Prompt 7 : Contemplating Controversy

Written by : Seungyeon Lee

Common pros about chemical engineering

1. Sources made of chemically are essential in human life.
Sources such as, oil, chemical materials, are essential in human life that it is impossible for us to live without them. People these days are very dependent on those chemical materials or energy sources like crude oil and coal. 

2. Chemical energy sources are easy to deal with and efficient. 
While other energy sources are hard to combust itself, chemical energy can combust itself easily. Combustion depends on the oxygen. Especially chemical energy sources has the highest efficiency of combustion which can allow to combust efficiently while other resources would not. Therefore, chemical energy can also be used for vehicle engine since it holds great amount of efficiency when used, which can save the energy than other sources.

3. It helps society and environment. 
Chemical energy is not only making products that are useful to people, they nowadays consider the environment so that when producing several products those won't harm environment too much.

Common cons about chemical engineering

1. It affects the environment. 
When producing materials, it pollutes the air and affects the environment. According to GreenGarbage blog, chemical energy is derived from organic materials. Therefore,  it is more likely that the organic materials contributes to environment pollution.

2. It comes with a high cost. 
Another disadvantage about chemical engineering is that most of the product they produce cost a lot of money. For example, nuclear power plants needs five to ten years to be produced. Therefore, it needs a lot of time and money to be proceeded and to be made.

3. They are non-replaceable.
Most sources made with chemical energy cannot be reused. Not only it is hard to dispose of properly, but also since it cannot be reused, it will be just remained as a waste. Therefore, even though things produced are essential for human's daily life, it is same as producing the waste that is hard to be replaced with any other thing than remaining itself as a trash.

Works cited : Greengarageblogadmin. "11 Core Advantages and Disadvantages of Chemical Energy." Green Garage. N.p., 10 June 2015. Web. 24 Mar.2017.

Challenges Chemical Engineers in US face

Written by Seungyeon Lee

There is no doubt that the field of engineering faces problems. For example there are several problems that chemical engineers face. 

First, is competition; China is not only the biggest competitor with U.S. but also with all other countries. It is because manufacturing chemicals in China is much cheaper than any other country, and the output generated from China is at least double the size of most other countries' outputs. This enlarged production rate makes China the biggest manufacturing country. 

Second, environmental issues; whenever chemical engineers produce something, wastes are produced as well. These wastes often cause damage to the environment. Although there are strict laws to protect this issue, it is the engineer's job to minimize harmful waste. Therefore, it is important to figure out the ways they can produce the same thing in environmentally friendly ways. 

Cleaning Up Oil Spills

By Callaghan TysonMayer

If there was one thing about environmental engineering that interested me the most it would be cleaning up oil spills. This is a fascinating process because it is a serious problem that contaminates our oceans, and most people have no idea how a team would go about cleaning up an oil spill.

University of Delaware says there are 4 possible ways to clean up an oil spill:
The first is to leave the oil alone and wait for it to break down by natural means. This method can only be used on small spills that are not near coastal regions or marine industries.

The second option is to contain the spill with booms and collect it from the surface of the water using a skimmer. There are several different types of booms that can be used, but the most common are made of solid buoyant material that rise a meter above the water line. Because spilt oil creates a layer that is only a few millimeters thick, it stays on the top of the water so when a skimming device coasts across the top of the water, it can be sucked up. This method does not work in high winds or high seas.

The third option is to use dispersants to break up the oil, which speeds up the natural break down. Dispersants work by reducing the surface tension to stop the oil from mixing into the water. Dispersants can only be used in specific environments; ocean-life would be negatively affected and the spill must be young (1-2 hours).

The final process is to introduce biological agents that will speed up biodegradation. By introducing certain nutrients (usually nitrogen and phosphorus), the components of the oil can be broken down into fatty acids and carbon dioxide. This method can only be used in certain weather conditions.

Source: https://www.ceoe.udel.edu/oilspill/cleanup.html
Picture: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwj17ba2konTAhWH5oMKHXk_CuAQjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insightsonindia.com%2F2017%2F02%2F04%2Finsights-editorial-tarred-oil-spill%2F&psig=AFQjCNGh2uPzWClvk_eLOczVeLepTapNcg&ust=1491338348318947

Prompt 6: Evaluating Sources

Written By: Adam Tarrant

Prompt #6

          All over the world, whether it’s on the internet or in a dusty library, there are many resources people can use to find out more about their field of study. Why Buildings Stand Up by Mario Salvadori executes this method perfectly.

          This book has assured me I didn’t make a mistake going into Civil Engineering.

It is about various types of structures, such as apartment blocks, bridges and famous landmarks, and the construction techniques that allow them to stand up.

          Salvadori first runs the reader through basic mechanics, such as beams, columns, arches and catenaries. Which are the basic Structural Mechanics concepts which are common to all engineering fields.      

            

          Followed with detailed explanations of the engineering and construction techniques behind world famous buildings such as the Eiffel Tower and the Brooklyn Bridge.

         The book is punctuated by anecdotes about the history of the buildings (such as the story of the under-strength steel for the Brooklyn Bridge) and the most incredible sketches that illustrate the content beautifully.

          This book is primarily Civil and Structural Engineering but there is also much to appreciate from the Mechanical or Chemical Engineer. It is also very accessible to the general reader.

          The author illustrates how impressive and beautiful engineering can be, in effort to draw aspiring students into the field of engineering. I’d say it was successful.

source: https://civiltechnocrats.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/92651872-3856-whybuildingsstandup.pdf