# Surfactants: Emissions

Why palm on peat can make a green surfactant dirty

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/surfactants/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 2.50 t CO2e per t range about -1.5 to 17 (oleo, by land use); about 1.8-3.5 (petro) · LAS about 1.8 t (derived from LAB 1.9 t per t x 0.74 plus sulphonation); petro fatty alcohol about 2.97 t and palm-kernel fatty alcohol about 5.27 t per t (wide land-use range); EO and processing added for ethoxylates Global emissions per year 45.0 Mt CO2e per year 2024 · 2.5 t x about 18 Mt (indicative)

Per t of surfactant (100% active), cradle-to-gate. Intensity: Shah et al., Journal of Surfactants and Detergents 19(6), 2016; lab tile; weighting indicative. Global total: derived (indicative).

#### Share of footprint by lifecycle phase
 Feedstock 80% Production / process 14% Movement 6%

#### Footprint by lifecycle phase

| Phase | Intensity | Share | Main sources of emissions | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Feedstock** | about 2.0 t CO2e per t | 80% | LAB, petro or palm-kernel fatty alcohols (with land-use change), EO | palm on peat can push fatty alcohol to about 16.7 kg CO2e per kg; on existing cropland about -1.5 (Shah et al. 2016) | Shah et al. 2016; lab tile |
| **Production / process** | about 0.35 t CO2e per t | 14% | SO3 generation, ethoxylation, drying of powders and needles | sulphur burning to SO3 releases heat that can be recovered | indicative |
| **Movement** | about 0.15 t CO2e per t | 6% | tanker and container shipping of feeds and pastes |  | indicative |
| **Use** | about 2.5-3.2 t CO2 per t for fossil-carbon surfactants on biodegradation (stoichiometric); biogenic for oleo carbon | – | biodegradation in sewage plants and rivers; hot-water washing energy is much larger | LAS releases about 3.2 t CO2 per t LAB as it biodegrades (lab tile); cold-wash-capable surfactants cut household energy use | lab tile; stoichiometry (indicative) |
| **End of life** | included in use | – | biodegradation; residues in sludge | untreated grey water in India and Africa carries surfactants into rivers, causing foam and aquatic toxicity | indicative |

#### Other environmental impacts

Deforestation and peat loss for palm kernel oil; aquatic toxicity where sewage is untreated; 1,4-dioxane; EO safety at ethoxylation plants; nonylphenol endocrine effects.

#### Levers to cut emissions

- Certified deforestation-free palm and coconut feed (RSPO, EUDR traceability)
- Bio-based or bio-attributed EO and LAB (e.g. EO from bio-ethanol)
- Compact, cold-wash detergents that cut use-phase energy
- Biosurfactants by fermentation
- Renewable heat and power at sulphonation and ethoxylation plants

#### India

No national surfactant footprint is published; India depends on imported palm kernel oil and Gulf LAB, and its untreated sewage means much surfactant reaches rivers (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Palm-kernel fatty alcohol from existing cropland with mill methane capture** | about -1.5 kg CO2e per kg fatty alcohol | certified supply premium (not published here) | achievable with RSPO-type supply chains | Shah et al. 2016 |
| **Ethoxylates from bio-ethanol-derived EO** | not published | not published | commercial in India at India Glycols (indicative) | indicative |
| **Rhamnolipid and sophorolipid biosurfactants** | not published | several times LAS (indicative) | first commercial plants in Europe (indicative) | indicative |

 For a climate investor The decarbonisation choice is not simply oil versus plants: palm-based surfactants beat petro ones only with deforestation-free supply, so traceable lauric oil, coconut chains in India and bio-based EO are the practical levers. Biosurfactants and fermentation-based alternatives are the substitution play but need cost to fall several-fold. Indian players to watch: Galaxy (specialty, green chemistry), India Glycols (bio-EO), and Godrej (oleochemicals).

## Other sections

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