Digitalization in Chemistry

As a chemical engineer or chemist, one acquires comprehensive knowledge about which factors influence chemical reactions or how production processes are controlled in the chemical industry. But what insights can be gained from the laboratory or process data using data analytics and machine learning has not yet been part of the training. That is exactly what TU Berlin is now changing and will start in the winter semester 2019/20 with a new lecture titled "Data Analytics for Chemical Engineers and Chemists".

The digital transformation is also gaining increasing importance in the chemical industry, and modern chemical reactors produce vast amounts of various data. The fundamentals for analyzing this data will be taught in the new lecture.

TU Berlin graduate Tino Mundt is familiar with the issue from his own professional life: "I constantly see how important it is, for example in data mining projects, to combine knowledge about data and its analysis with chemical and process engineering knowledge. If this is not done, errors are often searched for in the wrong places or incorrect conclusions are drawn. The potential of these new tools in industry and for the everyday work of chemists and chemical engineers is enormous." The industrial engineer with a focus on chemistry and process engineering now works at DexLeChem – a spin-off of TU Berlin. He has specialized in data science from the beginning and has successfully applied this knowledge in various industrial sectors. Drawing from his professional experience, he approached his alma mater with a proposal for a new lecture: "Data Analytics for Chemical Engineers and Chemists".

At Prof. Dr. Reinhard Schomäcker, Professor of Technical Chemistry at TU Berlin, his proposal was gladly accepted. "We see our task as providing interdisciplinary training for future chemical engineers and chemists, enabling them to shape the digital transformation of the chemical industry," says Reinhard Schomäcker. "Therefore, the Department of Technical Chemistry, together with the Chemical Invention Factory (CIF), is pleased to expand the course offerings in the winter semester 2019/20 with the pilot course 'Data Analytics for Chemical Engineers and Chemists,' conducted by Tino Mundt." The special aspect of the course: the 30 students work and calculate with real data from completed projects provided by the specialty chemicals company LANXESS.

The students will learn the basics of data analytics and data science using the programming language Python. They will immerse themselves in practical technical applications through a concrete project. The goal is for students to acquire the fundamentals of handling data analytics projects in industry – from problem definition to presentation of results.

"The opportunity for students to learn, using real examples from the chemical industry, how to analyze and improve production processes and chemical reactions with the help of data is unique," says Reinhard Schomäcker. "This knowledge could not be conveyed as comprehensively without the involvement of the two industry partners."

"LANXESS is increasingly seeking professionals who possess both chemical-technical and digital knowledge to fully exploit the possibilities of digitalization. These new talents are an indispensable component of the digital transformation, which is why we support TU Berlin in expanding the curriculum for future chemists and chemical engineers," says Jörg Hellwig, Chief Digital Officer at LANXESS.