Role of chemical engineer to combat COVID 19 Pandemic: COVID-19,it is a disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. It was identified in December 2019 at Wuhan in China. On 11 March 2020 World Health Organization declared that it is a global pandemic. Millions of people disrupted by this infectious respiratory disease outbreak. All professionals are contributing to reduce this pandemic .as well as chemical engineering professionals respond to this scenario. From the development of smaller, faster computer chips to innovations in recycling, treating diseases, water treatment, and generating energy, the processes and products that chemical engineers have helped to create a better world .There are lot of great achievements, bold innovators, and new frontiers in the fields of energy, the environment, biomedicine, electronics, food production, and materials from the world of chemical engineering. So the chemical engineers are joining to respond to the COVID-19 challenges. They can contribute more to help society through this pandemic.

1. PRESENTED BY
SABARINATH C D

2.  Introduction
COVID 19 pandemic
What does a chemical engineer do?
 Focusing on
1. Research and development
2. Manufacturing Sector
3. Process control
4. Water treatment and solid waste management.
5. Pandemic risk assessment
6. Environmental impact assessment
 Conclusion
 References

3.  The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic is an
ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease
2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute
respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
The outbreak was identified in Wuhan, China, in
December 2019. The World Health
Organization declared the outbreak to be a Public
Health Emergency of International Concern on 30
January 2020, and recognised it as a pandemic on
11 March 2020.
 As of 26 April 2020, more than 2.89 million
cases of COVID-19 have been reported in 185
countries and territories, resulting in more than
203,000 deaths. More than 822,000 people have
recovered.
Fig:This illustration, created at the
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), reveals
ultrastructural morphology exhibited by
coronaviruses.

4.  As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads around the world, it is straining medical
systems and supplies, and changing daily life as people practice social distancing,
schools close, and organizations tell their employees to work from home.
 Medical professionals are on the frontlines in the fight against COVID-19 as they
care for patients and work to create a vaccine.
 A pandemic can also increase the pressure on health care systems by raising the
demand for certain treatments
 These unprecedented times have left other professionals wondering what they can
do? How can they contribute to help society through this pandemic?
 chemical engineers are joining the rest of the scientific community to respond to
the COVID-19 challenges.

5. WHAT DOES A CHEMICAL ENGINEER DO?
 A chemical engineer works in the field, in an industrial environment.
 Designss, develops and improves equipment and processes that transform raw
material into useful goods.
 The process engineer can work in a wide variety of fields, such as the
environment, agri-food, the energy sector, biotechnology, material development
,pharamaceutical and ore processing.
 Sustainable development is at the heart of chemical engineering.
Whether it be by analyzing the ecological impacts of various products or services,
finding new ways to use and recycle materials and waste, optimizing processes to
make them more energy efficient or cleaner, producing new types of energy or
improving existing ones
 chemical engineering can help create a circular economy and find solutions to
reduce environmental impacts.

6.  Research and Development
 Manufacturing Sector
 Modeling and simulation
 Water treatment and solid waste management
 Pandemic risk assessment
 Environmental impact assessment

7.  Small Antiviral Agents and Vaccines for COVID-19
and Related Human Coronavirus Diseases
 Developing personal protecting equipments (PPEs).
• analysis, modeling and designing of protection
masks (aerosol, bacterial contaminants).
• application of 3D printing technologies to
mask,Designn of face protecting shields
 design of medical oxygenators for hospitals,
individuals (Oxygen Enriched air).
Fig 3: A News about scale up the oxygenerator production at pune
Source:The indian Express
Fig 2:The NanoHack 3D
printed mask. Source:Copper
3D
Fig 1:ViriMASK Protective Oculo
respirator . Source: ViriMASK

8.  Manufacturing of vaccines, medicine.
 Manufacturing of sanitizers, Hand wash,soaps ,disinfectants
etc
 Production of polymers for personal protecting
equipments(PPEs).
 Production of ventilator Parts.:-
IMI Precision Engineering, a pneumatic motion and fluid
control technology company, has rapidly adapted its
Switzerland-based manufacturing capability of an essential
valve component, to help meet increasing and urgent demand
for ventilator units.
 Accelerating and scaling up the production of health care
products, food supplies etc.
 Manufacturing of rapid covid test kits.
 Production of oxygen cylinders.
 Scale up the production of fabrics.
Fig: A news about manufacturing of
vaccines. source:-News 18 Media

9.  Modeling and computational methods are being applied to
understanding the infectious disease spreading, optimizing the
curve, learning from the data to make predictions on the pandemic
status and to support decisions on allocating the medical resources
for treatment.
 Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a potentially powerful tool in the fight
against the COVID-19 pandemic.
 There are six areas where AI can contribute to the fight against
COVID-19:
 i) early warnings and alerts :BlueDot, HealthMap,
 ii) tracking and prediction: SIR models
 iii) data dashboards :Microsoft Bing’s AI tracker.
 Iv) diagnosis and prognosis:CAD4COVID
 v) treatments, and cures :Google’s DeepMind
 vi) social control.
Fig:Screenshot of Bing’s COVID-19
Tracker, 31 March 2020 , source :Microsoft
Bing

