From Feedstock to Future Chemicals: Rethinking Carbon Sources in Industrial Propylene Clusters

Area of Science:

• Chemical Engineering
• Industrial Ecology
• Sustainability Science

Background:

• The chemical industry faces increasing pressure to transition away from fossil fuels.
• Producing chemicals from alternative carbon sources (ACS) is a key research area.
• The impacts of integrating ACS into existing industrial systems are not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically assess the impacts of defossilizing a propylene cluster in the Port of Rotterdam.
• To evaluate the effects of integrating single and multiple ACS-based processes.
• To understand the challenges and opportunities in transitioning petrochemical clusters.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of nine fossil-based and three ACS-based processes (CO2-based polyol, biopropylene glycol, bio-MTBE).
• Simulation of individual and simultaneous integration of ACS processes within a propylene cluster.
• Assessment of changes in cluster layout, energy and water consumption, and CO2 emissions.

Main Results:

• Integrating a single ACS process can lead to an excess of upstream chemicals but reduces overall energy, water use, and direct CO2 emissions.
• Simultaneous deployment of multiple ACS processes enables full defossilization but necessitates a complete industrial overhaul.
• The integration of ACS processes significantly alters the petrochemical cluster's layout and performance.

Conclusions:

• The transition to ACS in the chemical industry requires careful consideration of existing infrastructure and symbiotic relationships.
• Assessing the holistic impacts on industrial clusters is crucial for successful defossilization strategies.
• Simple technologies can mitigate negative impacts and enhance the benefits of ACS integration.