The Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) is a global professional engineering institution with over 33,000 members worldwide. It was founded in 1922 and awarded a

Royal Charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but s ...

in 1957. It has offices in

Rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

Wellington, New Zealand Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , sub ...

, and

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

History

In 1881,

George E. Davis George Edward Davis (1850–1907) is regarded as the founding father of the discipline of chemical engineering. Life Davis was born at Eton on 27 July 1850, the eldest son of George Davis, a bookseller. At the age of fourteen he was apprenti ...

proposed the formation of a Society of Chemical Engineers, but instead the

Society of Chemical Industry The Society of Chemical Industry (SCI) is a learned society set up in 1881 "to further the application of chemistry and related sciences for the public benefit". Offices The society's headquarters is in Belgrave Square, London. There are semi-in ...

(SCI) was formed. The

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

required a huge increase in chemical production to meet the needs of the munitions and its supply industries, including a twenty-fold increase in explosives. This brought a number of chemical engineers into high positions within the Ministry of Munitions, notably

K. B. Quinan Kenneth Bingham Quinan CH, usually known as K.B. Quinan, (July 3, 1878 – January 26, 1948) was an American born chemical engineer who settled in South Africa and contributed significantly to the British war effort in World War I by designing an ...

, Frederic Nathan and Arthur Duckham. The increased public perception of chemical engineers renewed the interest in a society, and in 1918 John Hinchley, who was a Council Member of the SCI, petitioned it to form a Chemical Engineers Group (CEG), which was done, with him as chairman and 510 members. In 1920 this group voted to form a separate Institution of Chemical Engineers,which was achieved in 1922 with Hinchley as the Secretary, a role he held until his death. The inaugural meeting was held on 2 May 1922, at the Hotel Cecil, London. Despite opposition from the

Institute of Chemistry The Royal Institute of Chemistry was a British scientific organisation. Founded in 1877 as the Institute of Chemistry of Great Britain and Ireland (ICGBI), its role was to focus on qualifications and the professional status of chemists, and its aim ...

and the

Institution of Civil Engineers The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) is an independent professional association for civil engineers and a charitable body in the United Kingdom. Based in London, ICE has over 92,000 members, of whom three-quarters are located in the UK, whi ...

, it was formally incorporated with the Board of Trade on 21 December 1922 as a company not for profit and limited by guarantee. The first Corporate meeting was held 14 March 1923 and the first Annual General Meeting on 8 June 1923: Arthur Duckham was confirmed as President, Hinchley as Secretary and Quinan as Vice-President. At this time it had about 200 members. Nathan was the second President in 1925. The American Institute of Chemical Engineers, which had been founded in 1908, served as a useful model. While suggestions of amalgamation were made and there was friendly but limited contact, the two organisations developed independently. In 1926 an official

Seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to imp ...

of the Institution was produced by Edith Mary Hinchley, wife of John Hinchley. The same year the Institution set the first examinations for Associate (i.e. professionally qualified) membership, bringing it into line with the Civil and Mechanical Institutions. In addition to four set examinations of three hours each, there was a 'Home Paper' requiring the candidate to gather information and data and design a chemical plant, accompanied by drawings and a written design proposal within a time limit of a month. In 1938 the membership passed 1000. In 1939 the first courses were recognised as granting exemption from the examinations for Associate Membership, being Manchester College of Technology and of the

South Wales and Monmouthshire School of Mines The University of South Wales ( cy, Prifysgol De Cymru) is a public university in Wales, with campuses in Cardiff, Newport and Pontypridd. It was formed on 11 April 2013 from the merger of the University of Glamorgan and the University of Wal ...

. Others followed in subsequent years. In 1942 Mrs Hilda Derrick (née Stroud) was the first female member, in the category Student, taking a correspondence course in chemical engineering during the war. She was active in promoting the Institution and profession to women. In 1955

Canterbury University College The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was f ...

, New Zealand, and

University of Cape Town The University of Cape Town (UCT) ( af, Universiteit van Kaapstad, xh, Yunibesithi ya yaseKapa) is a public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university statu ...

