A century of chemical technology
The boards of the KIVI SectionHistoryof Engineering and the Histechnica Association are pleased to invite you to attend a lecture to be delivered by Prof Dr E. Homburg entitled:
"A century of chemical technology"
The programme is as follows:
10.30 hrs: Walk-in with coffee and tea
11:00: Welcome and introduction
11.05:00: Lecture by Prof. Dr Ernst Homburg
11:50 a.m.: Break
12:15: Continuation of lecture and closing discussion
12:45: End of meeting.
Summary of the lecture
Several standard works exist on the history of the chemical industry, but much less has been written on the development of chemical technology. The Hoogewerff Fund (HWF) was founded in 1917 with the aim of promoting chemical technology in the Netherlands. On the 50th anniversary of the HWF, the book Fifty years of chemical industry in the Netherlands, written by Hendrik Koopmans, was published, which was more about the chemical industry than technology.
On the occasion of the HWF's centenary, the two authors of the book Een eeuw chemische technologie in Nederland explicitly opted for a "discipline history", analysing the developments of the main subfields of chemical technology in an international and national context. Examples include: chemical device science, physical transport phenomena, reactor science, catalysis, polymer technology and biotechnology.
The lecture will outline that development, which can be divided into five phases. The last phase - which deals with the role and challenges of process technology in making the chemical industry more sustainable - is the subject of a separate chapter in the book, some of which is about the future. A consideration of those challenges - think reduction ofCO2 emissions, reduction of waste streams, reuse of materials, electrification, C1 chemistry, the hydrogen economy - forms the final chord of the talk.
Information about the speaker
Ernst Homburg (1952) was professor of history of science and technology at Maastricht University from 2002 to 2018. He studied chemistry in Amsterdam and obtained a PhD in history at the University of Nijmegen. From 1989 to 2004, he was part of the editorial teams of two book series on the History of Technology in the Netherlands (1800-1970). He was president of GeWiNa, the Society for the History of Medicine, Mathematics, Science and Technology (1995-1998), and president of the European Working Party on the History of Chemistry (2003-2009). His most recent books are Een kabinet vol kleur (2018; with Ineke Pey), Hazardous Chemicals (2019; with Elisabeth Vaupel), and Een eeuw chemische technologie in Nederland (2021; with Ton van Helvoort *). The American Chemical Society awarded him the HIST Award in 2014, and the Society for the History of Alchemy and Chemistry the Morris Award in 2021.
*) The book can be ordered for €22 (including postage) from the Administrator of the Hoogewerff Fund, Ms Tiny Koelewijn: administrateur@hoogewerff-fonds.nl.
Please register to attend this lecture:
- Members of KIVI should register via the KIVI website
- Members of Histechnica should register through the secretary hotzeboonstra@gmail.com
- Interested parties who are not members can also register through the above channels. There will then be a charge of €5.00.
The lecture will be broadcast live; you can follow the lecture via the link below:
Upcoming activities at Science Center Delft:
- Saturday 17 December 2022 at 11:00 lecture by Prof Dr H.J. Sips "The great acceleration"
Lectures in the year 2023 will always be held on the fourth Saturday of the month.
On the occasion of the 175th anniversary of KIVI, the History of Engineering Department has published a book highlighting the three founders of KIVI in the times in which they lived. The book will be available for free to members of Histechnica and the KIVI Department of History of Engineering during the lecture.