TY - JOUR
T1 - Material Flow Analysis and Life Cycle Assessment of Polyethylene Terephthalate and Polyolefin Plastics Supply Chains in the United States
AU - Chaudhari, Utkarsh S.
AU - Johnson, Anne T.
AU - Reck, Barbara K.
AU - Handler, Robert M.
AU - Thompson, Vicki S.
AU - Hartley, Damon S.
AU - Young, Wendy
AU - Watkins, David
AU - Shonnard, David
N1 - Funding Information:
We thank the REMADE Institute for providing financial support to carry out this research. This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) under the Advanced Manufacturing Office Award Number DE-EE0007897. Disclaimer: “This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof.”
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 American Chemical Society.
PY - 2022/10/3
Y1 - 2022/10/3
N2 - Plastics are useful and beneficial materials that contribute to an improved quality of life, yet they generate significant solid wastes and emissions and consume significant energy resources. Systems analysis is incomplete on current linear production systems of plastics supply chains and their associated processes. Our study combines material flow and life cycle assessment data sets of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and the main polyolefin polymers in the United States, comprising over 70% of plastics flows. This study estimates the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy consumption of these supply chains, including transportation and end-of-life processes, lacking in prior studies. We calculate annual GHG emissions and energy consumption of these plastic supply chains to be 101 MMT CO2-eq and 3248 PJ in 2019, respectively. The GHG emissions of these supply chains represented 1.5% of the total U.S. emissions and 5% of the total U.S. industry-related GHG emissions. The total energy consumption of these supply chains represented 3.1% of the total U.S. energy consumption in 2019. Transportation of PET and polyolefin plastic materials contributes 5% and 2% to the total supply chain GHG emissions and energy consumption, respectively. This baseline study provides a benchmark and enables a comparison to future circular production systems for plastics in the United States.
AB - Plastics are useful and beneficial materials that contribute to an improved quality of life, yet they generate significant solid wastes and emissions and consume significant energy resources. Systems analysis is incomplete on current linear production systems of plastics supply chains and their associated processes. Our study combines material flow and life cycle assessment data sets of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and the main polyolefin polymers in the United States, comprising over 70% of plastics flows. This study estimates the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy consumption of these supply chains, including transportation and end-of-life processes, lacking in prior studies. We calculate annual GHG emissions and energy consumption of these plastic supply chains to be 101 MMT CO2-eq and 3248 PJ in 2019, respectively. The GHG emissions of these supply chains represented 1.5% of the total U.S. emissions and 5% of the total U.S. industry-related GHG emissions. The total energy consumption of these supply chains represented 3.1% of the total U.S. energy consumption in 2019. Transportation of PET and polyolefin plastic materials contributes 5% and 2% to the total supply chain GHG emissions and energy consumption, respectively. This baseline study provides a benchmark and enables a comparison to future circular production systems for plastics in the United States.
KW - energy consumption
KW - greenhouse gas emissions
KW - life cycle assessment
KW - linear-to-circular economy
KW - material flow analysis
KW - plastic waste
KW - plastics supply chain
KW - systems analysis
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85139443491
UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/b3c17040-ae15-36b5-ad75-ec074661695d/
U2 - 10.1021/acssuschemeng.2c04004
DO - 10.1021/acssuschemeng.2c04004
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85139443491
SN - 2168-0485
VL - 10
SP - 13145
EP - 13155
JO - ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering
JF - ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering
IS - 39
ER -