10.  Generally, management of waste that is suspected or known to contain or be
contaminated with COVID-19 does not require special precautions beyond those
already used to protect workers from the hazards they encounter during their
routine job tasks in solid waste and wastewater management.
 Muncipal waste management:
Workers and employers should manage municipal (e.g., household, business) solid
waste with potential or known SARS-CoV-2 contamination like any other non-
contaminated municipal waste.
 Waste water treatment:
This includes such as oxidation with hypochlorite (i.e., chlorine bleach) and
hydrogen peroxide, as well as inactivation through the use of ultraviolet irradiation.

11.  Medical waste management:
Treatment methods involved
 steam-sterilization (i.e., autoclaving),
 incineration, or interment (for anatomy wastes)
 chemical disinfection, energy-based technologies (e.g., microwave or radiowave
treatments).

12.  Rapid risk/outbreaks assessment aim at supporting
the countries in their preparedness and response to
a public health threat.
It includes:
 Public health objectives
 A robust surveillance
 An expanded testing capacity and harmonised
testing methodologies
 A framework for contact tracing
 Sufficient healthcare capacity and resilience
 An assessment of the response to COVID-19.
 A strong risk communication strategy

13.  Choosing the right disinfectants is important.
 Disinfectants kill microbes and pathogens. In layman’s terms,
disinfectants kill cells
 Oxidising Disinfectant
Used for surface cleaning include peracetic acid, sodium
hypochlorite and hydrogen peroxide.
PERACETIC ACID
• Highly reactive and not safe for
every surface.
• Avoid soft metals at all cost.
• Reacts violently with brass,
copper, iron and zinc and will
ruin such finishings.
• used in the food industry and
to disinfect medical facilities
and equipment.
SODIUM HYPOCHLORITE
• active ingredient in
common bleach
• Release toxic gas
• Corrossive etc
HYDROGEN PEROXIDE
• A safer, healthier oxidising
option
• Effective at fighting against
bacteria, fungi, yeasts, viruses
and spores
• It is also corrosive and on
contact
• solutions may cause chemical
burn of the skin and eyes.

14.  Non-Oxidising Disinfectants
Include alcohol and quaternary ammonia compounds.
ALCOHOL DISINFECTANTS
• work well in dry environments
• where light disinfection is
needed.
• not ideal for critical patient care
units where the goal is to
achieve the highest level of
disinfection possible.
• Example: Isopropanol used in
sanitizers.
QUARTERNARY AMMONIA
• Its own environmental
profile, some more
biodegradable than others.
• used on floors, walls, toilets
and fixtures in hospitals,
schools and food service
industries.

15.  Disinfectant is considered less toxic when used in low concentrations; however,
high concentrations can result in skin and respiratory irritation etc.
 These products will have more health warnings
 Provide hazardous information,and Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS).
 Provide Standard Operational Procedures (SOP).

16. A chemical engineer to be a type of engineer who knows a lot of science.
 Chemical engineers sometimes are called 'universal engineers' because their
scientific and technical mastery is so broad.
 In this era of COVID 19 pandemic, Chemical engineers are contributing In many
ways Like development of Pharma drugs, Manufacturing of sanitizers,
development of respirators, manufacturing of Disinfectant, development of fabrics
, modelling and optimising the COVID-19 outbreak, waste management and water
treatment,risk assessment and management, Environmental impact assessment
etc.
 These activities from the chemical engineers will help to reduce the COVID-19
outbreak.And also helpful to face another epidemic conditions.

17.  2019–20 coronavirus pandemic, Wikipedia
 The Health and Environmental Impacts of Disinfectants and How to Make Safe Decisions By Andrea Gomes
 Covid-19: Developing High Tech Protective Masks ByCelia Sampol
 Artificial Intelligence against COVID-19: An Early Review,Wim Naudé
 Rapid Risk Assessment: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the EU/EEA and the UK– ninth update
 Practical Guidelines for Infection Control in Health Care Facilities, World Health Organization,SEARO Regional Publication
No. 41.
 Laboratory Biosafety Manual, 3rd Edition, 2004, World Health Organization.
 Engineering company increases ventilator component production,Article by Amanda Jasi in the chemical engineer magazine
 https://www.news18.com/news/business/serum-institute-to-start-making-oxfords-covid-19-vaccine-in-3-weeks-launch-by-oct-if-
trials-succeed-2593239.html
 https://engineerscanada.ca/news-and-events/news/what-role-is-there-for-engineers-in-pandemic-preparedness-and-response
 https://www.chemengonline.com/category/covid-19/
 https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/technical-guidance/critical-preparedness-readiness-and-
response-actions-for-covid-19