ABSTRACT
Chemical engineering deals with the transformation of chemicals from one form (raw materials which are renewable and non-renewable resources) to another form (products), which is useful to man for meeting the requirements of comfortable living. This process of accomplishing the transformation from raw material form to product form invariably leads to the generation of some unwanted side products (pollutants) and depletion of renewable and non-renewable resources. The demand for useful chemical products (such as cement, sugar, pulp and paper, pharmaceuticals, petroleum and petrochemicals, etc.) is ever growing with a rising population and afuent living standards driven by economic growth. By 2025, the production capacity of chemicals in Asia alone, which is the most populous region on the earth, is expected to increase by ve to six times its capacity in 2000. This will result in faster consumption of natural resources such as fossil fuel and fresh water and steeper rise in the levels of pollution in the environment. The long-term and short-term impact of this on the environment, if left unchecked, has the potential to threaten the very existence of life on earth.
