Petrochemicals and polymers are derived from hydrocarbons that are derived from crude oil and/or natural gas after certain steps of chemical processing. The petrochemical industry mainly comprises of chemicals, synthetic fibers/yarn, polymers, synthetic rubber, detergent intermediates, and performance plastics, and plays a vital role in the economic growth and development of a nation. Today, petrochemical products including polymers have permeated the entire spectrum of daily use items. It would be not an exaggeration to state that every sphere of our societal needs such as clothing, housing, construction, furniture, and other household items including agriculture, horticulture, irrigation, packaging, and medical devices are fulfilled by these materials in one way or other.

Although rapidly developing, the petrochemical industry faces substantial challenges. For example, the lack of a specialized workforce is a major obstacle faced by many petrochemical and polymer industries around the world. Considering the rapidly changing industry requirement, it is high time to shift to an education pattern that is more interdisciplinary in nature and prepare technical graduates who can rapidly conform to the needs of refineries of the future.

The technical graduates from the traditional chemical and/or petroleum engineering streams have limited exposure to the high-end science and technology required for developing and/or designing novel routes and/or pathways for petrochemicals and polymers. However, the refining industry of the future (industry 4.0) needs agile, parallel, and experimental innovations where ideation, screening, and analysis all take place simultaneously, requiring a more specialized workforce. Therefore, an entirely novel and interdisciplinary B Tech program in Petrochemicals and Polymers Engineering is introduced in the current session that aims to produce graduate engineers with a specialized skill set. The course module is designed in such a way that it will train the students and make them capable of using modern techniques and tools and make them ready for working with the refining industry of the future.

The petrochemical and polymer sectors are the backbone of several other industries which include housing, construction, furniture, agriculture, horticulture, irrigation, packaging, medical devices, infrastructure, manufacturing, and electrical and electronics. As of now, the petrochemical and polymer industry together contribute about 30 percent of raw materials to the chemical industry, which is expected to grow even further. It is the fastest-growing industry in the world with a global market size of 579.7 billion USD in 2021. The trend is expected to grow further at a compound annual growth rate of 3.4 % to reach 722.6 billion USD by 2027. As India progresses towards becoming a $5 trillion economy by 2024-25, the share of the petrochemicals and polymer sector shall become even more prominent, considering that it is the backbone of agriculture, infrastructure, manufacturing, and electrical and electronic industries.

All the major public sector and privately owned oil companies are investing hugely to increase their refining capacity to cope with the growing demands of these commodities. The government has also finalized several refinery expansions plan at the existing refineries and a few new units are in the pipeline. Therefore, there is growth potential in the petrochemical industry, which will result in an increase in the demand for skilled technical graduates in the petrochemical and polymer stream.

After completing B Tech in Petrochemicals and Polymers Engineering one can start her/his, career as a Graduate Engineer in any Oil and Gas industry, especially in the downstream sector. Their expertise can be utilized to design and operate equipment and processes that convert crude oil and natural gas into petrochemicals. They can also be involved in the development of new technologies to produce cleaner fuels and chemicals, as well as the optimization of existing refining processes to make the process more cost-effective and environmentally acceptable.