Pugmire 1

Aidan Pugmire

Ms. Amanda Tibbits

Language Arts 12

8 March 2019

Chemical Engineering

My interest in chemistry stems from an odd source, those two big questions in the

universe, where did we come from? Where are we going? While optimists may say that we will

one day find these answers, it is not terribly bold to say that we never will, but that struggle to

try, despite this, drives me and my interest. Most people are familiar with the concept of

chemistry, and the concept of engineering, chemical engineering is much just these mashed

together. You work in industry in order to improve the efficiency and safety of chemical

practices. This paper will explore chemistry’s connection with business, the future promise of

biotechnology, and some hard numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

For one thing, the boons of chemistry are not limited to the scientific field necessarily.

Many in the business world don’t quite realize the importance of chemistry in their work. As

stated by Arthur Little, they know that the science is an important factor to many industries, but

in reality it is much more important than what they realize. One might say that chemistry is the

rock on which the church of modern business was built on. The products such as food, textiles,

oil, and really just about anything else a business might have stock in is reliant upon the

efficiency and safety brought by chemical sciences.

Speaking of foods, take just a moment to consider agriculture. There is a lot of chemistry

involved in the field, such as fertilizers and pesticides. Farms can improve the quality and
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quantity of their yields with the proper use of chemicals, and the equipment they use aren’t run

by magic. The good work of a chemical engineer can improve the tools used by our farmers and

ranchers in order to improve the food that makes it to our plates, and, as stated in the article “The

Place of Chemistry in Business”, agriculture is an important part of many businesses.

Arthur Little claimed that oil and steel are two icons of big business, and have been for

generations. These two industries are incredibly involved and, in fact, woven with the work of

chemical engineers. The extraction of oil, whether it be the machines used or the fracking fluid

pumped into wells, must be incredibly efficient in order to turn a lucrative profit. Purification of

the oil, and the transportation of the fuel, are also places in which mistakes are costly, and a good

chemical engineer can ensure everything runs smoothly. This holds true for the other fossil fuels

coal and natural gas. The creation of steel from iron and carbon is a delicate balance in order to

get the perfect metal, and this process has been refined for years, and continues to be improved

by chemical engineers.

While it is true that many existing industries may benefit from chemical engineering,

consider that there are industries being born from the improvement of the very science and others

like it. The biotech industry, according to the article “Come Hither, Biotech”, is still in its

infancy, but it offers much to the world should it pick up, improving agricultural yields and the

human standard of living. Many cities have already begun scrambling to get their foot in the

door of the biotech industry.

The same holds true as other chemical industries that biotechnology is likely to bleed into

other industries that as of now don’t see much of the science involved. Best put by Ronald

Wirtz, the advances seen in biotechnology have clear implications in certain fields like
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agriculture and pharmacy. There are those who don’t and won’t want too much biotechnology

getting involved with more traditional means of, let’s say, farming, however, as results continue

to improve, and global situations get more desperate, it is safer to bet into biotechnology than to

bet against it.

In the words of Ronald Wirtz, most of the advances that are coming with the advent of

biotechnology are still out there, waiting to be discovered. The seeds were planted by a few

discoveries, such as tissue engineering, but it is now up to scientists (such as chemical engineers)

to nurture the growth of these seeds into a forest of opportunity. This simple fact provides with

chemical engineers and other like-minded scientists much to work for and towards. While

speculation might be nice, some physical and monetary characteristics are important to consider

as well.

For one to seriously consider a career, one of the first things looked at is the income that

can be generated. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median pay in 2017 was

$102,160 annually, or about $49.12 an hour. Now, this is a median pay, so people first entering

the career can’t expect to be making six-digits, however, should they stay in the field and work

hard, these wages are not complete fantasy. Such a profit is fairly impressive when one

considers that the 2016 annual income for the United States was ​$59,039, so one could live quite

comfortably with the median income of a successful chemical engineer.

