Bromine: Emissions
Why bromine's footprint follows its chlorine use
Why bromine's footprint follows its chlorine use What this tab covers The greenhouse-gas footprint of the commodity at a global level, split by lifecycle phase: extraction (or farming), refining and processing, movement, usage, and recycling or end of life. Intensities are per unit of product; the global total combines intensity with world output. Also covers other environmental impacts and the main levers to cut emissions. Emission intensity 1.00 t CO2e per t range 0.5-2 · cradle-to-gate; derived from chlorine use (about 0.44 t Cl2 per t Br2 by stoichiometry) and steam stripping; no public global LCA found Global emissions per year 0.40 Mt CO2e per year 2025 · about 1 t CO2e/t x about 430,000 t (excluding US); range 0.2-0.9 MtPer 1 t of elemental bromine, cradle-to-gate. Intensity: Indicative, derived; ICL states ecoinvent verified its Dead Sea bromine as low-carbon (ICL Industrial Products), figure not retrieved. Global total: Derived from USGS MCS 2026.
Share of footprint by lifecycle phase
Extraction 10% Refining / processing 85% Movement 5%Footprint by lifecycle phase
| Phase | Intensity | Share | Main sources of emissions | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extraction | about 0.05-0.2 t CO2e/t (indicative) | 10% | brine pumping from wells (Arkansas, Shandong); Dead Sea end brine comes from solar ponds at little extra energy | Seawater routes need about 20,000 t of water per t of bromine, so pumping energy is much higher there | Essential Chemical Industry (University of York); indicative |
| Refining / processing | about 0.5-1.5 t CO2e/t (indicative) | 85% | chlorine oxidant made by electrolysis (about 0.44 t Cl2 per t Br2); steam for stripping; distillation and drying | Grid carbon intensity and how steam is raised set the result; Dead Sea brines at 6,000-12,000 ppm need less steam per t than seawater at 65 ppm | Stoichiometry; Essential Chemical Industry; indicative |
| Movement | small (indicative) | 5% | road and sea transport in lined tanks; most bromine is converted on site | Hazardous cargo, but tonnage moved as elemental bromine is modest | Indicative |
| Usage | indirect, can be significant | – | methyl bromide fumigant depletes ozone; some bromine compounds (halons) are potent GHGs and ozone depleters | Halons and methyl bromide are controlled under the Montreal Protocol. Flame retardants avoid fire losses; clear brines enable oil and gas wells | Montreal Protocol; USGS MCS 2026 |
| Recycling / end of life | not published | – | HBr from organic reactions fed back to brine plants; zinc-bromine battery electrolyte fully recoverable; clear brines reconditioned | BFRs in plastics are hard to recover and some are persistent pollutants under the Stockholm Convention | USGS MCS 2026 |
Other environmental impacts
Toxic and corrosive releases risk; persistent brominated flame retardants (PBDEs, HBCD) listed under the Stockholm Convention; Dead Sea level decline is driven mainly by water diversion and mineral extraction ponds.
Levers to cut emissions
- Low-carbon electricity for the chlor-alkali step that supplies the chlorine
- Heat integration or cogeneration to cut steam per t in stripping towers
- Recycling HBr by-product and clear brine fluids instead of disposal
- Prefer concentrated brines (Dead Sea, Arkansas) over seawater routes, which need far more pumping and steam
India
India makes about 7,000 t from Gujarat salt bitterns and subsoil brine (USGS 2026), where solar evaporation concentrates the brine; the chlorine and steam steps run on a grid of about 0.71 t CO2 per MWh (CEA CO2 Baseline Database, 2023-24, indicative).
Emission figures are indicative global averages from the life-cycle studies named; actual footprints vary widely by site, energy mix and method.