Engineer and the World | Canama E-Portfolio

The Engineer and The World

Ideally, the job of an engineer is to find solutions for the welfare of the community. Applying the knowledge of engineering principles and chemical engineering discipline must come with the application of health and safety standards, environmental sustainability, and social welfare in the design of a process plant. Also, the relevance of an engineer in the society is reflected on creating decisions that would make ends meet with all stakeholders affected by the problem.

Process Control Design

One of the features of the process control design is to assess the control variables that the user must know on a particular equipment. In the objective of ensure quality outcomes and safety standards, the use of a Hazard Operability (HAZOP) and Failure Mode and Effects (FMEA) Analyses are utilized in assessing the capacity of the equipment and what parameters are needed for careful observation when control is automated. This includes the parameter assessed, the possible causes of fault or status of the equipment based on the parameter, the indicators, and the course of action when it happens. This was done in full detail when we made a process control system of the cell propagation fermenter for the production of surfactin (which is part of our Chemical Process Design Project).

Click on the picture to see the process control system document of a cell growth fermenter

Government Standards

In light of ensuring that the protection of the environment is prioritized in the construction and operation of the plant, the government has imposed laws and standards to protect our natural resources from toxic wastes and chemical pollution in the country, whether on land, water or air. In our ChE Ethics class, we were tasked to identify the provisions of the environmental laws mandated by the Congress. A summary of these laws, along with the violations and penalties involved are presented in these two files below.

Click on the picture to see more information on Republic Act 8749

Click on the picture to see more information about other Environmental Laws

An application of the use of the standards was done in the construct of a waste treatment facility during our Management of Industrial Waste class. In one of our final requirements, each group is to perform a design of a constructed wetland that follows the standards of the DENR Administrative Order 2016-08 (DAO 2016-08) which stipulates the water standards for every class. Given a particular effluent input to the wetlands and that the expected output must follow the standards under Class C, the design must use a plant native to the place and that the preliminary design must include the dimensions and features of the wetland.

Click on the picture to see more information about Constructed Wetland group design project

Commitment to Service

Dealing with the concerns of the society does not always have to do with the profession itself. To understand the society also comes with going on the ground and understand the needs of those less fortunate. It is in doing community service we help give the needs of others and create a community where everyone is given the same opportunity wherever they are. With doing something for those who do not have, we could identify innovations and solutions to the problems they face. Just as how the University of San Carlos banner the "Education with a Mission" in and out of the university, community projects are way of bridging the gap of the academe and the community to which each graduate would serve.

With the USC Chemical Engineering Society (USCChES), I participated in their flagship program which is Project LIBRO. In this community project, we give each child the opportunity to explore the world one book at a time. Through setting up of libraries in far-flung areas in Cebu, we give education within their reach and make them realize their potential as students and as citizens of the country. Because of the pandemic, I only experience this project in Datag, Daang-lungsod, Alcoy, Cebu where we setup a mini library in an old multipurpose cooperative. There, we has several interactions and activities for the kid and it is in their smile I realize how eager they were to reach for their dreams and be who they really want to be.