, South Africa, were the first overseas institutions to have their qualifications recognised. On 8 April 1957 the IChemE was granted a Royal Charter, changing it from a limited company to a body incorporated by Royal Charter, a professional institution like the

Civil Civil may refer to: *Civic virtue, or civility *Civil action, or lawsuit * Civil affairs *Civil and political rights *Civil disobedience *Civil engineering *Civil (journalism), a platform for independent journalism *Civilian, someone not a membe ...

and

Mechanical Mechanical may refer to: Machine * Machine (mechanical), a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement * Mechanical calculator, a device used to perform the basic operations of ...

ones, with HRH

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from E ...

as patron, a role he continued for over 63 years. In 1971, the membership grades were changed: Associate became Member and Member became Fellow. In 1976 the Institution moved its Headquarters from London to

Relations with Other Bodies

IChemE headquarters, Railway Terrace, Rugby 4

The IChemE is licensed by the

Engineering Council UK The Engineering Council (formerly Engineering Council UK; colloquially known as EngC) is the UK's regulatory authority for registration of Chartered and Incorporated engineers and engineering technician, holding a register of these and providin ...

to assess candidates for inclusion on ECUK's Register of professional Engineers, giving the status of

Chartered Engineer Regulation and licensure in engineering is established by various jurisdictions of the world to encourage life, public welfare, safety, well-being, then environment and other interests of the general public and to define the licensure process thr ...

Incorporated Engineer An engineering technologist is a professional trained in certain aspects of development and implementation of a respective area of technology. Engineering technology education is even more applied and less theoretical than engineering education ...

and

Engineering Technician An engineering technician is a professional trained in skills and techniques related to a specific branch of technology, with a practical understanding of the relevant engineering concepts. Engineering technicians often assist engineers and engi ...

. It is licensed by the Science Council to grant the status of Chartered Scientist and

Registered Science Technician Registered Science Technician (RSciTech) is a professional qualification for science technicians that was introduced in 2011 alongside Registered Scientist as an extension to the UK Science Council's existing professional register for Chartered S ...

. It is licensed by the

Society for the Environment The Society for the Environment (SocEnv) is an umbrella body for environmental organisations in the UK. Its primary function is the licensing of its member institutions to confer chartered status on sustainability and environmental professional ...

to grant the status of

Chartered Environmentalist Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv) is a professional qualification in the United Kingdom that is awarded by the Society for the Environment through its 24 Licensed member organisations (listed below). Chartered Environmentalists come from no single ...

. It is a member of the

European Federation of Chemical Engineering The European Federation of Chemical Engineering (EFCE), also known as Fédération Européenne du Génie Chimique and Europäische Föderation für Chemie-Ingenieur-Wesen, is an association of professional societies in Europe concerned with chemic ...

. It accredits

chemical engineering Chemical engineering is an engineering field which deals with the study of operation and design of chemical plants as well as methods of improving production. Chemical engineers develop economical commercial processes to convert raw materials int ...

degree courses in 25 countries worldwide.

Function

"Promoting and advancing the science of chemical engineering in all its branches, promoting competence and a commitment to sustainable development, advancing the discipline for the benefit of society and supporting the professional development of members."

Membership grades and post-nominals

IChemE has two main types of membership, qualified and non-qualified, with the technician member grade being available in both categories. Qualified membership grades. Fellow – ''A chemical engineering professional in a very senior position in industry and/or academia. Entitling the holder to the post-nominal FIChemE and is a chartered grade encompassing all the privileges of Chartered Member grade.'' Chartered Member – ''Internationally recognised level of professional and academic competence requiring at least 4 years of field experience and a bachelors degree with honours. Entitles the holder to the post-nominal MIChemE and registration as one or a combination of; Chartered Engineer (CEng), Chartered Scientist (CSci) and Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv). This also entitles the individual to register as a European Engineer with the pre-nominal Eur Ing.'' Associate Member – ''This grade is for young professionals who are qualified in chemical & process engineering to bachelors with honours level or a higher. Typically this is the grade held by those working towards Chartered Member level or those graduates working other fields. This grade entitles the holder to the post-nominal AMIChemE. This grade can also lead to the grade of Incorporated Engineer (IEng) for those with some field experience but which falls short of the level required for Chartered Member grade.'' Technician Member – ''Uses practical understanding to solve engineering problems and could have a qualification, an apprenticeship or years of experience. This grade can lead to the Eng Tech TIChemE post-nominal and now in conjunction with the Nuclear Institute the post-nominal Eng Tech TIChemE TNucI.'' Non-qualified membership grades. Associate Fellow – ''Senior professionals trained in other fields of a level comparable to Fellow in other professional bodies.'' Affiliate – ''For people working in, with or with a general interest in the sector.'' Student – ''For undergraduate chemical & process engineering students.''

