In this paper, optimization techniques used in the chemical processes are explored. Chemical processes comprise of several multi-variable, non-linear and constrained blocks. The overall system performance depends on operating each block optimally. So every element has to be optimized in order to get an overall best possible outcome. This makes the choice of a good optimization algorithm very crucial. This survey includes the study of research done and implemented in the industry, perusing the variety of the optimization technique adopted, the details of the optimization algorithm, its advantages and shortcomings.