From Feedstock to Future Chemicals: Rethinking Carbon Sources in Industrial Propylene Clusters
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide The rising pressure to defossilize the chemical industry has driven research toward producing chemicals that use alternative carbon sources (ACS). However, the challenges and impacts of replacing already implemented processes and symbiotic relationships remain largely underexplored. This paper systematically assesses the impacts of defossilizing existing processes, both individually and simultaneously, in a propylene cluster in the Port of Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Nine fossil-based processes and three ACS-based processes (i.e., CO 2 -based polyol, biopropylene glycol (bio-PG), and biomethyl-tert-butyl-ether (bio-MTBE)) were included in the assessment. Integrating a single ACS-based process enlarges the propylene cluster and results in an excess of upstream chemicals that are no longer required by the ACS processes. Still, relatively simple technologies can reduce total energy and water use, resulting in lower direct CO 2 emissions and water consumption of the cluster. Deploying multiple processes in parallel can drive the full defossilization of the cluster, but it requires a complete overhaul. The results illustrate the extent to which combining ACS-based processes could change the layout of an existing petrochemical cluster, affecting its performance. The paper stresses the importance of assessing such deployments, considering the existing conditions in industrial clusters.
Institution: Delft University of Technology
Language: English
Subfield: Environmental Chemistry
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,500
Award: G5179621511
OpenAlex ID: W4415111144