Butadiene: Emissions
Sharing the cracker's carbon among co-products
Sharing the cracker's carbon among co-products What this tab covers The greenhouse-gas footprint per tonne, split by lifecycle phase (feedstock, production, movement, use, end of life), the global total, other environmental impacts, levers and low-carbon routes, India's position, and where the investment opportunity lies. Emission intensity 1.30 t CO2e per t range about 1.0-1.8 (extraction); higher for on-purpose dehydrogenation · cradle-to-gate with mass allocation of cracker emissions (indicative) Global emissions per year 20.0 Mt CO2e per year 2025 · about 1.3 t x about 15 Mt (indicative)Per t of butadiene, cradle-to-gate. Intensity: indicative (basis: Plastics Europe eco-profiles and cracker allocation). Global total: derived (indicative).
Share of footprint by lifecycle phase
Feedstock 35% Production / process 62% Movement 3%Footprint by lifecycle phase
| Phase | Intensity | Share | Main sources of emissions | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feedstock | about 0.45 t CO2e per t | 35% | Naphtha production and refining | allocated share | indicative |
| Production / process | about 0.8 t CO2e per t | 62% | Cracker furnace share plus extraction steam | extraction steam about 0.2 t CO2 per t (indicative) | indicative |
| Movement | about 0.04 t CO2e per t | 3% | Shipping | small | indicative |
| Use | not applicable | – | Polymerised into rubbers and plastics | fugitive emissions are a health issue more than a climate one | n/a |
| End of life | about 3 t CO2 per t if tyres are burned | – | Tyre disposal: cement kiln fuel, pyrolysis, landfill | tyre wear particles are a major microplastic source | stoichiometric (indicative) |
Other environmental impacts
Carcinogenic fenceline exposure; tyre wear particles (microplastics) from SBR and BR in use.
Levers to cut emissions
- Electrified cracking reduces the allocated cracker share.
- Bio-butadiene from ethanol (Lebedev) or bio-naphtha under mass balance.
- Tyre pyrolysis oil as cracker feed for circular butadiene.
- Efficiency in extraction steam use.
India
No low-carbon butadiene project announced; Indian tyre makers buy mass-balance synthetic rubber in small volumes (indicative).
Emission figures are indicative global averages from the life-cycle studies named; actual footprints vary widely by site, energy mix and method.Low-carbon routes
| Route | Intensity | Cost premium | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethanol-to-butadiene | lower with sugarcane ethanol (not published) | not published | Michelin-led BioButterfly pilot in France (indicative) | indicative |
| Mass-balance bio or circular butadiene | not published | premium to fossil | offered by several European producers under ISCC Plus (indicative) | indicative |