Computational chemical engineering - Towards thorough understanding and precise application

The paradigms of chemical engineering discipline are discussed. The first paradigm of Unit Operations and the second paradigm of Transport Phenomena are well recognized among the chemical engineers all over the world, and what the next paradigmis remains still an open question. Several proposals such as Chemical product engineering, Sustainable chemical engineering and Multi-scale methodology are considered as candidates for next paradigm. Might Computational Chemical Engineering be the next one, which is advancing the discipline of chemical engineering toward ultimate mechanism-based understanding of chemical processes? This possibility is comparatively expounded with other proposals, and the scope and depth of computational chemical engineering are shortly listed. (C) 2016 The Chemical Industry and Engineering Society of China, and Chemical Industry Press. All rights reserved.