Process Data set: Butanol production; technology mix; production mix, at plant; 100% active substance (en) en
Process information
| Key Data Set Information | |
| Location | EU+EFTA+UK |
| Reference year | 2017 |
| Name |
Base name
; Treatment, standards, routes
; Mix and location types
; Quantitative product or process properties
Butanol production; technology mix; production mix, at plant; 100% active substance
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| Use advice for data set | Notice: this data set supersedes the EF3.0-compliant version (see link under "preceding data set version" below calculated with the EF3.0). The life cycle inventory is not changed from the original EF3.0 data set. The LCIA results are calculated based on the EF3.1 methods which provide updated characterisation factors in the following impact categories: Climate Change, Ecotoxicity freshwater, Photochemical Ozone Formation, Acidification, Human Toxicity non-cancer, and Human Toxicity cancer. The review report and the data quality ratings refer to the original results. The data set has been updated by the European Commission on the basis of the original EF3.0 data set delivered by the data provider. |
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| General comment on data set | TYPE OF DATASET Each chemical compound is provided in aggregated (LCI results) and level-1 disaggregated (unit process, single operation) form. For more information, see the report (ecoinvent Association, 2020, Data on the Production of Chemicals created for the EU Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) transition phase implementation, www.ecoinvent.org, ecoinvent Association, Zurich, Switzerland). This dataset represents the LCI results. PROCESS DESCRIPTION This dataset represents the hydroformylation of 1 kg of propylene, which produces 1-butanol and isobutanol (2-methyl-1-propanol). The inventory in this dataset shows only the exchanges related to the production of 1-butanol. 1-Butanol (C4H9OH) and isobutanol are both colourless liquids with a characteristic odour. They are completely miscible with common organic solvents. Their vapors have an irritant effect on mucous membranes and a narcotic effect in higher concentrations. 1-Butanol is used principally in the field of surface coating. It is used either directly as a solvent for varnishes or it is converted into derivatives which then serve as solvents or monomer components. The addition of 5 – 10 % of 1-butanol is also valuable in overcoming "blushing" (unwanted white opacity) which may arise when large quantities of thinners, particularly volatile solvents, are used. 1-Butanol is also useful for regulating the viscosity and improving the flow properties of varnishes and for the prevention of "streaking" in paints and lacquers based on spirit-soluble gums and resins. Although not itself a solvent for substances such as polystyrene and chlorinated rubber, 1-butanol can be successfully used in quantities up to 20 % as a diluent for the commonly used solvents for these substances, which are mainly the esters of the saturated carboxylic acids; in particular, the acetates. The most important process for the manufacture of 1-butanol and 2-methyl-1-propanol is propylene hydroformylation (oxo synthesis) with subsequent hydrogenation of the aldehydes formed. Three different oxo-synthesis processes exist. Since the Celanese process is the one that is the most widely used today, it is the process that is modelled in this dataset. From the reception of propylene at the factory gate. This activity ends with the production of 1-butanol. This dataset includes the input materials, energy uses, infrastructure and emissions. References ecoinvent (2017) Data on the Production of Chemicals created for the EU Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) pilot phase implementation, www.ecoinvent.org, ecoinvent Association, Zürich, Switzerland Gendorf (2016) Umwelterklärung 2015, Werk Gendorf Industriepark, www.gendorf.de Sutter, J. (2007) Life Cycle Inventories of Petrochemical Solvents. ecoinvent report No. 22. Swiss Centre for Life Cycle Inventories, Dübendorf, 2007. Hahn, H.-D., Dämbkes, G., Rupprich, N., Bahl, H. and Frey, G. D. 2013. Butanols. Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. Water content of the reference product: 0.0 kg Biogenic carbon content of the reference product: 0.0 kg DATA QUALITY ASSESSMENT The data quality ratings for the datasets were determined as the average of the 5 individual ratings for Technological Representativeness, Geographical Representativeness, Time-related representativeness, Precision/uncertainty, and implementation of the End of Life Formula. The final scores for these 5 descriptors were determined by the independent, external reviewer after a discussion with the internal reviewers. The basis for this determination was generally a contribution analysis of the material and energy inputs as well as direct resource uses and emissions. This process was required by the tender. The contribution analysis is based on the most important flows in the dataset, defined in the tender specifications as "the unit processes contributing cumulatively to at least to 80% of the total environmental impact based on characterised and normalised results". In addition to unit processes, direct emissions also qualified as input exchanges for this approach. For the normalization, the normalisation factors "EC-JRC Global (2010 or 2013), per person" available at http://eplca.jrc.ec.europa.eu/?page_id=140 were used. For each parameter, the DQR scores were chosen to best reflect the conditions and quality of the amount value, the appropriateness of the chosen exchange for the specific needs of the system under analysis, and the quality of the foreground and background data for aggregated inputs of exchanges from the technosphere, i.e. not direct emissions or resource uses. ENERGY AND TRANSPORT INFORMATION SOURCE Energy and transport was used in both the foreground and background of this dataset. When building the dataset, energy and transport demands were supplied directly by datasets provided by Sphera. The background for every other input from technosphere uses a modified version of the ecoinvent database, created specifically for the PEF. In this version, every instance of energy and transport supply, anywhere in the database, was replaced by a dataset from Sphera. This ensures that every demand for energy and transport, in the foreground and in the background, is supplied by a Sphera dataset. BILL OF MATERIALS The bill of material includes the following inputs: carbon monoxide: 0.397790212174 kg chemical factory, organics: 3.58565058085e-10 unit hydrogen, liquid: 0.0572329366319 kg nitrogen, liquid: 0.00747010537677 kg propylene: 0.597608430142 kg water, deionised, from tap water, at user: 0.830018348624 kg Electricity: 0.184858215696 kWh Thermal energy (MJ): 10.8173699548 MJ. NOT INCLUDED EXCHANGES All known elementary exchanges are included. PROCESS DIAGRAM LEGEND The file 'Diagram of data for chemicals EF3.0' presents the general structure of the processes created for the EF chemical data. A complete flow diagram for the selected process is available in the relevant section. |
| Copyright | Yes |
| Owner of data set | |
| Quantitative reference | |
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| Biogenic carbon content | |
| Time representativeness | |
| Data set valid until | 2024 |
| Technological representativeness | |
| Technology description including background system | In the oxo reaction (hydroformylation), carbon monoxide and hydrogen are added to a carbon – carbon double bond in the liquid phase in the presence of catalyst (hydrocarbonyls or substituted hydrocarbonyls of Co, Rh, or Ru). In the first reaction step aldehydes are formed with one more C-atom than the original olefins. For olefins with more than two C-atoms, isomeric aldehyde mixtures are normally obtained. In the case of propylene these consist of 1-butanal and 2-methylpropanal. There are several variations of the hydroformylation process, the differences being in the reaction conditions (pressure, temperature) as well as the catalyst system used. The classic high-pressure process exclusively used until the beginning of the 1970s operates at pressures of 20 – 30 MPa (200 – 300 bar) CO/H2 and temperatures of 100 – 180 °C. The catalyst is Co. It leads to about 75 % 1-butanol and about 25 % 2-methyl-1-propanol. The new process developments of the past few years have led to a clear shift in the range of products. The processes operating at relatively low pressures (1 – 5 MPa , 10 – 50 bar) use modified Rh-catalysts. The isomeric ratios achieved are about 92 : 8 or 95 : 5 1-butanol to 2-methyl-1-propanol. However, by the use of unmodified Rh the percentage of 2-methyl-1-propanol can be increased to about 50 %. Catalytic hydrogenation of the aldehydes leads to the formation of the corresponding alcohols. As only primary alcohols can be obtained via the oxo synthesis, it is not possible to produce 2-butanol and 2-methyl-2-propanol by this process. |
| Flow diagram(s) or picture(s) | |
Modelling and validation
Administrative information
Inputs and Outputs
LCIA results