Hydrogen peroxide: Emissions

Grey hydrogen inside a green bleach

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 1.20 t CO2e per t range about 0.8-1.8 · grey hydrogen from SMR (about 0.06 t H2 x about 9-10 t CO2/t H2) plus steam and power for distillation Global emissions per year 7.00 Mt CO2e per year 2025 · 1.2 t/t x about 6 Mt (indicative)

Per t of 100% H2O2, cradle-to-gate, AO process. Intensity: Derived (indicative); consistent with ecoinvent-type AO process data. Global total: Derived (indicative).

Share of footprint by lifecycle phase

Feedstock 46% Production / process 46% Movement 8%

Footprint by lifecycle phase

Phase	Intensity	Share	Main sources of emissions	Notes	Source
Feedstock	about 0.55 t CO2e per t	46%	Hydrogen from natural gas	Chlor-alkali by-product hydrogen carries a lower allocated burden	Indicative
Production / process	about 0.55 t CO2e per t	46%	Steam and power for oxidation, extraction and distillation	Grid carbon intensity matters	Indicative
Movement	about 0.1 t CO2e per t	8%	Road tankers carrying 30-50% water	Shipping water raises transport emissions per t of 100% peroxide	Indicative
Use	none	–	Decomposes to water and oxygen	Replaces chlorine-based bleaching and avoids AOX in effluent	Indicative
End of life	not applicable	–	Consumed in use	No persistent residue	Indicative

Other environmental impacts

Solvent (VOC) emissions from AO plants; accident risk; benefits from displacing chlorine bleaching.

Levers to cut emissions

Low-carbon hydrogen (electrolytic or chlor-alkali by-product)
Heat integration and mechanical vapour recompression in distillation
Renewable power for compressors
On-site electrochemical peroxide for dilute uses, avoiding transport

India

Indian producers that are also chlor-alkali makers (GACL, Aditya Birla, Meghmani, Chemplast) use by-product hydrogen, which lowers the footprint. Plant-level data were not 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
AO process with electrolytic hydrogen	about 0.4-0.6 t CO2e per t with low-carbon power (indicative)	depends on green hydrogen cost; hydrogen is a minor share of total cost (indicative)	not reported at scale in sources used	Indicative
Electrochemical on-site generation	near zero with renewable power (indicative)	higher per tonne, but no transport	small commercial units (indicative)	Indicative

For a climate investor Peroxide is a small but useful green-hydrogen offtake: hydrogen is a modest share of its cost, so a premium for green hydrogen raises peroxide cost only a little. It also replaces chlorine in bleaching and water treatment. The case needs a reliable local buyer, such as an HPPO or textile cluster. Indian chlor-alkali groups and Western producers such as Solvay and Evonik are positioned.