Abstract
Chemical engineering is a broad field in terms of the scope of practice
but the discipline has been united by a few intellectually coherent
principles. Among them, thermodynamics, reaction kinetics and transport
phenomena are often considered as the cornerstones, providing support
for design and operation of diverse chemical processes for power
generation and production of numerous industrial goods including
plastics, gasoline and ammonia. Traditionally, these processes use
fossil fuels as the raw material and/or energy input and thus are
responsible for massive greenhouse gas emissions. As fossil-energy-based
processes are deemed phasing out due to environmental concerns,
development of alternative routes with renewable energy and sustainable
feedstock is calling for the expansion of the knowledge base such that
eco-friendly processes can be quantified, controlled and optimized with
high precision. This article presents some perspectives on possible
engineering developments to accelerate the ongoing paradigm shift from
fossil fuels to renewable energy.