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Edward Charles Howard and Norbert Rillieux – Sugar plantation slavery and the birth of chemical engineering

The prospects at birth for Edward Charles Howard and Norbert Rillieux could scarcely have been more different, yet these men have been recognised as two of the most significant figures in the ‘prehistory’ of chemical engineering. The former was born, in 1774, a scion of England’s premier ducal family, the younger brother of the12th Duke of Norfolk. In stark contrast, the latter, born thirty years later, was a ‘quadroon libre’, the son of the slave Constance Vivant, who was the ‘placée’ or common-law wife of Vincent Rilleux, owner of a Louisiana sugar plantation.

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Carl von Linde and William Hampson – Cool inventions

Beer has a lot to answer for, and not just beer bellies. Beer is also to blame for some key technologies that underpin modern industry, and the chemical engineering processes that made them possible.

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The Fire at Hickson & Welch, 21 September 1992

This September is the 25th anniversary of the accident at Hickson & Welch (H&W) which killed five people in a jet fire which lasted for no more than 100 seconds. This short article is a review and reminder of the key lessons that came out of the accident, hopefully to ensure they are not forgotten as time passes.

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Tune Your PID Loops!

Putting the ‘manual’ into automatic control

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Arthur D Little – Dedicated to industrial progress

Arthur D Little defined unit operations and, with it, a whole profession, says Claudia Flavell-While

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Increasing Ethylene Conversion and Plant Reliability

Effective use of control valves at critical points can increase conversion and reliability in olefin production plants

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Victor Mills – A 'Pampered' Career

Claudia Flavell-While charts the contribution of P&G’s Victor Mills

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Spencer Silver and Arthur Fry – In Search Of An Application

Spencer Silver and Arthur Fry: the chemist and the tinkerer who created the Post-it Note

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IChemE: a Learned Society and a Review of Policy Work

Working with members to develop a more effective strategy for policy

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Acid in the Sea – or How I Missed My First Million

More tales of chemical engineering, from Jimmy Hunter

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Ditch the Dirt

Hydroponic technology could help us sustainably meet growing food demand

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Your Congress

Putting your votes into action

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Japan: Taking a Lead in Hydrogen

Japan has identified hydrogen as the answer to the energy problem, both for transportation and in power generation.

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Safety First

Allyson Woodford shares her personal journey with process safety

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Take it Apart; Put it Back Together

How do you dismantle a chemical plant for re-erection at the other side of the world? Richard Vann explains

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Destruction of the 'Black Lagoon'

How one chemical engineer balanced contracting work with family life back in the 1980s

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Just Add Water

Hugh Thomas looks at the challenge of ensuring resilient and wholesome water supplies

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Novel Meat for a New Age

Protein sources are gaining increasing attention due to concerns about the sustainability of traditionally-sourced meat. Amanda Jasi looks at the novel emerging alternatives

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On the Road to Digital

Chemicals businesses must not delay on digitalisation if they want to transform their operations, says Paige Marie Morse

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A Balancing Act: Covid-19 and the Climate

Amanda Doyle looks at how the crisis of coronavirus is impacting the pressing need to go green

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