During our sophomore year in university, I had minute thoughts about our decision to study chemical engineering.
- I’m sure this is common for students of any major.
American model, actress, plus TV personality Cindy Crawford once studied chemical engineering at Northwestern University, but he dropped out to pursue another career. I would have done the same had I possessed his “qualifications”. Instead, I stuck it out plus went on to a rather moderate career in our chosen field. One industry where chemical engineers are often ignored is Heating plus Air Conditioning, however mechanical plus electrical engineers get the bulk of the credit but without chemistry, Heating plus Air Conditioning could not exist. They are responsible for plastics, the development of fuels that power the electrical grid, and, of course, the refrigerants that are the “lifeblood” of any Heating plus Air Conditioning system. The role of chemical engineering in Heating plus Air Conditioning is also an example of how problems caused by particular chemicals will be solved by the use of a replacement chemical. In 1928 chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) replaced toxic plus explosive refrigerants adore ammonia plus propane used in early A/C units. By the 1969s the danger of CFCs to the Earth’s ozone layer was discovered, then undoubtedly, chemical engineers were involved in the phase-out of CFCs plus the phase-in of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) that eliminated the troublesome chlorine component. Unfortunately, HFCs have a high global warming potential due to their carbon content. The replacement for HFCs may be hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs), a member of a group of chemicals known as unsaturated organic compounds. It still contains carbon so research is continuing on other refrigerants that will not add carbon dioxide (CO2) to the atmosphere. Ironically, the ultimate refrigerant may be CO2 itself, it already exists so it cannot add more to the atmosphere. I wonder if Cindy Crawford is aware of that.