Transitioning of the Chemical Industry Toward a Net-Zero Carbon Dioxide Emission Path

Emissions from the chemical industry, both for energy and use of raw materials, account for approximately 6% of man-made greenhouse gas emissions. In order to keep global warming at acceptable levels, these emissions-as all other emissions-have to be drastically reduced. One way to do this is the elimination of fossil feedstock from chemical production and meeting the energy demand from renewable resources. This contribution shows that the essential elements are already available at scale to provide C₁-building blocks, olefins, aromatics, and ammonia as the key base chemicals. Methanol can be produced from CO₂ and renewable hydrogen, olefins from the methanol-to-olefins and related processes, for aromatics, the methanol-to-aromatics process is available, supplemented by biomass and recycled polymers as feedstock, and also for ammonia process concepts with a strongly reduced greenhouse gas footprint are available. Current hurdles are the partly unattractive economic boundary conditions and the rate at which a change in the feedstock situation can be achieved. Moreover, high amounts of renewable energy are required, which accounts for about half of the current global electricity production.