70 years of process engineering at the TU Dresden

On Friday, 17 November 2023, we really had a reason to celebrate: 70 years of process engineering at TU Dresden. Today, process engineering is supported by two institutes, namely the Institute of Process Engineering and Environmental Technology and the Institute of Natural Materials Technology at TU Dresden. Both are scientifically based in the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering.

To mark the anniversary, a festive event was held in the Dülfer Hall, which was attended by many guests, including numerous former professors and employees of Dresden Process Engineering, partners from industry and research, supporters and friends. 

The event began with a welcome address by Prof Dr Michael Beckmann, Dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Director of the Institute of Process and Environmental Engineering at TU Dresden and holder of the Chair of Energy Process Engineering. 

Julie de Keyser, Head of Site Services and Infrastructure at BASF Schwarzheide, then spoke about the challenges facing the chemical industry in terms of political and economic aspects and the use of renewable energy sources in Upper Lusatia. 

Dr Andreas Förster, Managing Director of DECHEMA, reported on his company's contributions to process engineering and emphasised the importance of cooperation between research and industry. 

We were also particularly pleased to receive a greeting from Prof Dr Angela Rösen-Wolff, Vice-Rector for Research at TU Dresden. On behalf of the university, she offered her congratulations on the 70th anniversary of process engineering and praised the achievements of Dresden process engineering and its sub-disciplines over the past decades as well as in present times.

In order to emphasise the close connection between industry and research, the anniversary event featured not only the individual professorships and their areas of specialisation, but also important start-ups in Dresden process engineering, including BIOTOPA gGmbH, ENVERUM GmbH, Semodia GmbH and TOPAS GmbH. 

© IVU

The evening was also an ideal opportunity to honour a student contribution: Tim Redlich won the prize money of 300 euros, donated by the Dresdner Gesellschaft für Verfahrenstechnik und Chemieingenieurwesen- DGVC e.V., for the most substantial, original and vivid video answer to the question "What is process engineering for you and what solutions do you want to contribute to?". 

Following the official ceremony, there was an opportunity for a relaxed exchange of ideas, news and suggestions over dinner and an informal get-together.

To summarise, the 70th anniversary of process engineering at TU Dresden was duly celebrated on this unforgettable evening. We look forward to another exciting five years and a warm reunion when we celebrate the 75th anniversary of process engineering at TUD in 2028.

We would like to thank everyone who contributed to the success of this event, whether in front of or behind the scenes, and made sure that the 70th anniversary of Dresden Process Engineering was an outstanding and successful event.