Chemical and biochemical engineers play an important part in determining our standard of living and quality of life. Their activities are concerned with the efficient acquisition, use, reuse and ultimate disposal of our natural resources. They are highly sort by industry which is recognised by excellent starting salaries for newly qualified graduates; biochemical and chemical engineers starting salaries are second only to those of medics. Our courses are designed to meet the needs of 21st century process engineering with modules that build on established chemical engineering areas with application to health, food and the environment.
| Degree Name | Dip | BEng | MEng | MSc | MPhil | PhD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering | ||||||
| Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering with a year in Industry | ||||||
| Chemical and Biochemical Engineering | ||||||
| Chemical Engineering |
Welcome
The Chemical and Biological Process Engineering Department was established in 1955 (as Chemical Engineering), it is the only such Department within the University of Wales and is now incorporated in the School of Engineering. It was established in Swansea to support the variety of chemical process industries in south Wales. Departmental research now involves the use of new technology to advance process engineering in a number of important areas. The Department has a wide range of teaching activities at both the Undergraduate and Postgraduate levels and was the first in the UK to offer a first degree, Biochemical Engineering. The staff of the Department are also largely responsible for production of the 6 widely used volume series of text books, Coulson and Richardson's Chemical Engineering.
Our enthusiastic staff are committed to excellence in teaching and the modules are both stimulating and challenging with high academic standards in a modern student centred teaching and learning environment. Excellent rapport exists between the students and staff.
One of our major strengths is our close and extensive involvement with local, national and international engineering companies such as Acordis, Astra Zeneca, Avecia, BP Chemicals, Bulmers, Dow Corning, Nestle and Unilever (R & D).
Chemical and biochemical engineers play an important part in determining our standard of living and quality of life. Their activities effect chemical and physical changes to assist the acquisition, use, re-use and ultimate disposal of our natural resources.
In addition to its ‘Excellent’ teaching quality rating in the national Teaching Quality Assessment, Chemical Engineering at Swansea has been rated by the Guardian as having the best teaching in the country.
Our schemes provide a knowledge of physical, chemical and biological processes and encourage development of the analytical and creative skills necessary for the economic and safe design, safe operation and management of process facilities.
What is Chemical and Biological Process Engineering?
Most of the things which you use everyday, have probably been through some form of chemical or physical process on the way to you. If this did not happen you would not be able to make much use of it.
For example, TV sets, music systems and computers originally start out as resources of crude oil and minerals. From these, metals, semi-conductors, glass and plastics are produced, in quantity, by chemical engineering. These materials are passed to engineers of other disciplines to produce components for, and to assemble, the finished products as you see them and use them.
Practically everything that you keep in the fridge has also been through some kind of engineering process. Dairy produce and fruit juices have met with biochemical engineering. For example, live yogurt has the right kind of bacteria in it and fruit juice is very nutritious, despite the fact that it is probably produced from a concentrate. If there is any chocolate in the fridge, then this too is the result of some very well-controlled process engineering.
The fridge itself is a product of process engineering. It extends the ‘shelf life’ of food by holding it at temperatures where natural biological processes, such as the growth of fungi and bacteria, are almost at a standstill. This helps us to make better use of food we buy or grow and so we waste less of it. Much of this food stays refrigerated during transport and storage in shops and supermarkets. Whatever items you use in the bathroom (soap, shampoo, shower gel, toothpaste) there is a good chance that this too has been engineered.
Whether you read this information on paper or on some type of display screen, chemical engineering has helped to make these media.
These are just a few examples - see how many others you can think of.
Latest news
- In the national research assessment (RAE, Dec 2008) staff of the Chemical and Biological Process Engineering discipline as part of the Multidisciplinary Nanotechnology Centre came 5th in the UK (out of 56) within the General Engineering category. We chose to be assessed as part of General Engineering to reflect the interdisciplinary research that the discipline’s staff undertake. An approach that is recognised as essential for 21st century chemical and biochemical engineering. This is great news for the Chemical and Biological Process engineering courses as we use our research to maintain our modern portfolio of lecture modules.
- All undergraduate and MSc courses reaccredited for another 5 years by the Institution of Chemical Engineers ( IChemE)
- The innovations to the second year pilot plant activities have proved a tremendous success with student teams building process plant modules that then assemble into a complete process stream.
- Press release: Staff and ex students from Swansea Chemical and Biological Process Engineering recently won an award from the Institution of Chemical Engineers for innovative bioprocess engineering Haemair win IChemE Bioprocess Innovation Award with device for patients with deficient lungs.