As with any career, chemical engineering has some staple elements that most who work

in the field can expect of their career. As stated on the Bureau of Labor Statistics website, they

will research manufacturing processes in order to develop new and improved methods. As well

as that, they may develop safety procedures for those who work with harmful chemicals, or
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troubleshoot problems in a manufacturing process for chemicals or that use chemicals. These are

just some of the tasks that a chemical engineer might find themselves doing.

There is of course a work environment one will have to get comfortable working in

should they choose to pursue such a career. Also stated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most

chemical engineers work in office or laboratory settings, sometimes industrial ones in order to

oversee the manufacturing process. Extensive travel may also be part of the package, travelling

from offices to worksites and so on. Chemical engineers may have to do a lot of sitting or

standing, often while working full time, possibly overtime. One must be able to meet these

challenges in order to be invested in such a career.

There are many practical applications for a chemical engineer and their expertise out in

the world, one of those being the development of a Smart Grid. According to chemical engineer

Temilola Famakinwa, Smart Grid development has roots in lowering emissions such as carbon

dioxide, which falls in the realm of chemical engineering. As the Smart Grid technology

changes and improves, chemical engineers are needed in order to make sure that the root goal is

kept as a satisfied driving factor. This is just one example of what a chemical engineer might

find themselves doing at some point in their work.

There are a few skills that a chemical engineer must have that are expressed in the Smart

Grid development. One of these is in the manufacturing process for the Smart Grid, like Ms.

Famakinwa does, as energy production and distribution requires both chemistry and engineering

in order to be efficient, but it also must be green if it is to truly meet the expectations placed on

it. Locations and machines used in this process may be designed by a chemical engineer. A
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more specific example may include energy storage technology, which is essential for a Smart

Grid, and in fact any grid.

This whole process is just a glimpse into what a chemical engineer may see when looking

at a potential or active project. An electrical engineer might look at this project and see energy

distribution and falloff, whereas someone from the city might look at the financial benefits and

drawbacks. A chemical engineer, as stated by Temilola Famakinwa will look at this problem

and see the chemistry involved, the reactions that must take place, and the products of those

reactions. In this case the reaction is used for energy production, and the product is pollutants

such as carbon dioxide. A chemical engineer will see where production can be more efficient,

and how distribution can be carried further, how storage can last longer. While this may not

have always been true, in today’s age of environmental science, a chemical engineer will find a

niche to fill in many more places, many more projects, both like and unlike this one.

After looking at these all of this information, I have learned a lot about the ins and outs of

chemical engineers and their careers. While it seems like it can be rewarding, such as a nice

salary, it certainly doesn’t come without its challenges, like long hours and the fact that you deal

with very dangerous chemicals. While I will forever be interested in the fields of chemical

science, I am still not one-hundred percent sure if this career is for me, but this information was

surely useful for figuring that out in the coming years, not just for me, but for any other person

who may be interested in a field of chemical sciences.

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Works Cited

Little, Arthur D. “The Place of Chemistry in Business.” ​Journal of Business Chemistry,​ vol. 6,

no. 2, May 2009, pp. 57–63. ​EBSCOhost​,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh&AN=39878180&site=ehost-live.

Wirtz, Ronald A. “Come Hither, Biotech.” ​Fedgazette​, vol. 15, no. 5, Sept. 2003, pp. 5–8.

EBSCOhost​,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh&AN=10846070&site=ehost-live.

“Chemical Engineers : Occupational Outlook Handbook.” ​U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,​ U.S.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2017,

www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/mobile/chemical-engineers.htm.

“Chemical Engineering.” ​Prospects.ac.uk​, Harper Adams University, Sept. 2018,

www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/what-can-i-do-with-my-degree/chemical-engineerin

g.

Famakinwa, Temilola. “The Role of Chemical Engineers in Smart Grid Development.” ​AIChE,​

15 Nov. 2018,

www.aiche.org/community/sites/committees/young-professionals/blog/role-chemical-eng

ineers-smart-grid-development.