# Paracetamol: Emissions

Why Indian paracetamol carries more steam emissions than French

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/paracetamol/emissions/

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 |

 For a climate investor Paracetamol is a high-volume, low-margin product where steam and acetic anhydride dominate the controllable footprint. Clean industrial heat at Hyderabad and Gujarat API clusters is the practical lever. Integrated PAP-paracetamol producers (Meghmani, Granules, IOL) are the counterparties.

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/paracetamol/index.md)
- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/paracetamol/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/paracetamol/correlation/index.md)
- [Production route](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/paracetamol/routes/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/paracetamol/production/index.md)
- [Feedstocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/paracetamol/feedstocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/paracetamol/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/paracetamol/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/paracetamol/movement/index.md)
- [Regulation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/paracetamol/regulation/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/paracetamol/characteristics/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/paracetamol/links/index.md)