QATAR UNIVERSITY College of Engineering Department of Chemical Engineering Chemical Engineering in the GCC: The 2030 Horizon Presented by Farid Benyahia BSc(Hons) MSc PhD CEng FIChemE Professor and Head of Department Saudi ChE Forum, Ryadh May 17 th 2011
Content of Presentation GCC nations: Economic and Cultural Profile Chemical Engineering in the GCC: Its rolepast, present and future Chemical Engineering in the GCC: what paradigm shift? Qatar 2030 Vision: role of chemical engineering in nation building Concluding remarks
GCC nations: in a nutshell Non permanent characteristics Vast hydrocarbons reserves Carbon based economies Permanent characteristics Freshwater scarcity desalination > 95% of needs Arid land and poor soil nutrients Hot climate
GCC nations: Economic and Cultural Profile Populations
GCC nations: Economic and Cultural Profile Energy consumption
GCC nations: Economic and Cultural Profile
GCC nations: Economic and Cultural Profile Electrical Power Consumption in GCC
GCC nations: Economic and Cultural Profile Comparison of GCC power consumptions with Giants
GCC nations: Economic and Cultural Profile Water Use for agriculture
GCC nations: Economic and Cultural Profile Water demand
GCC nations: Economic and Cultural Profile Food import
GCC nations: Economic and Cultural Profile Export earnings
GCC nations: Economic and Cultural Profile Economic diversification: important factors
GCC nations: Economic and Cultural Profile Workforce: Dominated by males. Increasing role of educated female workers. This is important for statistics in boosting numbers of nationals in the workforce. Is industry ready to accommodate this trend? Cultural constraints will require adjustments to the workplace for privacy, etc.. Need for nurseries, etc In case of downturn, women may be first casualty. Majority of men not favorable In some places, women outnumber men in universities (some families are reluctant to allow females to study abroad)
Against a background of population growth Citizens Needs Healthcare Housing Education Infrastructure
Government versus Private Sectors in Chemical Processing Size matters? Batch or continuous?
Economic Diversification: What GCC opportunities? Post oil age What will happen to energy intensive industries? Introduce or increase value added processing, skilled sectors There are risks
Dilemma: Short term versus long term targets for diversification Short term prosperity: Job creation (where?) Long term sustainability: Future generations prosperity Where is the balance given finite resources?
Key future challenges Shortages in energy (paradox, mainly power generation capacity), water (desalination dependence) and food (important dependence) Threats: Energy dependency of the west will divert investment and increase fraction of renewable sources
Chemical Engineering in the GCC: Its role - past, present and future Process Plant Products Consumer Fuels Plastics Fertilizers Metals Fibers Lubricants Medicine Food Clean water Soap Detergents Perfume Personal care And many others Raw Materials Oil Gas Minerals Plants Used water Sea water Recycle and Remediation We care about the Environment
Chemical Engineering in the GCC: Its role - past, present and future Many plants built in same decade New generation process plants? More of the same but with sustainability? Products More environmentally conscious consumers? Process Plant Consumer Raw Materials Recycle and Remediation Stricter Environmental regulations?
Chemical Engineering in the GCC: what paradigm shift? Towards a knowledge based future? Health? Climate Change? Energy?
Qatar 2030 Vision: role of chemical engineering in nation building Knowledge based society: Massive investment in education/research Hydrocarbon monetization Water: Desalination Capacity, Water Reuse, Aquifer replenishment, Strategic Water Reserve Environmental Protection
Concluding remarks Chemical Engineering served well in the past and will continue to be the most important engineering discipline in the GCC Past the 2030 Horizon, there is a need to shift to a knowledge based economy to sustain a healthy life style and face climatic and arid land challenges There is a need to plan for appropriate Chemical Engineering Curricula for the future GCC chemical engineers
Acknowledgement I gratefully acknowledge the generous hospitality of the Saudi Chemical Engineering Society and its sponsors
Thank you for your attention Questions