Low-carbon roadmap of chemical production: A case study of ethylene in China

Abstract

The increasing emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) are primarily driven by the rapid expansion of energyintensive sectors such as the chemical industry. This work selects ethylene, one of the most important chemicals, as a model study to represent the low-carbon roadmap of chemical production. Four strategies, improving the efficiency of fossil resource usage, developing the technology for carbon capture and storage (CCS), CO2 chemical conversion, and converting biomass resources into chemicals, are used to reduce CO2 emissions. A comprehensive analysis of the life cycle CO2 emissions of different ethylene production routes has been performed to compare their emission reduction potential. The results indicate that the CO2MTO (CO2 to olefins via methanol-to-olefins) pathway releases the least CO2 (-0.05 t CO2/t ethylene), while the CFTO (coal to olefins via Fischer-Tropsch synthesis) possesses the most CO2 emissions. Combining CCS Abbreviations: BETE, biomass to ethylene via ethanol to ethylene pathway; BMTO, biomass to olefins via methanol-to-olefins pathway; CCS, carbon capture and storage; CFTO, coal to olefins via Fischer-Tropsch to olefins pathway; CMTO, coal to olefins via methanol-to-olefins pathway; CO2, carbon dioxide; CPP, catalytic pyrolytic process; CO2MTO, CO2 to olefins via methanol-to-olefins pathway; ETE, ethanol to ethylene; FTO, Fischer-Tropsch to olefins; GHG, greenhouse gas; LCA, life cycle assessment; MEA, monoethanolamine; MTO, methanol-to-olefins; NG, natural gas; NGLs, natural gas liquids; NMTO, natural gas to olefins via methanol-to-olefins pathway; NSC, steam cracking of conventional natural gas; PSC, steam cracking of mixed petroleum; SC, steam cracking; SSC, steam cracking of shale gas; TEA, techno-economic analysis 2 with BMTO (biomass to olefins via methanol-to-olefins) results in CO2 emissions of -6.0 t per t ethylene.Furthermore, we analysed the annual production and CO2 emissions of ethylene in the last 17 years and integrated this real-time change with different pathways. The CO2 emissions have decreased by 29.4% per t ethylene from 2000 to 2016 in China. However, the total amount of CO2 emissions continuously increase in the ethylene production industry. Given that China has promised to hit peak CO2 emissions by 2030, a scenario analysis was performed. To achieve this goal, the ratios of BMTO, CO2MTO or BETE (ethanol to ethylene pathway originating from biomass) pathways should increase by 0.9%, 1.4% and 1.6% annually from 2020, respectively. Then more than 700 million metric tons of CO2 will be eliminated from 2020 to 2040. The results highlight the pivotal role that regulation and policy administration can play in controlling CO2 emissions by increasing average technological level and turning to low-carbon routes in the chemical industry in China.

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

“…Detailed comparisons of the energy demands and CO 2 emissions of the various ethene and propene production processes based on crude oil, natural gas, shale gas, CO 2 , and biomass are given in Zhao et al. and Ren .…”

Standortplanung für die Herstellung CO2‐basierter Chemikalien am Beispiel der Olefinproduktion

“…Ausführliche Gegenüberstellungen der Energiebedarfe und CO 2 ‐Emissionen der verschiedenen Herstellverfahren von Ethen und Propen auf Basis von Erdöl, Erdgas, Schiefergas, CO 2 oder Biomasse sind in , dargestellt. Große Produktionsstätten der Petrochemie mit Raffinerien, Steamcrackern sowie den notwendigen Pipelines für Erdöl, Ethen und Propen in Deutschland sind in zu finden.…”

An economic analysis of twenty light olefin production pathways

“…Upstream syngas generation has been depicted in Section 2.4 . The steady-state simulation of different FTO pathways was conducted according to our previous work [5] , and the resulting inventory is summarized in Fig. 5 .…”

“…According to previous reference [24] , 1.9 t ethanol, 171.5 kW h electricity, and 2.1 t steam were consumed to produce per metric ton ethylene. Ethanol can be produced through different types of biomass like sugar-or starch-rich crops, energy crops, lignocellulose, waste materials, and algal [5] . Partial or whole of pretreatment, saccharification, fermentation, and purification processes are included in different ethanol production process [47] .…”

“…In addition, heavy fractions of petroleum, such as atmospheric residue, are difficult to produce olefins through SC or PDH. The catalytic pyrolysis process (CPP) and deep catalytic cracking (DCC) are developed to fill this gap [5] . Paraffin base atmospheric residue can be converted into light olefins through CPP and DCC technologies.…”