Utilization of CO2 for Ethylene Oxide

Mobley, Paul; Peters, Jonathan E.; Akunuri, Nandita; Hlebak, Joshua; Gupta, Vijay; Zheng, Qinghe; Zhou, Sq; Lail, Marty

doi:10.1016/j.egypro.2017.03.1878

Cited by 14 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Source: illustration redrawn and adapted from (Saravanan et al, ). oxidation from ethylene to CO 2 , increase the carbon footprint of EO (Mobley et al, 2017).…”

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The most common EO processes are based on the direct oxidation of ethylene (C 2 H 4 ), oxygen (O 2 ), and a recycle gas blended in a catalytic reactor, resulting in the production of EO, carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), and water (H 2 O) (Zakkour and Cook, 2010). However, in recent years, the research focus shifted to replacing O 2 by CO 2 , (Mobley et al, 2017), which would allow for the production of EO and carbon monoxide (CO) while utilizing CO 2 . Also, in common industrial processes unwanted side reactions, such as the full…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Life cycle assessment of a novel electrocatalytic process for the production of bulk chemical ethylene oxide from biogenic CO2

et al. 2022

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Carbon capture and utilization (CCU) technologies support future energy and climate transition goals by recycling carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The use of biogenic CO2 from renewable sources, is an avenue for the production of fully renewable products. Fossil-based materials can potentially be replaced in the long term while allowing for the use of so called “waste” streams. To foster the development of a circular economy more insights need to be gained on the life cycle impact of CCU technologies. This study analyzed a CCU process chain, with focus on the utilization of volatile renewable electricity and biogenic CO2. We performed a cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment, evaluating various environmental impact categories (CML 2001 methodology) and primary energy demand (PED) with GaBi LCA software by sphera®. The targeted olefin is ethylene oxide (C2H4O), which is a crucial intermediate chemical for the production of various synthetic materials, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET). As functional unit, 1 kg ethylene oxide was chosen. In the novel process at first ethylene (C2H4) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) are produced from water and CO2via an electrocatalytic process (Power-to-X process). In a second step, the two intermediates are synthesized to ethylene oxide. The theoretical implementation of a medium-scale process under average European conditions was considered in 12 scenarios that differed in energy supply and CO2 source. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to evaluate the influence of the energy and resource efficiencies of the production steps. The process was compared to its fossil benchmark, an existing conventional EO production chain. Concerning the global warming potential (GWP), negative emissions of up to −0.5 kg CO2 eq./kg product were calculated under optimized process conditions regarding energy and conversion efficiency and using biogenic CO2. In contrast, the GWP exceeded the fossil benchmark when the European grid mix was applied. The PED of 87 MJ/kg product under optimized conditions is comparable to that of other Power-to-X processes, but is high compared to fossil-based ethylene oxide. Based on the results we conclude that the energy efficiency of the electrocatalytic cell and renewable energy as input are the main levers to achieve a low environmental impact.

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“…Source: illustration redrawn and adapted from (Saravanan et al, ). oxidation from ethylene to CO 2 , increase the carbon footprint of EO (Mobley et al, 2017).…”

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Life cycle assessment of a novel electrocatalytic process for the production of bulk chemical ethylene oxide from biogenic CO2

et al. 2022

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“…Second, moderately strong acid sites, which are relatively inactive towards C−H/C−C dissociation of ethylene to promote the selectivity towards epoxide. Despite the lower selectivity, a life cycle analysis by RTI showed that using CO 2 as a soft oxidant resulted in 2.82 t‐CO 2 avoided per t of ethylene oxide produced [49] . These interesting results demonstrate the potential for using CO 2 as an oxidant for alkene epoxidation.…”

Section: Catalytic Systemsmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…Reactions (13) and (14) have been less studied than other CO 2 conversion processes. The most prominent efforts have been made by RTI International, who employ a proprietary mixed metal oxide catalyst for epoxidation at 300 °C, 20 bar pressure [49] . Additional details are provided in section 3.4.…”

Section: Process Description and Thermodynamicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Synthesizing High‐Volume Chemicals from CO₂ without Direct H₂ Input

et al. 2020

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Decarbonizing the chemical industry will eventually entail using CO 2 as a feedstock for chemical synthesis. However, many chemical syntheses involve CO 2 reduction using inputs such as renewable hydrogen. In this review, chemical processes are discussed that use CO 2 as an oxidant for upgrading hydrocarbon feedstocks. The captured CO 2 is inherently reduced by the hydrocarbon co-reactants without consuming molecular hydrogen or renewable electricity. This CO 2 utilization approach can be potentially applied to synthesize eight emission-intensive molecules, including olefins and epoxides. Catalytic systems and reactor concepts are discussed that can overcome practical challenges, such as thermodynamic limitations, overoxidation, coking, and heat management. Under the best-case scenario, these hydrogen-free CO 2 reduction processes have a combined CO 2 abatement potential of approximately 1 gigatons per year and avoid the consumption of 1.24 PWh renewable electricity, based on current market demand and supply.

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“…CO2 is regarded as a stable compound due to its carbon covalently bonded to two oxygen atoms, although the thermodynamic stability of CO2 requires a significant amount of energy to be decomposed [4]. There are known ways in which CO2 emissions could be reduced such as replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy [5], carbon capture and storage (CCS) [6] and CO2 utilisation [7]. The use of CO2 for the synthesis of valuable products such as cyclic carbonates and polycarbonates via greener routes is highly desirable.…”

Section: List Of Tablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Greener synthesis of 1,2-butylene carbonate from CO2 using graphene-inorganic nanocomposite catalyst

Onyenkeadi

Kellici

Saha

2018

Energy

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Utilization of CO2 for Ethylene Oxide

Cited by 14 publications

References 15 publications

Life cycle assessment of a novel electrocatalytic process for the production of bulk chemical ethylene oxide from biogenic CO2

Life cycle assessment of a novel electrocatalytic process for the production of bulk chemical ethylene oxide from biogenic CO2

Synthesizing High‐Volume Chemicals from CO₂ without Direct H₂ Input

Greener synthesis of 1,2-butylene carbonate from CO2 using graphene-inorganic nanocomposite catalyst

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Utilization of CO2 for Ethylene Oxide

Cited by 14 publications

References 15 publications

Life cycle assessment of a novel electrocatalytic process for the production of bulk chemical ethylene oxide from biogenic CO2

Life cycle assessment of a novel electrocatalytic process for the production of bulk chemical ethylene oxide from biogenic CO2

Synthesizing High‐Volume Chemicals from CO2 without Direct H2 Input

Greener synthesis of 1,2-butylene carbonate from CO2 using graphene-inorganic nanocomposite catalyst

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

Synthesizing High‐Volume Chemicals from CO₂ without Direct H₂ Input