Fatty alcohols: Emissions
Peat versus old cropland: a huge spread in footprint
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 4.50 t CO2e per t range about -1.5 (palm kernel oil from existing cropland with mill methane capture) to 16.7 (palm on drained peat); petro-based about 2.97 · indicative weighted average: about two-thirds palm-kernel-based (5.27 t/t average) and one-third petro-based (2.97 t/t) Global emissions per year 19.0 Mt CO2e per year 2024 · 4.5 t/t x about 4.3 Mt (indicative)Per t of fatty alcohol, cradle-to-gate. Intensity: Shah et al. 2016, Journal of Surfactants and Detergents (via surfactants tile); weighting indicative. Global total: derived (indicative).
Share of footprint by lifecycle phase
Feedstock 80% Production / process 16% Movement 4%Footprint by lifecycle phase
| Phase | Intensity | Share | Main sources of emissions | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feedstock | about 3.6 t CO2e/t on average | 80% | land-use change and peat, palm mill methane, fertiliser; ethylene production for synthetics | spread across land-use scenarios is far wider than the process difference | Shah et al. 2016 (indicative split) |
| Production / process | about 0.7 t CO2e/t | 16% | high-pressure hydrogenation, hydrogen from gas, steam for transesterification and distillation | green hydrogen would cut part of this | indicative |
| Movement | about 0.15 t CO2e/t | 4% | shipping from South-East Asia | indicative | |
| Use | not applicable | – | converted into surfactants and other products | not applicable | |
| End of life | biogenic or fossil carbon released as surfactants biodegrade | – | wastewater treatment | oleo carbon is biogenic; petro carbon adds about 3 t CO2 per t when fully degraded (stoichiometric, indicative) | indicative |
Other environmental impacts
Palm-driven deforestation and biodiversity loss; aquatic toxicity before biodegradation; wastewater from ester plants.
Levers to cut emissions
- Certified deforestation-free palm kernel oil and mill methane capture (can bring palm-based alcohol to about -1.5 t/t)
- Green hydrogen for hydrogenation
- Coconut oil from smallholders with low land-use change
- Bio-based ethylene for Ziegler alcohols
India
India's fatty alcohol footprint is mostly imported with palm kernel oil and fatty alcohols from Indonesia and Malaysia; no Indian life-cycle data found.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palm kernel alcohol from existing cropland with methane capture | about -1.5 t CO2e/t (Shah et al. 2016) | certification premium (indicative) | offered under RSPO segregated chains (indicative) | Shah et al. 2016 via surfactants tile |