Glycerine: Emissions
How a by-product's footprint is shared with biodiesel
How a by-product's footprint is shared with biodiesel 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 1.10 t CO2e per t range about 0.3-0.5 if crude glycerine is treated as a residue (refining only); about 2 or more under mass allocation; higher for palm with land-use change (indicative) · indicative: crude at about 43 g CO2e/MJ of biodiesel chain x 16 GJ/t glycerol (energy allocation, about 0.7 t) plus about 0.4 t for refining Global emissions per year 6.00 Mt CO2e per year 2024-25 · 1.1 t/t x about 5.5 Mt (indicative)Per t of refined glycerine, cradle-to-gate, energy allocation with biodiesel. Intensity: RED II Annex V method and default values via biodiesel tile (indicative). Global total: derived (indicative).
Share of footprint by lifecycle phase
Feedstock 59% Production / process 36% Movement 5%Footprint by lifecycle phase
| Phase | Intensity | Share | Main sources of emissions | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feedstock | about 0.65 t CO2e/t (allocated share of oil and biodiesel chain) | 59% | farming, land-use change, palm mill methane, methanol | allocation choice changes this several-fold | indicative |
| Production / process | about 0.4 t CO2e/t | 36% | vacuum distillation steam, bleaching, salt removal | biomass boilers cut this | indicative |
| Movement | about 0.05 t CO2e/t | 5% | shipping from Indonesia and South America | indicative | |
| Use | not applicable | – | non-emissive in most uses | not applicable | |
| End of life | biogenic carbon | – | biodegradation or combustion | carbon is biogenic | indicative |
Other environmental impacts
Crude glycerine disposal (burning, land spreading) was a pollution problem during gluts. Upstream palm deforestation applies to palm-derived glycerine.
Levers to cut emissions
- Use surplus crude glycerine to replace propylene in epichlorohydrin and propylene glycol
- Co-digest crude glycerine in biogas plants
- Biomass boilers at refineries
- Deforestation-free feedstock certification
India
India's glycerine footprint is mostly embedded in imported palm-based crude and refined glycerine; 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glycerine-to-epichlorohydrin (bio-ECH) for epoxy resins | lower than propylene-based ECH (indicative) | competitive when crude glycerine is cheap (indicative) | commercial in China, Thailand and Europe (indicative) | indicative |
| Bio-propylene glycol from glycerine | lower than propylene oxide route (indicative) | depends on glycerine price (indicative) | ADM and others (indicative) | indicative |