# Carbon dioxide: Emissions

Small processing footprint, big questions about reuse

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

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 0.08 t CO2e per t range about 0.03-0.2 · processing energy of 100-150 kWh per t at 0.45-0.7 kg CO2 per kWh plus distribution; excludes the product CO2

Per t of liquid CO2 product, cradle-to-gate (processing only; the CO2 molecule itself is counted separately). Intensity: indicative (basis: energy use x grid intensity). Global total: not published.

#### Share of footprint by lifecycle phase
 Production / process 75% Movement 25%

#### Footprint by lifecycle phase

| Phase | Intensity | Share | Main sources of emissions | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Feedstock** | not allocated (by-product of ammonia, ethanol, gas processing) | 0% | host process | emissions belong to the host plant | allocation convention (indicative) |
| **Production / process** | about 0.06 t CO2e per t | 75% | compression, purification, liquefaction power | higher on coal-heavy grids | indicative |
| **Movement** | about 0.02 t CO2e per t | 25% | refrigerated road tankers | indicative | indicative |
| **Use** | about 1 t CO2 per t for food, drinks and urea; partly retained in EOR | – | carbonation, dry ice and urea release the CO2 within days to months | fossil CO2 used this way only delays emission; urea releases 0.733 t CO2 per t in the field | stoichiometry; IPCC accounting |
| **End of life** | not applicable | – | returns to air | permanent storage only with geological CCS or mineralisation | not applicable |

#### Other environmental impacts

Natural-well CO2 used for EOR adds fossil CO2 and produces more oil. Pipeline ruptures are a local safety risk.

#### Levers to cut emissions

- Shift merchant supply to biogenic CO2 from fermentation and biogas upgrading
- Geological storage of captured CO2 rather than short-lived use
- Mineralisation in concrete and aggregates
- Use captured CO2 with green hydrogen for e-methanol

#### India

India's urea plants use about 21 Mt of CO2 a year and release it in fields; merchant use is about 1.3 Mt a year (gasworld 2025; derived). Growing ethanol and compressed biogas output could add biogenic CO2 supply (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Biogenic CO2 from ethanol and biogas plants** | processing emissions only; CO2 is biogenic | small for food grade (indicative) | India's compressed biogas programme (SATAT) and ethanol blending create new CO2 sources (indicative) | indicative |

 For a climate investor The opportunity is less in merchant CO2 itself than in capture and use: biogenic CO2 from India's ethanol and biogas expansion for food grade and e-methanol, and CO2 mineralisation into building materials. What has to be true: a carbon price or offtake premium, since by-product CO2 is cheap. Players include Carbon Clean (capture at Tuticorin), the industrial gas majors and India's grain and molasses ethanol distillers (indicative).

## Other sections

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