INDUSTRIAL CHEMISTRY - 2024/5

Module Overview

This module provides an overview of the industrial production of major chemicals, and their use in society. The focus is on the chemical aspects of processes with a small components looking at economics, societal effects, health and safety and engineering. The delivery is split into the broad areas of bulk inorganic chemicals, polymeric materials, pharmaceuticals and petrochemicals.

Module provider

Chemistry and Chemical Engineering

Module Leader

ROTH Peter (Chst Chm Eng)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 4

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 2

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

N/A

Module content

Indicative content includes:

• Overview of the chemical industry and historical perspective


• The economics of the chemicals industry


• The chlor-alkali industry


• Soda-ash industry


• Glasses and ceramics


• Mineral acids


• Mineral fertilizers


• Catalysis: zeolites


• Metal refining and extraction


• Petrochemicals: Crude oil as a mixture of separable hydrocarbons - fractional distillation


• Coal, natural gas and biomass – processing and constituents


• Polymers – definitions and features, place in the market


• Historical perspective –Bakelite / rubber, vulcanisation


• Modern polymers, thermoplastics


• Polymer recycling


• The pharmaceutical industry (historical perspective and the industry today)


• Aspirin: an over-the-counter medicine


• Sulfanilamide: the first major antibacterial


• Penicillin: nature’s serendipitous by-product


• Taxol: the semi-synthetic wonder drug


• Drug discovery and testing: the long and winding road

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate

• knowledge and understanding of the course content

• two class tests (15% contribution each, LO1–3)


• final exam (70% contribution, LO1–4)

• practise problems provided during lectures or via SurreyLearn

• feedback on practise problems is provided in lectures or via SurreyLearn. Class test marks provide feedback on performance during semester.

Module aims

• Introduce students to aspects of industrial chemical manufacture and processing
• To give an overview of the manufacture of important inorganic, polymer materials and pharmaceuticals
• Give an overview of the petrochemical industry
• Introduce students to aspects of industrial planning, safety and associated social issues

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:

• cover the core knowledge in lectures, supported by materials uploaded to Surreylearn


• engage students through practise problems 

• formal lectures


• independent study

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: ENG1086

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2024/5 academic year.