Nitrogen gas: Emissions

Almost all of its footprint is electricity

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 0.01-0.4 · about 150 kWh per t at a world average grid of 0.45-0.5 kg CO2 per kWh; liquid 3-4 times higher; near zero on renewable power

Per t of gaseous nitrogen, cradle-to-gate. Intensity: indicative (basis: energy use x grid intensity). Global total: not published.

Share of footprint by lifecycle phase

Production / process 90% Movement 10%

Footprint by lifecycle phase

Phase	Intensity	Share	Main sources of emissions	Notes	Source
Feedstock	zero (air)	0%	none	air is free	not applicable
Production / process	about 0.07 t CO2e per t	90%	electricity for compression	on India's grid about 0.1 t per t (indicative)	indicative
Movement	about 0.01 t CO2e per t	10%	liquefaction and trucking	near zero for pipeline and on-site	indicative
Use	not applicable	–	inert; returns to air	nitrogen gas is not a greenhouse gas (unlike nitrous oxide)	not applicable
End of life	not applicable	–	vented to air	not applicable	not applicable

Other environmental impacts

None material beyond power use. Asphyxiation is the main safety hazard.

Levers to cut emissions

Renewable power for ASUs and PSA units
Flexible ASU operation with liquid storage
Recover surplus vented nitrogen from oxygen-led ASUs
Efficient compressors

India

Footprint is set by India's coal-heavy grid; no national data on nitrogen emissions are published.

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
On-site PSA or ASU on renewable power	near zero	little or none where renewable power is cheap	common practice for gas majors signing PPAs (indicative)	indicative

For a climate investor Nitrogen is not a decarbonisation target on its own. The investable angle is the supply chain for new Indian semiconductor fabs and green ammonia plants, which both need large ASU or PSA nitrogen, and flexible air separation as a load that can follow solar output.