Chemical Engineering Journal 107 (2005) 3–17 Four main objectives for the future of chemical and process engineering mainly concerned by the science and technologies of new materials production  Jean-Claude Charpentier ∗ President of the European Federation of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering/CNRS, Ecole Sup´ erieure de Chimie, Physique et Electronique de Lyon, BP 2077, 69616 Villeurbanne Cedex, France Abstract Today the chemical and process engineering especially involving chemical reactor engineering has to answer to the changing needs of the chemical and related process industries such as petroleum, petrochemical, bituminous, pharmaceutical and health, agro and food, environment, iron and steel, building materials, paints, glass, surfactants, electronics, cosmetic and perfume, etc., and to meet market demands. So being a key to survival in globalisation of trade and competition, the evolution of chemical engineering is thus necessary. And to satisfy both, the market requirements for specific end-use properties of the products manufactured in (bio)chemical reactors and the social and the resource- saving and environmental constraints of the industrial-scale processes and technologies, it is shown that a necessary progress is coming via a multidisciplinary and time and length multiscale approach. In such a frame the future for the science and technologies of new materials can be summarized by four main objectives: (1) a total multiscale control of the process (or the procedure) to increase selectivity and productivity, i.e., nanotailoring of materials with controlled structure; (2) a design of novel equipment based on scientific principles and new operation modes and methods of production: process intensification; (3) product design and engineering: manufacturing end-use properties with a special emphasis on complex fluids and solids technology; (4) an implementation of the multiscale and multidisciplinary computational chemical engineering modelling and simulation to real-life situations: from the molecule to the overall complex production scale into the entire production site. Moreover, chemical and process engineering will also be increasingly involved and concerned with the application of life cycle assessment to new material design and production and its use but also to the plant and the equipment together with the associated services. © 2004 Published by Elsevier B.V. Keywords: Future of chemical engineering; New materials production; Multidisciplinary and multiscale approach; Triplet “processus–product–process engi- neering”; End-use property; Soft solids; Complex fluids; Data bank acquisition; Molecular modelling; Process intensification 1. Introduction: the moving world necessary requirements for chemical and related industries The world moves forward. For the developing and indus- trializing countries, there is low cost of manpower and less constraining local production regulations. For the industri- alised countries, there is a rapid development in consumer demand and constraints stemming from public concern over questions of environment and safety. In response to these changes, the world of chemistry and related industry includ-  XVI International Conference on Chemical Reactors, Berlin, Germany, 1–5 December 2003. ∗ Tel.: +33 4 72 43 17 02; fax: +33 4 72 43 16 70. E-mail address: charpentier@cpe.fr. ing process industries such as petroleum, petrochemical, bitu- minous, pharmaceutical and health, agro and food, environ- ment, textile, iron and steel, building materials, glass, sur- factants, cosmetic and perfume, electronics, are confronted, from the technological and scientific point of view with a double challenge: (a) To research innovative processes for the production of commodity and intermediate products. By no longer se- lecting processes only on the basis of economic exploita- tion but by seeking compensating gains resulting from the increased selectivity and savings linked to the process itself. This requires valorization of safety, health and en- vironmental aspects, including the value of non-polluting 1385-8947/$ – see front matter © 2004 Published by Elsevier B.V. doi:10.1016/j.cej.2004.12.004