What chemical engineering looks like in practice: A visit to Devco Australia
A recent visit to Devco Australia gave students the opportunity to see chemical engineering in action within a working industrial setting.
Hosted by Devco Australia with support from EAIT Employability, the tour was led by Richard Aston, Director of Devco Australia, and Operations Manager Guil Araldi, who drew on their chemical engineering backgrounds to guide the group through the site’s operations.
As a small but critical business supplying sulphur products to agricultural and industrial markets across Australasia, Devco receives molten sulphur and processes it on site using a series of interconnected systems. Throughout the visit, the group was introduced to the equipment and infrastructure that keep the operation running, including steam heating, insulated pipework, centrifugal pumps, cooling towers, conveyors, bagging lines and storage silos.
Richard and Guil explained how molten sulphur is transformed into prilled sulphur by introducing it to water, where it rapidly solidifies into small particles before being dewatered, conveyed and stored for dispatch. The tour also highlighted the role of steam systems in maintaining temperature across the site, and how process control and troubleshooting are essential to keeping operations safe and efficient.
The visit also highlighted the scale and complexity that can exist within a small team. Devco manages importing, storage, processing, bagging, customer supply and logistics for clients across multiple sectors. It was a useful reminder that engineering work is not limited to large corporations or major plants. Smaller operations can also involve highly technical, varied and meaningful work.
Environmental and safety considerations were another important part of the experience. The group learned about the site’s closed-loop water system, storage and handling procedures, and the practical safety measures needed to manage heat, traffic movement and hazardous materials on site.
Alongside the technical aspects of the tour, participants also heard reflections on the transition from university into industry and the different directions an engineering career can take. Richard and Guil spoke about the value of strong engineering fundamentals, practical problem-solving and the ability to ask the right questions in the workplace.
A key message was that while university can often feel highly theoretical, those fundamentals matter. Concepts such as thermodynamics, heat transfer, fluid flow and pump systems may not always appear in the same form as they do in tutorials, but they underpin many of the decisions made on site each day.
Thank you to Richard, Guil and the Devco Australia team for generously sharing their time and insights with students.