# Butadiene: Emissions

Sharing the cracker's carbon among co-products

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/butadiene/emissions/

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 |

 For a climate investor Butadiene emissions are small in absolute terms; the material climate and pollution angle is end-of-life tyres. Tyre pyrolysis to oil and recovered carbon black, and bio-based rubber inputs, are where capital is going, with tyre makers (Michelin, Bridgestone, Apollo, MRF) as offtakers. Economics depend on oil prices and on extended producer responsibility for tyres, which India introduced for waste tyres in 2022 (Hazardous and Other Wastes Amendment Rules, MoEFCC 2022).

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/butadiene/index.md)
- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/butadiene/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/butadiene/correlation/index.md)
- [Production route](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/butadiene/routes/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/butadiene/production/index.md)
- [Feedstocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/butadiene/feedstocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/butadiene/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/butadiene/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/butadiene/movement/index.md)
- [Regulation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/butadiene/regulation/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/butadiene/characteristics/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/butadiene/links/index.md)