# Bromine: Emissions

Why bromine's footprint follows its chlorine use

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/bromine/emissions/

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 Mt

Per 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.

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/bromine/index.md)
- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/bromine/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/bromine/correlation/index.md)
- [Extraction](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/bromine/extraction/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/bromine/production/index.md)
- [Stocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/bromine/stocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/bromine/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/bromine/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/bromine/movement/index.md)
- [Criticality](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/bromine/criticality/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/bromine/characteristics/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/bromine/links/index.md)