A chemical engineering viewpoint on the environment

David Brown

Dr David Brown, formerly head of the UK Technology and Innovation Management practice at Arthur D Little, took up the position of IChemE Chief Executive Officer in late 2006. After achieving a double first in Natural Sciences and a PhD in Materials Science at the University of Cambridge, Brown spent ten years at ICI plc, working in chemicals, materials and biotechnology businesses. He subsequently joined the University of Warwick in 1992 to run a business unit. During this time, he collaborated closely with commerce and government on innovation, environment and international economic development, before moving to Arthur D. Little in 1997. He has been instrumental in a variety of R&D and knowledge transfer organisations, and devised the concept of regional Science and Technology Councils. Dr Brown is recognised for his expertise on innovation alliances and partnerships between public and private sectors. He has over 20 years experience of linking research with commerce, and currently serves on the Business and Industry panel of the Engineering and Technology Board. He is a Chartered Physicist and a Fellow of the UK Institute of Physics.

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The impact of climate change is high on the news agenda. The rising cost of food and fuel, changing weather patterns, and concern about our long-term energy supplies are just some of the recurring themes. All too often, they surface as ‘scare stories’. It would be easy to believe that we're all doomed and the future predicted by some—that by 2040 much of Europe will be Saharan; and parts of London will be under water—is inevitable. But this isn't a viewpoint shared by the chemical engineering community. Despite the magnitude of the problem and the challenge of securing political support for urgent action, we remain optimistic.

Last year IChemE completed its Technical Strategy: A Roadmap for 21st Century Chemical Engineering. Published following consultation with many of our 28 000+ members across 120 countries, the Roadmap (download the IChemE Technical Roadmap at http://www.icheme.org/technicalroadmap) outlines IChemE's stance on six key themes: Sustainability and Sustainable Chemical Technology; Health, Safety, Environment and Public Perception of Risk; Energy—Securing Reliable and Affordable Supplies in the Near Term; Food and Drink; Water; and Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering.

Chemical Engineers accept that the planet is changing. We must adapt to these changes and ensure that industry is both responsible and rewarded for implementing sustainable business practices. We must also take responsibility as individuals. At IChemE, like the RSC, we actively promote the ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ mantra, to our members and stakeholders as well as within our offices. Our Technical Strategy identified that access to energy, clean water, food and healthcare provides the prime indicators of quality of life. Energy is a prime driver of improvements in the other quality indicators and to raise its per capita consumption across the world to European levels (less than half US levels) would still require a doubling of current consumption, rising to a threefold increase if projected population growth is factored in.

Currently over 80% of world energy is generated from fossil fuels. The planet cannot sustain the emissions currently arising from this level of use, even if the reserves exist. With that in mind, IChemE supports the more rapid pursuit of a global energy policy based on using non-fossil primary energy sources, such as nuclear, including fusion in the longer term, and renewables, including solar and geothermal, coupled with the development of hydrogen and other options, as energy carriers—and crucially, the urgent development and large-scale implementation of carbon capture and sequestration technologies.

Chemical Engineers are problem-solvers and many of the technologies mentioned here have already been successfully implemented by chemical engineers—albeit often on a smaller scale. Earlier this year, chemical engineers at Birmingham University unveiled the UK's first hydrogen filling station. The University's fleet of on-campus vehicles is hydrogen fuelled—emitting nothing more sinister than water.

Elsewhere, Carbon8—a process that uses Accelerated Carbonation Technology (ACT) to turn everyday rubbish from landfill into building materials, such as bricks—draws upon the expertise of the chemical engineering community. Winner of the IChemE Green Technology Award in 2006, Carbon8 also won the Shell Springboard competition earlier this year. ACT uses carbon dioxide to produce materials that can be re-used (or disposed of more cheaply), and with significantly shorter treatment times than traditional methods. The compelling environmental feature of the process is that it can capture significant volumes of CO₂.

But to upscale projects like these, introducing them as part of a national—and eventually international—framework takes time, investment and more chemical engineers and scientists. Last year, a record number of students chose to begin studying chemical engineering at undergraduate level in UK universities. However further growth will be restricted because many UK chemical engineering departments are at full capacity. Only more investment by both Government and Industry will allow existing departments to expand and new ones to be established.

However, learning shouldn't be restricted to classrooms and lecture theatres. Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is something we strongly encourage our members to pursue. Indeed, we have a section of our website dedicated to CPD and a toolkit designed to support them along the way. Learning from fellow professionals and other disciplines within the science and engineering community is one of my own preferred methods of problem-solving and generating new ideas. At IChemE, like the RSC, we publish our own quartet of peer-reviewed research journals, and we are well aware of the important role that journal publishing plays in the dissemination of knowledge and expertise.

On that note, on behalf of the Institution, I offer my congratulations to the editorial team and readers of the Journal of Environmental Monitoring on reaching your 10th anniversary and wish you support in addressing the many challenges that face the environmental sector. Communication is key and if we are to retain a sense of balance, we rely on the media to publish objective and intelligent reporting about the challenges we face and the solutions on offer. Yes, there are difficult times ahead but these are challenges we can overcome. And despite the doomsayers, come 2040, I hope, as well as being healthy and happily retired, I'll still be able to travel around our capital by car, rather than canoe!

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