The University of Surrey’s (www.surrey.ac.uk) new £1.7 million chemical engineering facility in Guildford, which includes a fully operational process plant, was part-funded by a donation of $1 million from Surrey alumni Neil and Elizabeth Chapman.

Neil is a chemical engineering graduate (and currently President of Exxon Mobil Chemical Co; Elizabeth is a human health and biology graduate.

The process plant replicates industry practice to demonstrate chemical reactions, solids handling, filtration, and CO₂ capture.

Modelled on a simple and safe process — producing very pure saline solution from a contaminated salt feed — it enables students to experience the different operations commonly found in process plants.

Teams of 30 undergraduates are challenged to run the plant for a working week, making tonnes of product and meeting quality control requirements.

There is also stand-alone equipment enabling students to understand key chemical engineering operations and conduct simple experiments before using the full pilot plant.

Esat Alpay, the director of learning and teaching, said: “The pilot plant, along with several semi-technical-scale laboratory items, gives students the opportunity to develop a wide range of practical skills, and to experience real-world plant and process operations.”