Life Cycle Assessment of Carbon Dioxide–Based Production of Methane and Methanol and Derived Polymers

Abstract

Summary Previous studies showed that using carbon dioxide (CO2) as a raw material for chemical syntheses may provide an opportunity for achieving greenhouse gas (GHG) savings and a low‐carbon economy. Nevertheless, it is not clear whether carbon capture and utilization benefits the environment in terms of resource efficiency. We analyzed the production of methane, methanol, and synthesis gas as basic chemicals and derived polyoxymethylene, polyethylene, and polypropylene as polymers by calculating the output‐oriented indicator global warming impact (GWI) and the resource‐based indicators raw material input (RMI) and total material requirement (TMR) on a cradle‐to‐gate basis. As carbon source, we analyzed the capturing of CO2 from air, raw biogas, cement plants, lignite‐fired power, and municipal waste incineration plants. Wind power serves as an energy source for hydrogen production. Our data were derived from both industrial processes and process simulations. The results demonstrate that the analyzed CO2‐based process chains reduce the amount of GHG emissions in comparison to the conventional ones. At the same time, the CO2‐based process chains require an increased amount of (abiotic) resources. This trade‐off between decreased GHG emissions and increased resource use is assessed. The decision about whether or not to recycle CO2 into hydrocarbons depends largely on the source and amount of energy used to produce hydrogen.

Study of the Influence of the Reprocessing Cycles on the Final Properties of Polylactide Pieces Obtained by Injection Molding

“…Biopolymers can be defined as polymers that are not "harmful" for the environment. The concept of a biopolymer is strongly linked to the origin of the material (petrochemical or natural resource) and to its end-of-life (whether it is biodegradable or not) [1][2][3][4]. Biopolymers include petroleum-derived polymers with the biodegradation (disintegration in controlled compost soil conditions) feature.…”

Location Planning for the Production of CO2‐Based Chemicals Using the Example of Olefin Production

“…Possible compression steps are environmentally relevant as they are associated with increased electricity demand. Other studies have shown that CO 2 ‐based polymer production saves greenhouse gas emissions, but is associated with increased raw material costs .…”

Scale‐up and Sustainability Evaluation of Biopolymer Production from Citrus Waste Offering Carbon Capture and Utilisation Pathway

“…There is extensive literature covering the environmental benefit of CO 2 polymerisation with epoxides to produce polycarbonates, thereby achieving carbon capture and utilisation (CCU), and contributing towards a mitigation of climate change . However, it is important that newly designed industrial processes to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions do not introduce new hazards .…”