Lesson 2

- Written comprehension

What is Chemical Engineering?

Chemical engineering is the study and practice of transforming raw materials into products,
which improve our quality of life. Chemical engineers are traditionally Process Engineers
who have the mission of transposing chemistry from the laboratory scale to the industrial
scale, allowing mass production of basic chemicals and consumer products. The activity of
chemical engineers, just to mention a few examples, relates directly or indirectly to : the
quality of the water that comes out of our taps, the cosmetic and hygiene products which we
use everyday, the food and drinks we ingest, the medications we take when we are ill, the fuel
that allows cars to work, the paper which we use all the time, and also paints, ceramics,
glasses, plastics and textiles used in our houses.

Chemical engineering focuses on the design, development, sizing and improvement of

chemical processes and products. This includes techno-economic analysis, operation, control
and management of industrial units where those processes are carried out, as well as research
and training in those areas. Traditionally, and for a large part of the 20th century, chemical
engineering was tightly connected to the development of petrochemistry. Nowadays, it is well
recognised that chemical engineering has the capacity to perform in the most varied fields, in
response to new social, economic and technological challenges. A 1988 report known as the
“New frontiers of chemical engineering” has formally opened the doors of chemical
engineering to the areas of environment, biology, materials and electronics, among others.
Thus, Chemical Engineering takes on, once again, a crucial role in the quality of our lives and
as a powerful engine for a sustainable development.

- Use the yellow highlighted words in new sentences.

- What is the main idea in the text?
- Give a title to the below figure 1.

Figure 1

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Pronouciation
- Chemical /ˈkem.ɪ.kəl/
- Engineering /ˌen.dʒɪˈnɪə.rɪŋ/?
- Hygiene /ˈhaɪ.dʒiːn/

‐ Oral comprehension
Listen at least three times to the following video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E21KUPi2sMI

The text of the video is below:

Chemical Engineering describes the process of converting one material to another to produce
essential everyday products. It is a truly interdisciplinary and wide-ranging field. It includes
producing lifesaving pharmaceuticals and vaccines, developing new biodegradable and
recyclable plastics, and creating materials for groundbreaking new electronics, batteries and
solar cells.

As an important part of developing recycling processes, clean energy production and

sustainable manufacturing, chemical engineering also helps us, become a cleaner and greener
society.

Chemical engineers really do work at the interface between chemistry, biology, physics and
mathematics. They are problem solvers, bringing ideas to life to help create a cleaner
environment, develop vital new products and improve our quality of life, and they don't just
work at the laboratory bench. Their processes are scaled up for commercial use in industry,
ready for practical application in the real world. The materials and products they create impact
every industry.

Early chemical engineering included the upscaling of antibiotic production to an industrial

level during World War 2, the production of ammonia for fertilizers, and the development of
polymer science, which forms the basis of our plastic industry. While chemical Engineering
had its foundation in the petrolium processing, it's now so much more than that. At NYU
Tandon School of Engineering, our major in chemical and biomolecular engineering covers
a broad spectrum of different chemical engineering fields that address 21st century
challenges.

Sustainable chemical energy will play a key role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and
building an environmentally friendly future. Developing next generation solar cells, hydrogen
fuel cells and batteries for energy storage is a focus of research at NYU. Reliable alternatives
for generating renewable energy and connected storage systems will be the requirement for
humanities Greener future.

Our curriculum also provides an opportunity to study the role of chemical engineering in the
healthcare industry. The biotechnology field and the processes that use living organisms and
enzymes to create pharmaceuticals and vaccines rely on chemical engineers for their large
scale development and production. Materials is another key emphasis at NYU, as chemical
engineers are at the heart of producing new semiconductors, nanomaterials and materials for
microelectronics. Developing sustainable manufacturing processes for everyday chemicals

2
such as detergents and cosmetics, as well as wastewater treatment and pollution reduction,
are key roles for chemical engineers.

In fact, chemical engineers can be employed in almost every major industrial field, and our
graduates often move on to further degrees in law and medical schools, proving just how
important chemical engineers are to society.

Explore our department and learn more about the chemical and biomolecular engineering
major at NYU Tandon School of Engineering.

‐ Oral expression
- Read the text aloud.
- Repeat the pronunciation of yellow highlighted words.
- What did you understand from the video?
- What are the main different keywords?

- Written expression
Write three sentences in which you describe the different applications of chemical
engineering.

- Scientific vocabulary
English French
ammonia ammoniac
almost presque
allow, allowing permettre, permettant
bring, bringing apporter, apportant
built, building construit, construisant
bench, laboratory bench banc, paillasse de laboratoire
carry out effectuer
consume, consumer consommer, consommateur
connect connecter
come out sortir
challenge défi
emphasis, emphasize accent, mettre l’accent
explore explorer
employ employer
fertilizer engrais
foundation fondation
focus se concentrer
formally officiellement
ground-breaking révolutionnaire
greenhouse serre
hygiene hygiène
healthcare soins de santé
heart cœur
in fact en fait
3
impact impact
ingest ingérer
improve améliorer
interdisciplinary interdisciplinaire
just to mention juste pour mentionner
key clé
lifesaving sauver des vies
opportunity opportunité
paints des peintures
powerful engine moteur puissant
provide fournir
raw brut
relate se rapporter
rely compter sur
reliable fiable
requirement exigence
recognise reconnaitre
scale échelle
scale up augmenter
sizing dimensionnement
spectrum, spectra Spectre, spectres
sustainable durable
solver, problem solvers solveur, résolveurs de problèmes
tap robinet
transpose transposer
tightly fermement
take on prendre en charge
vital vital
wide-ranging vaste gamme