Activities

Medals

The Institution has been awarding Medals for different areas of Chemical engineering work since the first Moulton medals were issued in 1929. The medal was named after

Lord Moulton John Fletcher Moulton, Baron Moulton, (18 November 1844 – 9 March 1921) was an English mathematician, barrister, judge and Liberal politician. He was a Cambridge Apostle. Early life Moulton was born in Madeley, Shropshire, England, as ...

who helped develop chemical engineering during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

when he took charge of explosive supplies. Today the institution gives out eleven medals related to research and teaching, six medals in special interest groups, four medals relating to publications, two medals for services to the profession and two medals for contribution to the Institution.

Annual awards

The IChemE Innovation and Excellence Awards take place in November in the UK. The awards are highly regarded throughout the process industries for recognising and rewarding chemical engineering excellence and innovation. The first awards took place at the National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham on 23 March 1994. There are 14 categories in total that applicants are invited to enter including; food and drink, energy, health and safety, bioprocessing, innovative product, nuclear innovation and young chemical engineer of the year, offering a broad scope for entries. The organisation is working on newer award programs in other countries and in 2012 events also took place in Singapore and North America.

Ashok Kumar Fellowship

The

Ashok Kumar Kumudlal Ganguly (13 October 1911 – 10 December 2001), better known by his stage name Ashok Kumar and also by Dadamoni, was an Indian actor who attained iconic status in Indian cinema and who was a member of the cinematic Ganguly family. He ...

Fellowship is an opportunity for a graduate to spend three months working at the UK Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology (POST). The fellowship was jointly funded by the IChemE and the

Northeast of England Process Industry Cluster The North East of England Process Industry Cluster (NEPIC) is an economic cluster created following the industrial cluster ideas and strategy of Michael Porter. This Process Industry Cluster has been created by the chemistry using industries ...

(NEPIC). However, NEPIC was unable to contribute in 2018 and the Fellowship was not offered in 2019. As of 2021 it is jointly funded by the IChemE and the

Materials Processing Institute The Materials Processing Institute is a research centre serving organisations that work in advanced materials, low-carbon energy and the circular economy. The Institute is based in Tees Valley in the northeast of England. Background The Bri ...

(reflecting Kumar's employment with British Steel). The Fellowship was set up in memory of Dr Ashok Kumar, the only serving chemical engineer in the

Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprema ...

at the time of his sudden death in 2010. Kumar was an IChemE Fellow who had been the

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

MP for Middlesbrough South and Cleveland East.

Whynotchemeng?

In response to a considerable reduction in applications to study the subject at UK universities in 2000 the IChemE established an educational programme and website ''whynotchemeng?'' to help young people find out more about a career in the field of chemical engineering. This was credited with the major rise in applications in the following years. The programme included a website,

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

stream, documents and outreach volunteers. In 2018 the web resource was moved from its own site to one within the IChemE.

ChemEng Evolution

In order to celebrate its centenary, in 2022 the Institution produced a website with short articles about historic matters in the history of chemical engineering and of the IChemE and to host videos and webinars during the year
ChemEng Evolution

Coat of arms

The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

is a shield with two figures.College of Arms, London, 1964 ''The Armorial Bearings of the Institution of Chemical Engineers'' On the left a helmeted woman,

Pallas Athene Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarded as the patron and protectress of v ...

