Sustainable Solutions
This process converts used plastics into fuel or new materials.
Chemical recycling or upcycling
This element is essential to all life and forms the backbone of organic molecules.
Carbon
Chemical engineers help astronauts by producing this from ice on Mars.
Water
Chemical engineers create these mixtures of oil and water in skincare and food.
Emulsions
This process helps engineers create energy-efficient building materials, electronics, and batteries.
Materials engineering
This gas is a major contributor to climate change and is captured in carbon sequestration.
Carbon dioxide (CO₂)
Used in semiconductors, this element has properties of both metals and nonmetals.
Silicon
Engineers can generate this fuel by combining hydrogen and oxygen.
Rocket fuel or liquid water-derived fuel
This fatty compound is used in lip balms to hold its shape.
Beeswax
Chemical engineers work with this industry to remove pollutants from exhaust gases.
Automotive industry
This term describes designing products with minimal environmental impact from start to finish.
Sustainable engineering or green chemistry
This group of elements is highly reactive with water and includes sodium and potassium.
Alkali metals
To support long-term missions, engineers are designing closed-loop systems for this.
Life support or resource recovery
This type of testing determines how a product performs under UV exposure.
Photostability testing
Designing safe manufacturing processes to prevent explosions and leaks falls under this specialty.
Process safety engineering
Engineers use this process to remove harmful substances from wastewater.
Water treatment or filtration
These two gases make up water and can be separated by electrolysis.
Hydrogen and oxygen
These tiny structures could one day deliver medicine in microgravity environments.
Nanoparticles or nanobots
Shelf-life studies test this, a product's resistance to time and environment.
Stability
Engineers often use this type of software to simulate chemical processes before real-world testing.
Process modeling software (like Aspen or HYSYS)
Artificial photosynthesis mimics this natural process to produce fuels.
Photosynthesis
The atomic number tells you this about an atom.
The number of protons
This gas is abundant on Mars and could be used to make fuel via the Sabatier reaction.
Carbon dioxide
Engineers use this technique to ensure even distribution of active ingredients.
Homogenization or mixing
This growing field of ChemE involves engineering living cells to produce medicines and materials.
Biochemical or bioengineering