Students of the College of Engineering at Alfaisal University visited the SABIC (Saudi Basic Industries Corporation) Research & Technology Complex in Riyadh on Tuesday 19 January 2010. They were given a special tour around the Complex’s Analytical Chemistry Laboratories as a part of the College’s initiative to provide students with exposure to the Saudi Arabian industries.
The analytical chemistry section at SABIC complex for Research and Technology (SABIC R&T) in Riyadh is equipped with advanced and versatile analytical equipment, administered by a highly competent group of specialists who are capable of focusing on SABIC’s analytical needs.
Students from the College of Engineering were also given demonstrations of the sophisticated equipment such as Scanning Electron Microscopy, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Mass Spectroscopy, Atomic Spectroscopy, X-ray, Gas and Liquid Chromatography and other state of the art facilities at the Complex.
The SABIC research team interacted with students and fielded questions regarding the various stages of R&T Labs. They explained the process of production at the laboratory stages, pilot stages and finally how the R&T lab output gets transferred to the commercial plants. The students showed interest in the polymerization process of ethylene and the essential components involved in the process.
SABIC is the Saudi Basic Industries Corporation, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of chemicals, fertilizers, plastics and metals. SABIC is the largest and most profitable non-oil company in the Middle East and one of the world’s five largest petrochemicals manufacturers. Because SABIC is constantly looking to the future, they invest heavily in Research and Technology (R&T). They have 16 main R&T facilities spread across the globe with new patents and certifications earned through their hundreds of dedicated scientists. The students of the College of Engineering visited one of these 16 facilities located in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The College of Engineering at Alfaisal University believes that exposure to industry is vital to the student’s professional development. To foster this belief, the college routinely organizes executive seminar series and field trips to industrial establishments.