Chemical engineering studies the industrial steps and processes to treat raw materials so that they become products.

At the same time, environmental consciousness, economic and management skills, engineering principles, philosophy and scientific knowledge have to be recognised.

Opportunities for studies into chemical engineering in Western Australia include:

• energy and environment, cheap and clean power
• high-temperature manufacturing
• waste management, emission control
• petroleum and petrochemicals
• chemical manufacturing
• minerals processing and metallurgy
• biochemical and food engineering
• sustainable development.

Research activites

Biochar

At UWA, the manufacture of Biochar, a fine-grained charcoal high in organic carbon, is part of the second generation biofuel production technology. It uses low temperature catalysed pyrolysis of a variety of organic material.

We have research expertise in biochar production in:

• feedstock sources
• pyrolysis product uses
• biochar based value added products and processes
• reactor selection and design.

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Direct gas-to-liquid technologies

The Centre for Petroleum, Fuels and Energy researches methods for direct gas-to-liquid fuel conversion, which has significant implications in the utilisation of stranded natural gas resources.

The Centre is studying an alternative approach to integrate non-thermal plasma and catalyst to facilitate conversion to ethanol of natural gas, steam and CO₂ with hydrogen as the by-product. 

Emulsion prediction in crude oil production

For the producers and processors of hydrocarbon fluids, emulsions of crude oil and formation water often cause serious problems that require expensive solutions.

Our research has shown a very strong correlation of emulsion formation tendencies of oils to the amount of this new class of compounds present in crude oils. This could have a great impact on oil producers as they would be able to more accurately predict the emulsion formation tendencies of oils and determine what treatment if any was required before production.

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