Role of chemical engineers in the 21st century: leading global transformation through technological innovation and sustainability

Abstract

Chemical engineering is positioned as a key discipline to face the global challenges in sustainability and technological development in the coming decades. Its contribution will be fundamental in strategic areas such as sustainability, circular economy, nanotechnology, energy transition and molecular biology. Chemical engineers will lead the design of more efficient and sustainable industrial processes, reducing resource consumption and minimizing emissions; through the circular economy, they will promote technologies to recycle, reuse and valorize waste materials, promoting industrial systems that mean factual production cycles. Through synergistic work with nanotechnology and molecular engineering, chemical engineering will allow the creation of advanced materials and devices with innovative properties, applicable in energy, medicine, chemistry and environmental sciences which will face significant challenges such as environmental remediation, universal access to water, CO₂ capture and the promotion of clean energy. In order to promote the energy transition, chemical engineering will develop technologies to produce, store and use renewable energy, such as fuel cells, advanced batteries and biofuels. Integration with molecular biology will transform chemical engineering, allowing the design of bioprocesses and biofactories based on genetically modified microorganisms to produce medicines, bioplastics and functional foods, promoting sustainable solutions in health and nutrition. In summary, chemical engineering will be a driving force of innovation that will merge science, technology and sustainability, enacting a new paradigm in the construction of a socially more equitable and an environmental-friendly future.