Chemical Engineering and Polymer Science

ion program on Chemical Engineering and Polymer Science, and the department was renamed as the Department of Chemical Engineering and Polymer Science. It is the only department in Bangladesh, which besides the chemical engineering courses, offers courses on Polymer Science and Technology enabling graduates an additional opportunity to start career in the growing polymer based industries in the country. The syllabus and course contents of the Graduation Program are regularly updated so as to comply with the needs in the job market. All the students undergo a month long training program in the Training Institute for Chemical Industries (TICI)- (central training institute of Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation, BCIC). Also the students undergo in plant training in different industries. The unit operation laboratory of the department is furnished with modern equipments like drying unit, ion exchange unit, heat exchanger unit, distillation unit and adsorption unit. The department is also well equipped with the laboratories of fluid mechanics, polymer processing and testing, organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, chemical reaction engineering, physical chemistry, and fuel & energy. The department has an Instrumental Analysis Lab, which facilitates the chemical analyses with its modern instruments like, gas chromatography (GC), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), UV-spectrophotometer and other small instruments. The researchers and students have free access to Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) and Fourier Transform Infra-red Spectrometer of the Central Instrumental Laboratory of the University. The department is well equipped with computing facilities, which include personal computers, workstations, and access to the university network and the Internet. Recently, an environmental process engineering Lab has been built with the financial support of EU Project INNOWA. The Laboratory is equipped with water and wastewater quality control facilities, water and air samplers, Jar test unit, zone-settling unit, column settling unit, adsorption cm filtration unit, continuous flow arsenic and iron free drinking water unit, integrated pilot plant on microfiltration (MF), Ultrafiltration (UF), Nanofiltration (NF) and Reverse Osmosis (RO) processes, and a Lab scale two chambered membrane bioreactor. Teachers and students are actively involved in research on the development of water and wastewater treatment technology applying conventional and advanced methods as membrane processes. For the first time in Bangladesh, an MBR unit has been designed and constructed by a 6-membered students’ group and tested in an industry. Development of software is underway for designing wastewater treatment facilities. In close cooperation with the researchers from the department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, the department has planned a one-year’s monitoring program for the quality of water of Surma River. Active research is going on the production of bio-fuel (biogas, bioalcohol, biodiesel) from biodegradable solid wastes and non-edible indigenous oil seeds through sustainable technology. In close cooperation with national and international research partners, application oriented researches are conducted on polymer composites, polymer-based ion-selective adsorbents, and preparation of porous tubes with recycled polymer materials for drop-wise irrigation systems. For the first time in Bangladesh, with the full financial and logistic support and Laboratory facilities from the Housing and Building Research Institute (Dhaka), the department has initiated research on polymer modified concrete for specific applications. The department has established sustainable relationship for staff exchange and joint research program with the Institute of Membrane Technology (Italy), University of Applied sciences Karlsruhe (Germany), Jiangsu Polytechnic University (China) and the University of Waikato (New Zealand). Under the framework of collaboration program, the department has already organized a training program on membrane technology with internationally reputed professors as lecturers. On 01-04 April 2007, the department organized an international conference and exhibition on water and wastewater treatment. The teachers and students from the department take active part in national and international seminar and conferences with research papers. Works of the students and teachers are published in national and international conference proceedings as well as in internationally reputed journals with high impact factor and are continuously cited by international authors. The graduates from the department have been competing successfully in the national and international job market since the first batch graduated, and showing excellent performances in their job. A number of graduates have already completed post-graduation (MS, PhD) in highly reputed universities abroad and many young graduates have been admitted for higher degrees abroad. Some graduates, in virtue of their excellent performances in the universities abroad have already started playing the role of a bridge relating our department and the institution abroad for staff exchange and research collaboration. The Department of Chemical Engineering and Polymer Science is flourishing day by day improving its educational and research base. Very soon we are going to start world standard MS and PhD program independently in the department, in collaboration with other departments of SUST and other educational and research institutions in the country. As a continuation of sustainable research collaboration with its international partners, the department is on the path to start student exchange program initially at MS and PhD level. The department with its experienced teaching and administrative staff, and educational and research structure is committed to produce graduates and post-graduates with appropriate knowledge and confidence to compete in the national and international job markets. The department shall devotedly prepare highly qualified human resources for different sectors in Bangladesh and outside world.