Paracetamol: Emissions
Why Indian paracetamol carries more steam emissions than French
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 5.50 kg CO2e per kg range about 4-9 (indicative) · derived: 0.62-0.78 kg phenol-equivalent at 1.81 kg CO2e/kg (about 1.1-1.4) plus 0.68-0.85 kg acetic anhydride at about 2.5 kg CO2e/kg (about 1.7-2.1, indicative) plus nitration and hydrogen (about 0.5) plus process steam and electricity in India 1.47 kg CO2e/kg (Vivar et al. 2025)Per kg of paracetamol API, cradle-to-gate. Intensity: derived from phenol and acetic_acid tiles and Vivar et al., Systems and Control Transactions 4 (2025) (indicative). Global total: derived.
Share of footprint by lifecycle phase
Feedstock 64% Production / process 27% Movement 9%Footprint by lifecycle phase
| Phase | Intensity | Share | Main sources of emissions | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feedstock | about 3.5 kg CO2e/kg | 64% | phenol or nitrobenzene, acetic anhydride, hydrogen | indicative | derived |
| Production / process | about 1.5 kg CO2e/kg (India); 1.2 (France) | 27% | steam heat 1.38 kg and electricity 0.08 kg per kg in India | France lower due to cleaner energy | Vivar et al. (2025) |
| Movement | about 0.05-0.5 kg CO2e/kg (indicative) | 9% | sea freight and inland logistics | indicative | indicative |
| Use | not applicable | – | excreted; paracetamol is among the most detected pharmaceuticals in surface water | qualitative | |
| End of life | small | – | incineration of expired medicines | not quantified |
Other environmental impacts
Acidic and ammonium-sulphate effluent from PAP plants; nitrobenzene and aniline are toxic.
Levers to cut emissions
- Catalytic hydrogenation and acid recycling in PAP
- Renewable steam (biomass, electric boilers, heat pumps) since steam is the largest process emission
- Acetic acid recovery and recycling
- Green hydrogen for the reduction step
India
A case study found steam heat contributes 1.38 kg CO2e per kg in India, about 17% more than France (Vivar et al. 2025).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bio-based paracetamol from lignin-derived or bio-phenol | not published | not published | research stage | qualitative |