South Africa generates approximately 50 million tonnes of general waste a year including large amounts of plastic that pollutes the environment and especially our oceans. Chemical engineering concerns the processing of materials through chemical techniques and have a big role to play to assist in finding ways of processing waste into useful materials and products.
Chemical engineers collaborate with chemists, biochemists and other engineers, scientists and technicians. They mostly work in offices and laboratories and sometimes work onsite at industrial plants or factories in hazardous conditions with chemicals.
Chemical engineers must have a thorough understanding of chemistry and chemical processing principles and be proficient with popular engineering software and automated chemical equipment. They will also benefit from:
Perform tests through the stages of production
Specify chemical production methods, materials and quality standards
Design chemical plant equipment and devise new chemical processes
Perform laboratory studies in the manufacture of new products and test proposed processes
B.Sc.Eng. in Chemical Engineering at UCT and Wits
B.Eng. in Chemical Engineering at NWU, SU, UKZN and UP
Diploma, Advanced Diploma, M.Tech in Chemical Engineering at CPUT, DUT, MUT, TUT, UJ, UNISA and VUT
National, provincial and local government.
Chemical process companies.
Design and construction organisations.
NGOs, development organisations and private consultancies.
Research institutions.
