Warsaw University of Technology / Faculties

Faculty of Chemical and Process Engineering

www.ichip.pw.edu.pl

Located at

Waryńskiego 1
00-645 WARSZAWA
phone/fax: (+48 22) 825-14-40
dziekan@ichip.pw.edu.pl

General information

The Faculty of Chemical and Process Engineering was established in 1970. The Faculty is situated within a 15 minute walk from the University's Main Building.

Student enrolment to the Faculty is approximately 150 annually and the total number of students is about 440. Enrolment can be divided between:

  • 25 freshmen studying for an MSc degree in Chemical and Process Engineering,
  • 25 freshmen studying for an MSc degree in Biotechnology.

Owing to the general character of the teaching programme and its continuing adjustment to current requirements, the Faculty's graduates find employment in practically all branches of industry.

The Faculty's academic staff of 48 includes 13 professors and associate professors, 20 assistant professors, 7 senior lecturers and 8 teaching assistants, supported by a technical and administrative staff of 40.

Organisation

The Faculty is divided into seven divisions:

  • The Division of Technical Mechanics and Process Dynamics,
  • The Division of Process Kinetics and Thermodynamics,
  • The Division of Process Equipment,
  • The Division of Fundamental Processes and Environmental Protection,
  • The Division of Separation Processes,
  • The Division of Chemical Reactors and Bioprocesses.

The Faculty has its own library and the total number of books collected there amounts to over 18000.

Curriculum

The Faculty offers the following MSc courses:

Chemical and Process Engineering, embracing specialisations in:

  • Chemical Engineering,
  • Bioprocess Engineering,
  • Environmental Protection Process Engineering;

Biotechnology, with specialisation in:

  • Industrial Biotechnology.

Chemical and Process Engineering

These are all 5-year graduate studies leading to the degree of magister inżynier equivalent to an MSc degree. During the first 3,5 year all students take the same basic courses, while the syllabus for the remaining 1.5 year depends upon the chosen field of study. The studies conclude with diploma work.

The MSc course in Chemical Engineering encompasses traditional areas of interest of chemical and process engineering, i.e. the study and description of phenomena which take place in any industrial process involving the transformation of raw materials. The curriculum is regularly modified and updated to take into account processes connected with the separation of mixtures, CAD methods and issues of process cost estimation.

The MSc course in Bioprocess Engineering provides a study of material transformation where microorganisms or biological materials are applied, work on the preparation and separation of new proteins, enzymes and other substances and the design of bioreactors and new bioprocesses.

The MSc course in Environmental Protection Chemical Engineering has a syllabus which takes into account the latest ecological requirements and the growing demand for clean technologies in industry. In particular it provides the fundamentals of gas and liquid purification processes tailored to the needs of local environmental conditions at given industrial plants.

A BSc undergraduate programme leading to the degree of inżynier equivalent to a BSc (Bachelor of Engineering) degree is also available in Chemical Engineering. This is a 3.5-year course, ending with half a year of practical experience in industry.

The Faculty also offers a postgraduate doctoral course in Chemical Engineering leading to the degree of doktor nauk technicznych equivalent to a PhD degree.

Biotechnology

This course is run by three faculties, i.e. the Faculty of Chemistry, the Faculty of Chemical and Process Engineering (coordinator) and the Faculty of Environmental Engineering. During the first 3 years of study, all students must pass basic courses. After these 3 years of common study, students choose their specialisation. The Faculty of Chemical and Process Engineering offers an MSc course in Industrial Biotechnology.

The MSc course in Industrial Biotechnology has a syllabus adapted to the teaching field and includes subjects such as biochemistry, biochemical technology, microbiology and biology with ecology, genetic engineering, as well as optional chemical and technical subjects.

All the courses offered by the Faculty of Chemical and Process Engineering have been accepted by the FEANI Commission of the EEC as fulfilling the requirements for courses which may grant the title of professional European engineer.

Research

The Faculty's main current research activities include:

Multiphase Reactor Engineering; studies are concentrated on:

  • the design of fermentors, absorbers, desorbers,
  • the effects of micromixing,
  • precipitation,
  • turbulent mixing and chemical reactions,
  • the effect of mixing in highly viscous liquids;

Gas and Liquid Purification Processes with the main emphasis on:

  • the desulphurisation and denoxing of gases,
  • the application of three-phase fluidisation in gas purification,
  • the aeration and ozonation of water and wastewater,
  • the application of active sorbents in gas, liquid and soil purification processes,
  • the stripping of volatile organic compounds,
  • membrane methods in gas and liquid,
  • purification processes;

Bioprocess Engineering with the major interest in:

  • the modelling of biomass growth,
  • the design of bioreactors,
  • the effects of shear stress on plant and animal cells,
  • fungi solid cultures,
  • the generation and filtration of aerosols in respiratory tracts,
  • the optimisation of fibre filters,
  • downstream separation processes in biotechnology;
  • physiological engineering;

Mathematical Modelling and Optimal Control of:

  • chemical reactors, dryers, absorbers, heat exchangers etc.,
  • process design and synthesis,
  • thermodynamics and thermo-economics of energy transformation, storage and transfer;

Other Processes:

  • the mechanical mixing of liquids and in two-phase systems,
  • crystallisation processes,
  • rheology and mass transfer in complex systems.

A number of notable scientific schools have been established at the Faculty:

  • research in the field of chemical reactors,
  • research in the field of aerosol and slurry separation,
  • the elaboration of the variational methods in process optimisation.

The scientific standing of the Faculty may be assessed from the considerable number of international scientific organisations, societies and editorial boards of scientific journals in which the Faculty participates. Ten Faculty members participate in international scientific and technical organisations and associations. Five Faculty members participate in the editorial boards of international scientific journals. Three Faculty members participate in the editorial boards of national scientific journals. Three Faculty members are delegates to working parties of the European Federation of Chemical Engineers.

The Faculty has in the last four years carried out over 25 projects directly or indirectly supported by the State Committee of Scientific Research.

Since 1972 the Faculty has published its own scientific journal under the title: "Reports of the Faculty of Chemical and Process Engineering of the Warsaw University of Technology".

International cooperation

The Faculty maintains permanent academic and scientific contacts and cooperation with many universities in Europe and the rest of the world. A typical example is the joint course in biotechnology organised by Telford College of Edinburgh for Polish students specialising in bioprocess engineering and industrial biotechnology.

A number of PhD theses and research projects sponsored by West European industrial and research corporations have been completed or are under way.

During the last few years the Faculty has carried out shared teaching projects with various European countries participating in the TEMPUS and COPERNICUS programmes.

Most of the Faculty's professors have had opportunities to undertake long-term scientific work or have been invited as visiting professors to leading universities in such countries as the USA, the UK, France, Japan, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Hungary, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Italy, Australia and Russia.