Dharmsinh Desai University | Chemical Engineering

Chemical Engineering

There was a time when people used to hire a chemist and a mechanical engineer to get the work done, which later was taken care by a single person, the chemical engineer. Essentially, chemical engineers design and operate processes that convert chemicals, raw materials, living cells, microorganisms and energy into useful forms and products; products that are part of everyone's life. This was the department with which DDU started in 1968 (erstwhile known as DDIT).

The department boasts of five patents, and 55 national and international publications over the past five years

The Chemical Engineering department of the university is recognised as the Anchor Institute for the Chemicals and Petrochemicals sector by the Industries Commissionerate, Government of Gujarat

The departmental faculty members are on the university's Board of Studies, while being members of various other boards as well as state and national committees. They also go as B. Tech, M. Tech and PhD examiners at other universities in the state

Currently, it offers B. Tech. Chemical, M. Tech. Chemical (with two specialisations of General Chemical Engineering and Surface Science & Nanotechnology), Diploma in Chemical and PhD

There are 13 faculty members in Chemical degree programme, 4 in diploma programme, 4 in Chemistry, 3 in Centre for Surface Science & Nanotechnology and 1 in Anchor Institute, all part of the Chemical Engineering Department

The Gujarat Council for Science and Technology (GUJCOST) has declared the Department of Chemical Engineering as a Centre of Excellence and given a grant of INR 28.5 lac for research on 'Nanocatalysis - development and applications'

The department takes up training programmes for corporates, which may be short term, like a 3-month training programme for engineers of Gujarat Narmada Fertilizers Company (GNFC) etc.

The Industries Commissionerate, Government of Gujarat has given a grant of INR 10 crore to DDU and named it as Anchor Institute to provide manpower training programmes in the Chemical & Petrochemical Sector for the state of Gujarat

The Department of Science and Technology (DST), New Delhi, has chosen Dr. Manish Mishra, of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering (and Shah-Schulman Centre for Surface Science & Nanotechnology) for the Young Scientist Fast-Track Scheme and will be funding his research proposal on acid catalysts

The GSFC Science Foundation will be funding the project on 'Nanotechnology to Clean Water in Developing Nations: Poor Man's Filter' submitted by Dr. Premal R. Shukla, Professor & Head, Department of Chemical Engineering (and Shah-Schulman Centre for Surface Science & Nanotechnology), DDU for a period of three years for INR 10.27 lac

The Department has got a grant of INR 48 lac from DST-FIST for environmental treatability set-up and multi-input-multi-output process set-ups, with 50 computers and ChemCad software, weighing balances, lab renovation etc.

It is the top-ranked department in Gujarat state with INR 16 crore of R&D funding and training programmes, and INR 50 lac consultancy projects

The Government of Gujarat gave a grant of INR 3.5 crore to establish the Shah-Schulman Centre for Surface Science and Nanotechnology at DDU. DDU contributed an equal amount of INR 3.5 crore and 10 industry founder members also funded INR 15 lac each to become members of the Centre