Chemistry investigates the background of the science encompassing aspects of; organic, inorganic, analytical, physical, and bio-chemistry. Chemical engineering is more multidisciplinary and practical, applying engineering science to problems relating to heat transfer, fluid dynamics, equipment design etc. Whilst chemists will focus on developing novel materials and processes, chemical engineers focus on turning these new ideas and discoveries into useful products that are attainable.
A lot of work falls into the design, construction and operation of plants and machinery, focussing on making products for profit and on a scale that is accessible to the many. An increasing focus for chemical engineers is supporting the development of new technologies to, for example, support the energy transition and make best use of available resources.
Penicillin is a good example; a chemist had found the molecule in a lab, but it is only thanks to chemical engineers that the process whereby penicillin could be manufactured at scale was developed. A more recent example of this is the large scale roll out of COVID vaccines.
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