100 innovative seminar topics in Chemical Engineering covering green hydrogen, carbon capture, nano-catalysis, pharmaceutical processes, and biorefinery technologies.
How to use this list: These 100 seminar topics represent the forefront of Chemical Engineering research and industry practice — spanning reaction engineering, separations, process design, materials, and sustainability for 2026 and beyond. Use the filter buttons above to narrow by topic category, or search below.
Green Hydrogen Production
Electrolysis, thermochemical, and photoelectrochemical H₂ pathways
Carbon Capture and Utilization
Post-combustion amine scrubbing, DAC, and CO₂-to-chemicals
Nano-Catalysis for Fine Chemicals
Gold, palladium nanoparticles as selective heterogeneous catalysts
Membrane Distillation
Hydrophobic membranes for low-grade heat driven desalination
Biorefinery Concepts
Lignocellulosic biomass fractionation to fuels, chemicals, and materials
Ionic Liquids as Green Solvents
Tunable physicochemical properties replacing volatile organic solvents
Flow Chemistry and Microreactors
Continuous processing, safer reactions, and rapid scale-up advantages
CO₂ Methanation (Sabatier Process)
Power-to-methane energy storage using renewable hydrogen
Supercritical Fluid Extraction
scCO₂ for decaffeination, pharmaceutical extraction, and coating
Process Intensification Techniques
HiGee, spinning disc reactors, and reactive distillation for smaller footprints
Zeolite Catalysts in Petroleum Refining
FCC catalysts, ZSM-5 for alkylation, and fluid catalytic cracking
Bioplastics from Renewable Feedstock
PLA, PHA synthesis routes and biodegradability assessment
Desalination with Forward Osmosis
FO draw solutes, membrane selectivity, and energy recovery
Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis
Syngas-to-liquid fuels for gas-to-liquids and coal-to-liquids
AI in Chemical Process Optimization
ML for yield prediction, scheduling, and real-time plant control
Electro-chemical CO₂ Reduction
Copper catalysts, electrolyzer design, and selective product formation
Polymeric Membrane Separations
Gas permeation, CO₂/CH₄ selectivity, and hollow fiber membranes
Fluidized Bed Combustion
CFB boilers for clean combustion of low-grade coal and biomass
Microencapsulation Technology
Spray drying, coacervation for drug delivery and food coatings
Single-Use Bioreactor Systems
Disposable bag bioreactors for mAb and vaccine production
Computational Fluid Dynamics in CheE
Multiphase CFD for stirred tanks, spray dryers, and packed columns
Surfactant-Based Enhanced Oil Recovery
Alkaline-surfactant-polymer flooding for increased oil displacement
Pyrolysis of Plastic Waste
Thermal depolymerization of mixed plastics to fuel and feedstock
Continuous Pharmaceutical Manufacturing
End-to-end continuous processing for drug substance and product
Pervaporation Membranes
Azeotrope-breaking dehydration of ethanol using zeolite membranes
Enzymatic Biodiesel Production
Lipase-catalyzed transesterification of vegetable oils and waste fats
Deep Eutectic Solvents (DES)
Choline chloride-based DES as biodegradable designer solvents
Nuclear Fuel Processing Chemistry
Uranium enrichment, PUREX, and thorium fuel cycle chemistry
Perovskite Photocatalysts
Solar light-driven H₂ evolution and pollutant degradation
Pharmaceutical Crystallization Design
Polymorph control, anti-solvent addition, and continuous crystallization
Lignin Valorization
Depolymerization routes for aromatic chemicals from lignocellulosic waste
Gas Hydrate-Based Desalination
Clathrate hydrate crystallization for brackish and seawater treatment
Reactive Extrusion Polymerization
In-line polymerization in twin-screw extruders for specialty polymers
Solid Oxide Fuel Cells
SOFC electrode materials, sealing, and system-level efficiency
Carbon Nanotube Membrane Filters
CNT arrays for ultrafast water transport and ion selectivity
Photocatalytic Water Splitting
TiO₂ and Z-scheme heterojunction catalysts for solar H₂
Biogas Upgrading Technology
CO₂ removal from biogas via pressure swing adsorption and membranes
Nanostructured Drug Delivery Systems
Liposomes, dendrimers, and polymeric nanoparticles for targeted therapy
Process Safety Management (PSM)
HAZOP, LOPA, and bow-tie analysis for chemical plant safety
Wastewater Treatment with AOPs
Fenton, UV/H₂O₂, ozonation for refractory organic removal
Biomass Gasification
Fixed bed, fluidized bed, and entrained flow reactors for syngas
Inkjet Printing of Functional Materials
Printed electronics, fuel cell electrodes, and pharmaceutical dosing
High-Pressure Polymerization of Ethylene
LDPE tubular and autoclave reactor design for polyethylene
Phase Equilibria Modeling with COSMO-RS
Predictive thermodynamics for solvent selection and extraction
Enzyme Immobilization Techniques
Cross-linked enzyme aggregates (CLEAs), carrier-bound for reuse
Emulsion Polymerization
Radical kinetics, particle nucleation, and latex production for coatings
Electro-deionization
EDI for ultrapure water production in semiconductor and pharma plants
CO₂ Sequestration in Basalt
Mineral carbonation of CO₂ in porous basalt formations (CarbFix)
Microwave-Assisted Organic Synthesis
