Chemical engineering: a root of systems biology and its impacts on biology, biotechnology, and medicine

Chemical Engineering has played an important role in developing our modern society.Here, it is discussed how this discipline also has been a cornerstone for development of the field of systems biology, that has significantly impacted basic biological research, development of new biotechnological processes, and advancing human health in the last 10-15 years.Engineering involves the application of the principles of science and mathematics to solve real world problems and to innovate new products and processes across a wide range of industries and applications.The basics of engineering involve three steps: (1) analysis with the objective of getting new insight and knowledge;(2) design of a new product or service or re-design of an existing industrial process with the objective of improving its performance; and (3) synthesis where the new product or process defined in the design phase is produced or implemented and thereafter evaluated.Chemical Engineering developed as a separate discipline in the early 20th century in connection with the implementation of the Haber-Bosch process for production of ammonia and the Fischer-Thropsch process for conversion of syngas into hydrocarbons.In 1909 Fritz Haber demonstrated production of ammonia from air using a high-pressurized device and a catalyst, and when the invention was licensed to the chemical company BASF, Carl Bosch was assigned to develop an industrial process.He succeeded with this already in 1910, resulting in commercial scale production in 1913.The Haber-Bosch process has been essential for development of our modern society, as it is only through the large-scale production of ammonia to be used as fertilizer it has been possible to scale agricultural production with the increasing demand over the past 100 years.