Chemical Industry

Chemicals are carbon-intensive products that are traded extensively globally. The CO2 emissions from the chemical industry account for around 7% of global CO2 emissions. With more than 70 thousand products, thousands of manufacturing facilities, and deep supply chain interconnections, the chemical industry is very complex and heterogeneous. Numerous chemicals are precursors of other chemical products. Across these basic product families, several chemicals dominate GHG emissions, including the large-volume chemicals (e.g., ammonia, ethylene, propylene, methanol, benzene, toluene, and xylenes (BTX), and polyethylene) that account for 80% of the subsector’s energy demand and 75% of the industry’s global GHG emissions.

Global Efficiency Intelligence has extensive experience investigating energy use and efficiency and decarbonization technologies and strategies for the chemical industry globally across different major chemical subsectors such as ammonia, methanol, BTX, and olefines, among others. Some of our related publications are listed below.

Our chemical industry-related publications:

  1. Hasanbeigi, Ali (2022). Deep decarbonization roadmap for the PVC industry in the U.S. Global Efficiency Intelligence, LLC.

  2. Cresko, Joe; Rightor, Ed; Hasanbeigi, Ali; et al. (2022). US Industrial Decarbonization Roadmap. US Department of Energy.

  3. Morrow, William; Hasanbeigi, Ali; Marano, John; (2021). Energy Efficiency Potentials and R&D Opportunities in California’s Chemical Industry. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and Global Efficiency Intelligence.

  4. Cresko, Joe; Hasanbeigi, Ali; et al. (2022). Thermal Process Intensification in Industry. US Department of Energy.

  5. Hasanbeigi, Ali; Collison, B., Kirshbaum, L., Gardiner, D. (2021). Electrifying U.S. Industry: Technology and Process-Based Approach to Decarbonization. Global Efficiency Intelligence, LLC.

  6. Zuberi, Jibran; Hasanbeigi, Ali; Morrow, William (2022). Electrification through Industrial Heat Pump Applications in U.S. Manufacturing (including the chemical industry). Lawrence Berkeley National Lab & Global Efficiency Intelligence, LLC.

  7. Ma, Ding, Hasanbeigi, Ali; Price, Lynn; Chen, Wenying (2015). Energy-Efficiency and Air Emissions Reduction Opportunities for the Ammonia Industry in China. Berkeley, CA: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. LBNL-183064

  8. Ma, Ding; Hasanbeigi, Ali; Price, Lynn; Chen, Wenying; Wang, Lining (2015). Assessment of energy-saving and emission reduction potentials in China’s ammonia industry. Clean Technology and Environmental Policy journal. DOI 10.1007/s10098-014-0896-3