unit operation

chemical engineering

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Last updated

June 17, 2026

Quick Summary

A unit operation in chemical engineering refers to a physical change that a material undergoes, often in conjunction with a unit process. These operations, such as filtration, distillation, or extraction, are fundamental building blocks of chemical plants.12

Chemical engineering itself involves developing processes and designing/operating plants where materials change their physical or chemical state. It relies on principles from chemistry, physics, and mathematics to ensure efficiency and practicability. The concept of unit operations, first articulated in 1915, helped classify and rationalize the study of chemical engineering processes.2

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chemical engineering
History
…led to the concept of unit operations. This was first enunciated by the American chemical engineer Arthur D. Little in 1915 and formed the basis for a classification of chemical engineering that dominated the subject for the next 40 years. The number of unit operations—the building blocks of a chemical…
Read More
…led to the concept of unit operations. This was first enunciated by the American chemical engineer Arthur D. Little in 1915 and formed the basis for a classification of chemical engineering that dominated the subject for the next 40 years. The number of unit operations—the building blocks of a chemical…
Read More