Selective dielectric heating for faster, greener chemical synthesis
Gas-Liquid Mass Transfer in Bioreactors
kLa measurement, bubble dynamics, and scale-up correlations
Organosolv Pulping Process
Ethanol-based lignin-cellulose separation for biorefinery feedstocks
Electroplating and Surface Finishing
Environmental issues with Cr(VI) and alternatives like trivalent chrome
Adiabatic Reactor Design
Equilibrium conversion limits in adiabatic fixed-bed reactors
Water-Gas Shift Reaction Catalysts
Fe-Cr and Cu-Zn WGS catalysts for H₂ purification in reforming
Activated Carbon Adsorption
Preparation, characterization, and regeneration for VOC and water treatment
Microalgae Cultivation for Biofuels
Open pond vs PBR, lipid extraction, and life-cycle analysis
Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells
PEMFC MEA design, Pt catalyst loading, and system durability
Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD)
LPCVD, PECVD for thin film semiconductor and hard coating deposition
Electrospinning for Nanofiber Membranes
Polymer nanofiber production for filtration and tissue engineering
Photovoltaic Perovskite Manufacturing
Slot-die coating and roll-to-roll deposition of perovskite solar cells
Extractive Distillation
Solvent selection for close-boiling mixture and azeotrope separation
Biohydrogen via Dark Fermentation
Mixed culture fermentation of carbohydrates for H₂ production
Carbon Black Production
Furnace black, channel black, and applications in rubber and batteries
Chitosan-Based Water Purification
Biopolymer coagulants and adsorbents for heavy metal removal
Plasma-Assisted Chemical Reactions
Non-thermal plasma for N₂ fixation, methane reforming, and synthesis
Hydrothermal Liquefaction of Algae
HTL at subcritical water conditions for bio-crude production
Cryogenic Air Separation Units
ASU process design for industrial O₂, N₂, and Ar production
Heterogeneous Photocatalysis for Pollutants
TiO₂, ZnO, and g-C₃N₄ for pharmaceutical and dye degradation
Structured Catalytic Reactors
Monoliths, foams, and microchannels for low-pressure-drop catalysis
Pharmaceutical Solubility Enhancement
Co-crystals, amorphous dispersions, and nanoparticles for BCS II drugs
Chemical Looping Combustion
Metal oxide oxygen carriers for inherent CO₂ capture in combustion
Ibuprofen Green Synthesis
BHC process vs classical Boots synthesis — atom economy comparison
Porous Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs)
Gas storage, separation, and catalysis with reticular chemistry
Distillation Column Design and Optimization
Tray vs packing, flooding, and heat integration with pinch analysis
Biosurfactant Production
Rhamnolipid, sophorolipid from microbial fermentation for EOR
Rotary Kiln Process Engineering
Cement clinkerization, lime calcination, and waste incineration design
Hydrogen Storage Materials
Metal hydrides, MOFs, and liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHC)
Membrane Electrode Assembly Fabrication
Catalyst ink formulation, decal transfer, and hot pressing for PEM
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Chemicals
ISO 14040/44 methodology for environmental product declaration
Phase-Transfer Catalysis
Quaternary ammonium salts for two-phase reaction rate enhancement
Non-Thermal Pasteurization
High-pressure processing and pulsed electric field in food industry
Trickle Bed Reactor Design
Hydrodesulfurization in downflow trickle bed for diesel sweetening
Reactive Absorption with Ionic Liquids
CO₂ and H₂S absorption in task-specific ionic liquid solvents
Crystallization Antisolvent Process
Nucleation control and crystal size distribution for API manufacturing
Amine Scrubbing for CO₂ Capture
MEA, MDEA, and piperazine kinetics and energy penalty assessment
Biomass Torrefaction
Mild pyrolysis pretreatment to upgrade biomass for co-firing and gasification
Chemical Plant Digital Twin
First-principles and data-driven hybrid model for online optimization
Graphene Oxide Membranes
Angstrom-scale ion and gas sieving with GO laminate membranes
Nano-emulsion Drug Delivery
Spontaneous emulsification and SNEDDS for oral bioavailability boost
Methanol Economy Concept
Methanol as a liquid hydrogen carrier and combustion fuel
Reactive Dividing Wall Column
Integration of reaction and separation in single dividing wall column
Aerogel Synthesis and Applications
Sol-gel processing, supercritical drying for thermal insulation
Slurry Phase Bubble Column Reactors
Hydrodynamics and mass transfer for Fischer-Tropsch and coal slurry
Photobioreactor Design
Light distribution, mixing, and aeration for microalgae cultivation
Pinch Technology for Heat Integration
Grand composite curve and MER targeting for plant heat savings
Polylactic Acid (PLA) Production
Fermentative lactic acid, polymerization, and processing of PLA
Hazardous Waste Incineration
Rotary kiln incinerator, APCD design, and dioxin emission control
Blue Hydrogen via Autothermal Reforming
ATR with CCS for low-carbon hydrogen production at scale
Solid Dosage Form Process Design
Tablet compaction, roller compaction, and film coating for APIs
Bioleaching of Metal Sulfides
Microbial hydrometallurgy for copper and gold from low-grade ores