# Industrial enzymes: Emissions

How enzymes save more energy than they cost

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/enzymes/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.

Per t of formulated enzyme product, cradle-to-gate. Intensity: not published. Global total: not published.

#### Footprint by lifecycle phase

| Phase | Intensity | Share | Main sources of emissions | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Feedstock** | not published | – | glucose, starch and soy meal |  | indicative |
| **Production / process** | not published | – | aeration power, cooling, sterilisation steam | leaders buy renewable power for Danish and US plants (indicative) | indicative |
| **Movement** | small | – | container and truck; some cold chain |  | indicative |
| **Use** | large net savings (company claims of tens of Mt CO2 a year, indicative) | – | cold washing, lower process temperatures, less bleach and phosphate, higher ethanol yields | savings are customers' emissions, claimed by producers | indicative |
| **End of life** | not applicable | – | proteins biodegrade in wastewater |  | not applicable |

#### Other environmental impacts

Occupational allergy; GMO containment; fermentation biomass disposal (often used as fertiliser).

#### Levers to cut emissions

- Renewable power and steam at fermentation sites
- Higher-yield strains
- Cold-wash detergent enzymes
- Phytase to cut mined phosphate
- Cellulases for cellulosic ethanol and biomass

#### India

Enzyme use is growing with E20 ethanol, detergents and poultry feed; domestic production is small relative to demand (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Enzymes for second-generation ethanol** | not applicable | not published | commercial at a few plants; India's 2G ethanol plants (e.g. IOCL Panipat, indicative) use enzymes | indicative |

 For a climate investor Enzymes are an enabling technology with high margins and real climate leverage in use: lower-temperature washing, phosphate-free feed, higher ethanol yields and biomass conversion. Most value goes to strain owners with application labs. In India, opportunities sit in local production for ethanol and feed and in enzymes for biomass and textile processing; Advanced Enzyme Technologies is the listed benchmark.

## Other sections

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