Chemical and Biochemical Engineering

The department's instructional laboratories for chemical engineering majors contain numerous modern analytical instruments and process engineering apparatus. Most equipment, such as the computer-coupled, closed-loop, continuous-flow distillation unit, features advanced microprocessor design, representing the state-of-the-art in automation. The department also maintains its own personal computer laboratory. This facility, which is conveniently located within the department's laboratory complex, contains 18 Dell Pentium 4 computers. The PC laboratory also has two Hewlett-Packard LaserJet printers and plotters, a local area network, and extensive software for problem solving. The facility also provides ready access to the Rutgers network.

As a special feature, the department's research equipment is available for students in the James J. Slade Scholars Program. The impetus for this unique offering stems from the department's strong commitment to graduate research and its active involvement with sponsored research projects at the university and state high-tech centers. Research is in such areas as biotechnology, process system engineering, fiber optics, kinetics and catalysis, polymer science and engineering, and pharmaceutical engineering, among others.

The department's major instructional laboratories include a chemical-process engineering laboratory, a biochemical engineering laboratory, laboratories for the study of polymer processes and materials, and pharmaceutical engineering laboratories. The chemical-process engineering laboratory is devoted to the study of chemical reactions and physical phase separations for multicomponent systems. Typical apparatus includes distillation, gas absorption, liquid extraction, wiped-film evaporation, falling-film evaporation, and computer-coupled process control units. Special devices are used for the study of fluid flow in pipe systems and heat transfer in heat exchangers. Analyses of changes in chemical compositions are aided by gas chromatographs, UV and IR spectrophotometers, refractometers, and many other modern analytical instruments.

The department's biochemical engineering laboratory is devoted to the study of biochemical engineering processes and the detection and separation of biospecies resulting from these bioprocesses. Specific experiments in enzyme and fermentation kinetics, for batch and continuous systems, are provided. This fully equipped biolaboratory contains a wide range of analytical instruments and specialized devices, including a Pharmacia Fine-Chemicals microprocessor-controlled and automated liquid chromatograph analyzer, and a computer-coupled BIOFLOW III fermentor system. A modern pilot-scale fermentation facility, located at the Waksman Institute of Microbiology, is used in conjunction with department facilities to provide excellent practical experience for students in the biochemical option. Also, a fully equipped immunotechnology laboratory for specialized experiments concerned with monoclonal antibody production, identification, and purification is open for use by select groups of students in the James J. Slade Honors Program.

The polymer electroprocessing laboratory is a unique facility directed toward the study of structure/electroprocessing/properties. It contains a wide array of equipment used to provide diverse thermal, mechanical, and electric field histories. These include hydraulic presses and film drawing devices; computer-controlled current density compared with electric field measurement systems for the study of ferroelectric polymers; a "Rheolograph Solid" (Toyo Seiki), a computer-controlled, state-of-the-art apparatus for measuring the piezoelectric, dielectric, and dynamic mechanical response of polymers as functions of temperature and frequency; a DSC and FTIR; and a wide array of X-ray diffraction equipment. The ion-containing polymer characterization laboratory contains various equipment, especially for light scattering and mechanical testing. Light scattering instruments include low-angle light scattering, wide-angle and dynamic light scattering, and a differential refractometer. Mechanical testing instruments include a Minimart Tester and a dynamic mechanical thermal analyzer (polymer laboratory). There also is a facility for the investigation of theoretical properties of polymers by thermodynamics and statistical mechanics and other methods, and for computer modeling of their behavior.