Energy Consumption and Energy-Related CO2 Emissions from China’s Petrochemical Industry Based on an Environmental Input-Output Life Cycle Assessment

Lu Meng,Jalel Sager

doi:10.3390/en10101585

Abstract

The fast-growing petrochemical industry is one of the largest energy consumers and emitters in China, exerting a strong impact on the national economic, energy and environmental systems. We provide a holistic picture of energy consumption and energy-related CO2 emissions from China’s petrochemical industry in 2012 through an environmental input-output life-cycle assessment (EIO-LCA). We combine two perspectives: (1) direct energy consumption and emissions, and (2) the indirect energy and emissions embodied and reallocated from other sectors in the supply chain to satisfy final demand in the petrochemical industry. Results indicate that the total of its direct and indirect energy consumption and CO2 emissions accounts for approximately 32% and 18% of China’s industrial total, respectively, exerting high “influence” and “induction” with regards to the rest of the economic sectors. Most of the petrochemical industry’s embodied energy and CO2 emissions comes from the “Production and Supply of Electric and Heat Power”. We also identified five other sectors key to China’s energy conservation and CO2 mitigation efforts due to their high influence and induction effects: “Smelting and Pressing of Ferrous Metals”, “Manufacture of Non-metallic Mineral Products”, “Smelting and Pressing of Non-ferrous Metals”, “Transport, Storage and Post”, and “Mining and Washing of Coal”. A systematic view of direct and indirect energy, environmental relationships, and the conveying effects among sectors is crucial for policymaking in China to achieve its energy and mitigation goals.

Highlights

The Paris Climate Agreement of 2016 requires collaborative endeavors to limit global warming to “well below” 2 degrees Celsius
For 2012, the total energy consumption of the petrochemical industry is estimated at 920.84 Mtce, with the indirect portion making up 23% (207.70 Mtce); this accounts for 32% of industrial energy consumption
The total CO2 emissions of petrochemical industry are estimated at 1400.80 Mtn, with the indirect portion making up 32%

Summary

Introduction

The Paris Climate Agreement of 2016 requires collaborative endeavors to limit global warming to “well below” 2 degrees Celsius. China is under pressure in the international arena to respond to this challenge, being the world’s largest energy consumer, with a coal-dominated energy structure, and the largest carbon emitter. Its energy consumption totaled 4.3 billion tons of coal equivalent in. 2015, of which 64% is coal [1]. Industrial sectors are responsible for approximately 70% of the energy consumption in the nearly two five-year plan (FYP) periods (2006–2014) [2]. Domestic environmental issues and weather events draw the government’s attention to energy conservation and emissions mitigation [3]. In the most recently released work plan for greenhouse gas Energies 2017, 10, 1585; doi:10.3390/en10101585 www.mdpi.com/journal/energies

Methods

Results

Conclusion