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Introduction to Climate Change Mitigation Read chapter Read first chapter

2017 | OriginalPaper | Chapter

Implications of Climate Change for the Petrochemical Industry: Mitigation Measures and Feedstock Transitions

Authors : Simon J. Bennett, Holly A. Page

Published in: Handbook of Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation

Publisher: Springer International Publishing

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Abstract

For over half a century, society has relied on the products of the organic chemical industry to supply the clothes we wear, the food we eat, our health, housing, transportation, security, and other commodities. Approximately 92 % of organic chemical products are derived from oil and gas. In addition, these same resources are generally used to provide the large quantities of process heat and power needed by the industry. In the modern petrochemical industry, oil and gas inputs for both raw material and process energy compose around 50 % of the operating costs.
Not only is the chemical industry (including petrochemicals) the industrial sector with the highest emissions worldwide, it is also very vulnerable to variations in fossil fuel prices and, potentially, climate policies. Efficiency has long been a major factor in determining competitiveness in petrochemicals, and the sector has a high success rate in reducing its energy intensity. Yet, while global use of oil for energy grew globally by 12 % between 2002 and 2012, the use of oil for chemical feedstocks grew 21 %. It now represents 9 % of total global oil use and 6 % of total global gas use. Reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in an industry that is so dependent on fossil fuels presents a significant challenge.
This chapter introduces the history of the modern chemical industry and the establishment of its close relationship with the oil industry. This relationship has recently come under strain as new sources of oil and gas are increasingly exploited, and growth in hydrocarbon demand for chemical products outpaces that for energy from these sources. It goes on to describe some of the major chemical processes, their GHG emissions, and their geographical variations. The benefits and challenges of several technological mitigation options are discussed. These are recycling, efficiency gains through cogeneration, CO2 capture and storage (CCS), and feedstock switching via biorefining.

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Footnotes
1
Studies suggest that most of the world’s major fields have peaked at between 30 % and 40 % of their total resource (Hökök et al. 2009).
 
2
Lucite was subsequently subject to acquisition by Mitsubishi of Japan.
 
3
It may seem incongruous that CCS, a climate change mitigation technology, be used to enhance the production of oil, yet while CCS passes through its technology development stages, this link with oil revenue can reduce the cost of project financing, a cost that otherwise often falls on the public purse. This use of CCS for EOR/EGR, combined with increasing climate change awareness have driven CO2 capture technology toward reducing costs, potentially allowing application in larger (and lower margin) markets.
 
4
CO2 is today used in the agriculture industry to enhance crop growth and in the food industry to carbonate drinks and decaffeinate coffee (among other uses), but these also suffer from short-term net storage and limited markets.
 
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Metadata
Title
Implications of Climate Change for the Petrochemical Industry: Mitigation Measures and Feedstock Transitions
Authors
Simon J. Bennett
Holly A. Page
Copyright Year
2017
Book
Handbook of Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation

Print ISBN: 978-3-319-14408-5

Electronic ISBN: 978-3-319-14409-2

Copyright Year: 2017

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-14409-2_10