Global warming and depletion of stratospheric ozone, depletion of forests, depletion of nonrenewable resources, pollution of air, water, and soil, scarcity of water for drinking and agriculture, excessive population growth, etc., are the major challenges that our global society is facing, regardless of developed or developing countries. To ensure engineering sustainability is a focal point for long-term development. The chemical and allied industries have been working collaboratively towards solutions to these pressing issues. This has also greatly stimulated academic institutions to develop sustainable engineering-focused innovative and aggressive research and educational programs. A forum for researchers and practitioners in this area to share their research and educational experience will be highly desirable. In this regard, the Second International Symposium on Sustainable Chemical Product and Process Engineering on Sustainable Chemical Engineering is being organized and will be held in Hangzhou, China, May 9-12, 2010.
Intellectual Merit:
The second symposium will have the following main objectives: (i) to share knowledge and research experience in studying engineering sustainability, (ii) to assess the state-of-the-art green material, product and process engineering, (iii) to bridge the gap between research and development and strengthen the linkage between academia and industry, (iv) to discuss research directions for the chemical and allied industries to move towards sustainability and educational approaches for the integration of industrial sustainability into the chemical engineering curriculum.
Broader Impacts:
The conference will (i) facilitate the exchange of knowledge between US researchers and educators with those in over 10 countries, and (ii) help the US delegates identify international collaboration opportunities in the research and education of sustainable chemical engineering. Junior faculty and researchers as well as graduate/undergraduate students, especially members of underrepresented groups will be encouraged to participate in the symposium, which will include two mini-workshops for catalyzing international collaborations on sustainable chemical engineering research and education.
Global warming, depletion of stratospheric ozone, forests, and nonrenewable resources, pollution of air, water, and soil, scarcity of water for drinking and agriculture, excessive population growth, etc., are the major challenges that our global society is facing, regardless of developed or developing countries. Naturally, how to ensure engineering sustainability becomes a focal point for long-term development. The chemical and allied industries have been working collaboratively towards solutions to the pressing issues. This has also greatly stimulated the academic institutions to develop sustainable-engineering-focused innovative and aggressive research and educational programs. A forum for the researchers and practitioners in this area to share their research and educational experience is highly desirable. In this regard, the Second International Symposium on Sustainable Chemical Product and Process Engineering on Sustainable Chemical Engineering (2nd SCPPE) was held in Hangzhou, China, May 9-12, 2010. The symposium was sponsored by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the National Science Foundation, China, and co-sponsored by (i) Dow Chemical Company, USA, (ii) P&G Company, USA, (iii) AIChE Sustainable Engineering Forum, USA, (iv) AIChE Institute for Sustainability, USA, (v) Chinese American Chemical Society, USA, (vi) Zhejiang University of Technology, China (the host organization), (vii) the State Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry Synthesis Technology, China, and (viii) Wynca Group, China. The theme of the symposium was Advancing Sustainable Product and Process Research and Development. The symposium attracted over 350 attendees from 18 countries and regions of five continents, including USA, China, Australia, Chile, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, Thailand, and two regions, such as Hong Kong and Taiwan. Among about 80 international attendees, 32 were from the U.S., including distinguished members of U.S. National Academy of Engineering, NSF and EPA officers, academic researchers, industrial practitioners, as well as graduate and undergraduate students. The symposium was composed of the following 14 oral sessions plus one poster session, covering various technical areas, including (i) green chemistry and green engineering in product design, (ii) sustainable chemical processing (material and energy efficiency, environmental cleanness), (iii) alternative/renewable energy and system, (iv) green chemical technology, (v) multiscale sustainable engineering, (vi) emerging technologies (nanotech, biotech, and IT) for product and process design, (vii) LCA of chemical products/processes and sustainability metrics, and (viii) green reaction and separation engineering. In addition, the symposium organized two mini-workshop: I - International Collaboration and Exchange of Green Chemical Technology and Product, and II - Education of Green Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. The symposium provided an excellent forum for the U.S. participants to: (i) share knowledge and research experience in studying engineering sustainability, (ii) assess the state-of-the-art green material, product and process engineering, (iii) bridge the gap between research and development and strengthen the linkage between academia and industries, and (iv) discuss research directions for the chemical and allied industries to move towards sustainability and educational approaches for the integration of industrial sustainability into the chemical engineering curriculum. The symposium was the 2nd of this kind held in China as well as in Asia. The presentations by the U.S. participants were well received by all the conference attendees. The symposium covered near all the challenging topics in the field of chemical engineering sustainability and process and product engineering. It also helped the US delegates identify international collaboration opportunities in the research and education of sustainable chemical engineering. Due to the success of the symposium, the conference organizing committee has agreed to organize the third symposium in Dalian, China in 2012.
