TRIZ-based approach for accelerating innovation in chemical engineering

• TRIZ is perfectly applicable to chemical engineering and related areas.
• Appropriate TRIZ tools can be selected depending on the type of chemical problem.
• The TRIZ tools typically most useful in chemical engineering are identified.
• Application of these tools to chemical problems is illustrated by case studies.

In the 21st century, the pace of technological innovation is increasing exponentially and companies feel more and more pressure to adapt quickly to new problems, new technologies and new demands on skills. To ensure such continuous capability improvement, a systematic understanding of technological problem framing and problem solving is a must. TRIZ-based methodologies, typically associated with systematic innovation, have been used for decades across different industries to dramatically improve products and manufacturing processes. These methodologies have been used by leading corporations throughout the world to develop breakthrough ideas, reduce risk associated with innovation and accelerate innovation. One common misconception about TRIZ, however, is that since it was developed for mechanical systems it cannot be used for chemical problems. The objective of this article is to demonstrate that, in fact, TRIZ-based methodologies are well-suited for the chemical industry by presenting (1) relevant statistics (almost 60% of all projects performed by our company over the last 8 years involved improving chemical or bio-chemical products and technologies), (2) specific TRIZ-based case studies from the fields of chemistry and chemical engineering and (3) general reasoning on the areas of chemical engineering in which TRIZ should be most effective.