing processes.