| Title |
Environmental sustainability assessment of renewables-based propylene glycol at full industrial scale production |
| ID_Doc |
26393 |
| Authors |
Nachtergaele, P; De Meester, S; Dewulf, J |
| Title |
Environmental sustainability assessment of renewables-based propylene glycol at full industrial scale production |
| Year |
2019 |
| Published |
Journal Of Chemical Technology And Biotechnology, 94, 6 |
| DOI |
10.1002/jctb.5951 |
| Abstract |
BACKGROUND Glycerol, a by-product from oleochemical or biodiesel production, can be used to produce renewables-based propylene glycol (PG). The environmental sustainability of PG was evaluated using life-cycle assessment. The effect of shifting from petrochemical to renewables-based PG was assessed by using data from an industrial scale renewables-based PG production plant. A contribution analysis was performed to identify the hotspots in the production process. The effects of implementing a sustainable sourcing strategy and producing steam/electricity by combined heat and power (CHP) were assessed. RESULTS A switch from petrochemical to renewables-based PG results in a reduction of the climate change impact between 40% and 60% kg CO2 eq. A shift of burden is found to agriculture-related indicators. For the biodiesel and oleochemical production route, respectively, 73% and 59% of the impact on climate change is related to feedstock production. By implementing two improvements, the emitted CO2 eq. for biodiesel PG could be reduced by 38%. CONCLUSIONS Switching from petrochemical to renewables-based PG has a clear environmental benefit for slowing climate change. However, the shift of burden towards agriculture-related indicators shows the need to ensure sustainable agricultural practices. Combining both on-site improvements and a more sustainable supply chain effectively decreases the environmental impact. (c) 2019 Society of Chemical Industry |
| Author Keywords |
life-cycle assessment; bio-based resources; product environmental footprint; circular economy; glycerol |
| Index Keywords |
Index Keywords |
| Document Type |
Other |
| Open Access |
Open Access |
| Source |
Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED) |
| EID |
WOS:000467459200011 |
| WoS Category |
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology; Chemistry, Multidisciplinary; Engineering, Environmental; Engineering, Chemical |
| Research Area |
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology; Chemistry; Engineering |
| PDF |
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