Chemical engineering involves the application of chemistry, physics, and biology to produce materials and energy.
1.
Alkali Production (1800 BCE)- Purpose: Used in ancient Egypt for soap making.
- Category: Industrial chemistry.
2.
Soda Ash Process (1791 CE)- Inventor: Nicolas Leblanc.
- Purpose: Industrial production of sodium carbonate (soda ash), used in glass and soap manufacturing.
- Category: Chemical process.
3.
Fractional Distillation (Mid-19th Century)- Purpose: Separation of crude oil into components, leading to the modern petroleum industry.
- Category: Petrochemical.
4.
Haber Process (1909 CE)- Inventor: Fritz Haber.
- Purpose: Industrial production of ammonia for fertilizers, revolutionizing agriculture.
- Category: Chemical process.
5.
Polyethylene (1933 CE)- Inventors: Reginald Gibson and Eric Fawcett.
- Purpose: One of the most commonly used plastics, essential in packaging and manufacturing.
- Category: Polymer chemistry.
6.
Nylon (1935 CE)- Inventor: Wallace Carothers (DuPont).
- Purpose: The first synthetic fiber, widely used in textiles and industry.
- Category: Polymer chemistry.
7.
Catalytic Cracking (1937 CE)- Purpose: Improved process for refining petroleum into fuels and chemicals.
- Category: Petrochemical.
8.
Recombinant DNA Technology (1973 CE)- Inventors: Herbert Boyer and Stanley Cohen.
- Purpose: Pioneering genetic engineering method for producing pharmaceuticals like insulin.
- Category: Biochemical engineering.
9.
Lithium-ion Battery (1980s CE)- Inventor: John Goodenough, Stanley Whittingham, Akira Yoshino.
- Purpose: Rechargeable batteries used in portable electronics and electric vehicles.
- Category: Electrochemical.
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