# Purified terephthalic acid: Emissions

Most of the carbon comes in with paraxylene

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/pta/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 1.30 t CO2e per t range 1.1-1.8 · indicative (basis: 0.66 t PX x 1.43 t CO2e/t from Plastics Europe, plus about 0.35 t CO2e/t for oxidation, purification and acetic acid burn) Global emissions per year 110 Mt CO2e per year 2025 · 1.3 t CO2e/t x 85 Mt (indicative)

Per t of PTA, cradle-to-gate. Intensity: derived from Plastics Europe Public LCI Database via Climatiq; indicative. Global total: derived.

#### Share of footprint by lifecycle phase
 Feedstock 72% Production / process 25% Movement 3%

#### Footprint by lifecycle phase

| Phase | Intensity | Share | Main sources of emissions | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Feedstock** | about 0.94 t CO2e per t (PX) | 72% | PX footprint |  | derived |
| **Production / process** | about 0.33 t CO2e per t (indicative) | 25% | Air compression, hydrogenation, drying, acetic acid oxidation losses; coal-fired utilities in China | Oxidation is exothermic and exports steam | indicative |
| **Movement** | about 0.03-0.05 t CO2e per t (indicative) | 3% | Container shipping |  | indicative |
| **Use** | not applicable | – | Intermediate |  | n/a |
| **End of life** | about 2.3 t CO2 per t PET if incinerated | – | Polyester textiles mostly landfilled or burnt | Bottle-to-bottle and depolymerisation recycling can return PTA-equivalent monomers | stoichiometry |

#### Other environmental impacts

High-COD wastewater; bromide and acetic acid emissions; microfibre shedding from polyester textiles.

#### Levers to cut emissions

- Renewable power and electric boilers for utilities
- Heat recovery from oxidation (already common)
- Chemical recycling of PET to monomers
- Higher recycled content in fibre

#### India

India's PTA plants run on mixed grid and captive power; no product footprint is published. Large textile exporters face EU pressure for recycled content (indicative).
 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Depolymerisation of PET (glycolysis, methanolysis, enzymatic e.g. Carbios)** | not published | not published | Carbios plant in France delayed (indicative); several pilots | indicative |
| **Bio-based PTA or PEF** | not published | large | small scale | indicative |

 For a climate investor PTA is a commodity with thin margins and limited process abatement beyond utilities. The climate opportunity is in polyester recycling: fibre-to-fibre and bottle-to-fibre systems that cut virgin PTA demand. India's textile clusters (Surat, Tiruppur) and EU recycled-content rules are the demand pull. Process electrification of utilities at new Indian plants is a second angle.

## Other sections

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