Pesticides developed using the unique expertise of chemical engineers help protect plants from damage. Photo by John Palumbo, PhD, University of Arizona College of Agriculture and Life Science, Yuma Agricultural Center.
Soon after early civilizations began planting and harvesting, they initiated experiments to help maximize the yield of their crops. Efforts were focused on two general areas
- Fertilization to promote growth and increase crop size, and
- Protection from pests and weeds to reduce damaged crops.
The use of natural nutrients to improve crops remained predominant until the Agricultural Revolution that began in the 19th century. At that time scientists began effectively applying their knowledge to help enhance crop production.
Fertilizers
Most modern fertilizers stem from a chemical-engineering breakthrough pioneered by Fritz Haber in 1908. Haber, a chemist, engineered a process to synthesize ammonia through a reaction between hydrogen and nitrogen.
Haber’s discovery was so significant that he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1918. Working with Carl Bosch, an industrial chemist, Haber designed and scaled up a successful process for cost-effective commercial-scale production of ammonia for use in nitrogen fertilizers. The Haber-Bosch process is considered by many to be one of the most monumental chemical-engineering achievements of all time because of its direct impact on sustainable global food production.
Pesticides and herbicides
In addition to developing new, more effective nitrogen fertilizers, chemical engineers are helping protect valuable crops against weeds, insects, and other pests. Chemical engineers have been instrumental in discovering and synthesizing many chemical compounds that function as pesticides to kill bugs and as herbicides to kill weeds. Chemical engineers also design the industrial processes necessary to produce these compounds on a commercial scale.
One such compound is glyphosate, the primary ingredient in Monsanto’s popular herbicide Roundup. It works by inhibiting a specific growth enzyme in plants. When applied to crops, glyphosate is rapidly metabolized by weeds. It also binds tightly to soil, so it does not accumulate in runoff and contaminate surface waters. According to the manufacturer, it eliminates more than 125 kinds of weeds but has no effect on mammals, birds, fish, or insects.
John Franz of Monsanto first discovered the herbicidal activity of glyphosate in 1970. In honor of the importance of his discovery, Franz received the National Medal of Technology in 1987, an award given to America’s leading innovators by the president of the United States. In 1990 Franz received the Perkin Medal for Applied Chemistry from the Society of Chemical Industry, America Section, and in 2007 he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
Copyright © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers and Chemical Heritage Foundation. All rights reserved.