Carbon Footprint of Chemical Industry

Published June 2024

There has been a growing urgency to curb greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. While viable solutions to reduce GHG emissions are being explored, the chemical industry has been a primary focus of many international environmental organizations. Numerous opportunities are available for emissions reductions in the chemical industry. In order to understand potential emissions reductions, it is necessary to quantify the carbon emissions for chemical processes. However, carbon emissions estimates for many chemical processes have yet to be established.

To help determine potential emissions reductions, the Process Economics Program has prepared an estimate of the carbon footprint of major petrochemicals in three categories: aromatics, olefins and polyolefins. In this review, carbon dioxide emissions factors for 319 processes are presented. In addition, estimates have been broken down into Scope 1 emissions (direct emissions) and Scope 2 emissions (indirect emissions). Direct emissions occur at the plant site while indirect emissions arise due to remotely located electrical generators. GHG emissions factors calculations are presented on a US Gulf Coast basis.