Sustainability & Environment

Celebrate Earth Day 2020 with interviews and resources focused on chemical engineers' efforts to improve the environment. 

This month, a look at dual-dividing-wall columns, steps to improve disaster preparedness, controlling nitrogen and phosphorus in wastewater, and much more.

Senior research scientist Mai Uibu tells us about her upcoming talk at ACEME 2020 and shares recommendations for visitors to Tallinn, Estonia. 

A new and inexpensive catalyst makes it possible to generate hydrogen through water splitting, providing an effective means of storage for renewable energy.

Meet this environmental process design engineer and hear about his path to the profession, plus learn what he ranks among the top career challenges for process engineers.

Catch up on the latest podcasts, which feature fascinating conversations with chemical engineers from Covestro and Berkeley National Lab.

Quick and cheap graphene that's created from trash has the potential to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions that result from the production of cement.

See what chemical engineering content was the hottest and most-discussed over the last two months.

What will it take to make diets around the world healthy, sustainable, and equitable? And how can chemical engineers contribute to solutions?

Synthetic biology, and particularly advances in metabolic engineering, show strong promise for personalized therapeutics, sustainable biofuels and textiles, animal-free meat, and many new and sustainable products.

Up on the latest happenings and events? Catch up on conference highlights, top Engage discussions, most popular content, and more.

Chemical engineers are helping to reformulate cosmetics and revamp their packaging to make them more sustainable and environmentally friendly.

October 8th (10/08) was chosen in reference to the atomic weight of hydrogen, 1.008.

Madhu Khanna discusses cellulosic biofuels, their economic and sustainability benefits and tradeoffs, and what's needed to see cellulosic biofuels thrive.

Water purification using cactus? Hear how these chemical engineering students took advantage of a local and renewable resource to help improve lives in a community.

Hear about the daily work life of Ryan Mowers, an industrial sales engineer at The Kahl Company.

Hear from conference co-chair Piet Huizenga about what you can expect from the very first Process Development Symposium Europe.

Fuel cells continue to be a hot topic, and as hydrogen fuel cell technology advances, we are also seeing fuel cell alternatives.

Researchers have found a compound derived from cashew shells that offers UV-absorbing properties with many applications.

Know anything about wastewater pre-chlorination? Suggestions for the top-10 books for ChemE beginners? Questions of your own? Chime in!

Food waste is a problem most nations have yet to solve, but Singapore has taken a number of important steps others can learn from to make food waste more sustainable.

Read about Rasika's career path and about her fascinating work in computer modeling and simulations at OLI Systems, Inc.

Jeff Erikson of the Global CCS Institute shares thoughts on top trends in carbon management and discusses goals for the Carbon Management Technology Conference.

Raymond Tan shares his perspective on the greatest environmental challenges and discusses what we can expect from the upcoming ICOSSE conference.

This month, a look at chemical engineering in the food industry, along with tips for industrial insulation, dealing with vapor-phase idealities in chemical process simulations, and more.

Hydrogen fuel cell technology continues to advance and show great promise. Sunita Satyapal of the US DOE discusses advances with Nick Barilo of AIChE's Center for Hydrogen Safety.

Dow's R&D Director for Industrial Solutions shares a preview of the upcoming 2019 Process Development Symposium, where he will deliver the keynote address.

Much like New Year’s, spring is a time many of us resolve to improve.

On April 2, AIChE formally unveiled its new Center for Hydrogen Safety with a slate of sessions held at the 2019 AIChE Spring Meeting and Global Congress on Process Safety in New Orleans, LA.

Sharon Beshouri, President of Shell Global Solutions (U.S.), Inc., has received the American Institute of Chemical Engineers’ (AIChE) Government and Industry Leaders (AGILE) Award. She set the stage for the conference with her welcome keynote lecture entitled “Embracing Transitions Today: Assuring a Robust Future Tomorrow.”

Hear Smita's take on how microbial fermentation stands to change the world's future, and learn more about her upcoming talk in Los Angeles.

From the development of pigments and dyes, to production scaleup, chemical engineers have lots to contribute to R&D in the garment and textile industries.

Chemical engineer is awarded patent for carbon dioxide capture at the age of 101.

Join us for a detailed look into meat alternatives for a healthier environment.

Researchers have devised a method for creating a polymer from marine microorganisms that completely recycles into organic waste. What’s more, the process itself has a very low environmental impact.

Watch a discussion on the future of energy.

This issue, learn how to give a great presentation, look at top chemE's predictions for the future of the profession, delve into deep learning, and much more.

Being able to perceive and interpret feelings in yourself and others is an important skill that can set you up for success in your professional career and personal life.

The International Energy Agency reports that energy-related emissions totaled 32.5 gigatons in 2017, an increase of 1.4% from the previous year.

As part of our celebration of AIChE's 110th year, Vicky Lange, a postdoctoral research associate at University College London, shares her predictions for chemical engineering's next 25 years.

As part of our celebration of AIChE's 110th year, Pat McGrath of ARPA-E shares his predictions for chemical engineering's next 25 years.

This series looks at the future of chemical engineering, revisiting past predictions for the profession and pairing them with current predictions for the next 25 years.

Water is one of the most important resources in the chemical process industries (CPI), presenting both opportunities as well as compliance obligations.

Air temperature is no longer a significant factor for electric-car charging, thanks to new battery technology.

A detailed look into the first of two workshops on hurricane disaster relief and resiliency.

The AIChE PAIC’s Climate Change Policy Review Project team is now hosting its sixth and final discussion.

Following his welcoming keynote for the 14th GCPS Welcome Plenary Session, Michael Graff discussed main themes of his talk "Process Safety for a Sustainable World."

Participate in this discussion on validity of projections.

AIChE member Wendy Young spoke with us for a few minutes at a recent conference to speak with us about some of the topics on her mind as a chemical engineer.

Wind energy can now be more sustainable than ever, thanks to recyclable resin with low-energy production requirements.

A host of innovations across a wide range of areas show potential for a brighter future. Read more about them here.

A microbe's ability to ingest methane opens the doors for potentially producing various product precursors in an environmentally friendly way.