, the goddess of wisdom, and on the right, a bearded man with a large hammer,

Hephaestus Hephaestus (; eight spellings; grc-gre, Ἥφαιστος, Hḗphaistos) is the Greek god of blacksmiths, metalworking, carpenters, craftsmen, artisans, sculptors, metallurgy, fire (compare, however, with Hestia), and volcanoes.Walter B ...

the god of technology and of fire. The shield itself shows a

salamander Salamanders are a group of amphibians typically characterized by their lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All t ...

as the symbol of chemistry, and a corn

grinding mill A mill is a device, often a structure, machine or kitchen appliance, that breaks solid materials into smaller pieces by grinding, crushing, or cutting. Such comminution is an important unit operation in many processes. There are many different ...

as a symbol of continuous processes. Between these is a diagonal stripe in red and blue in steps to indicate the cascade nature of many chemical engineering processes. The shield is surmounted by helmet on which is a

dolphin A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea. Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (the ...

, which is in heraldry associated with intellectual activity, and also represents the importance of

fluid mechanics Fluid mechanics is the branch of physics concerned with the mechanics of fluids ( liquids, gases, and plasmas) and the forces on them. It has applications in a wide range of disciplines, including mechanical, aerospace, civil, chemical and ...

. Just below the dolphin are two

Integral sign The integral symbol: : (Unicode), \displaystyle \int (LaTeX) is used to denote integrals and antiderivatives in mathematics, especially in calculus. History The notation was introduced by the German mathematician Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz in 1 ...

s to illustrate the necessity of mathematics and in particular

calculus Calculus, originally called infinitesimal calculus or "the calculus of infinitesimals", is the mathematical study of continuous change, in the same way that geometry is the study of shape, and algebra is the study of generalizations of arithm ...

. The

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

motto is "Findendo Fingere Disco" or "I learn to make by separating".

Publications

Peer-reviewed journals

* Chemical Engineering Research and Design * Process Safety and Environmental Protection * Food and Bioproducts Processing * Education for Chemical Engineers * Molecular Systems Design and Engineering (joint with the

Royal Society of Chemistry The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) is a learned society (professional association) in the United Kingdom with the goal of "advancing the chemical sciences". It was formed in 1980 from the amalgamation of the Chemical Society, the Royal Instit ...

) * Sustainable Production and Consumption * South African Journal of Chemical Engineering

Other periodicals

* The Chemical Engineer * Loss Prevention Bulletin

Books

* Conference Proceedings * Technical Guides * Safety Books * Forms of Contract

Past presidents

Notable members

Roland Clift Roland Clift is a chemical engineering professor widely known for his work and media contributions on the topic of sustainability. Career Clift was born 19 November 1942 Life cycle assessment Life cycle assessment or LCA (also known as life cycle analysis) is a methodology for assessing environmental impacts associated with all the stages of the life cycle of a commercial product, process, or service. For instance, in the case o ...

and broadcaster on environmental issues * John Coulson (1910–1990) Co-writer of classic UK textbooks *

M. B. Donald Maxwell Bruce Donald FRIC FIChemE FRHistS (1897 - 6 January 1978) was a Ramsay professor of chemical engineering at University College London and a historian specialising in mining. Early career Donald studied at the Royal College of Science an ...

(1897 - 1978) Fourth Ramsay professor of Chemical engineering at

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

. Former honorary secretary and vice-president of IChemE, Institution's Donald medal named after him. * Sir Arthur Duckham (1879–1932) First President of the IChemE * Ian Fells Noted energy expert and popular science broadcaster * Trevor Kletz (1922-2013) Noted safety expert *

(1956–2010) UK Member of Parliament * Frank Lees (1931–1999) author of major safety encyclopaedia * Bodo Linnhoff His 1979 PhD thesis led to Pinch Technology which has enabled companies to save large amounts of energy *

(1878–1958) An American who, according to Lloyd George "did more than any other single individual to win the (First World) War" * Jack Richardson (1929–2011) Co-writer of classic UK textbooks * P. N. Rowe (1919-2014) Fifth Ramsay professor of chemical engineering at