Editing Ethylene (section)

== Greenhouse gas emissions ==
"A key factor affecting petrochemicals life-cycle emissions is the methane intensity of feedstocks, especially in the production segment."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mills |first=Ryan |date=2023-02-21 |title=Clean Energy 101: Reducing Climate Pollution from the Plastics Industry |url=https://rmi.org/clean-energy-101-reducing-climate-pollution-from-the-plastics-industry/ |access-date=2024-02-16 |website=RMI |language=en-US |archive-date=2024-02-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240215234824/https://rmi.org/clean-energy-101-reducing-climate-pollution-from-the-plastics-industry/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Emissions from cracking of naptha and natural gas (common in the US as gas is cheap there) depend a lot on the source of energy (for example gas burnt to provide high temperatures<ref>{{Cite web |title=Policy Brief: Climate change impacts of plastics |url=https://ikhapp.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/SCEPT_Policy_Brief_Climate_Impacts_of_Plastics.pdf |access-date=2024-02-16 |archive-date=2023-11-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231128105933/https://ikhapp.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/SCEPT_Policy_Brief_Climate_Impacts_of_Plastics.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>) but that from naptha is certainly more per kg of feedstock.<ref name="COMET">{{Cite web |title=Making Plastics Emissions Transparent |url=https://ccsi.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/content/COMET-making-plastics-emissions-transparent.pdf |date=February 2022 |page=8 |access-date=2024-02-16 |archive-date=2024-02-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240229165356/https://ccsi.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/content/COMET-making-plastics-emissions-transparent.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Both steam cracking and production from natural gas via ethane are estimated to emit 1.8 to 2kg of CO2 per kg ethylene produced,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Leonzio |first1=Grazia |last2=Chachuat |first2=Benoit |last3=Shah |first3=Nilay |date=2023-12-01 |title=Towards ethylene production from carbon dioxide: Economic and global warming potential assessment |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352550923002452 |journal=Sustainable Production and Consumption |volume=43 |pages=124–139 |doi=10.1016/j.spc.2023.10.015 |bibcode=2023SusPC..43..124L |s2cid=264464920 |issn=2352-5509|hdl=11584/391945 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> totalling over 260 million tonnes a year.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Net-zero carbon ethylene production via recovery of CO2 from cracking furnace flue gas |url=https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en/ci/products/net-zero-carbon-ethylene-production.html |access-date=2024-02-16 |website=S&P Global |archive-date=2024-02-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240216070405/https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en/ci/products/net-zero-carbon-ethylene-production.html |url-status=live }}</ref> This is more than all other manufactured chemicals except cement and ammonia.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A breakthrough discovery in carbon capture conversion for ethylene production |url=https://today.uic.edu/a-breakthrough-discovery-in-carbon-capture-conversion-for-ethylene-production/ |access-date=2024-02-16 |website=today.uic.edu |archive-date=2024-02-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240216071319/https://today.uic.edu/a-breakthrough-discovery-in-carbon-capture-conversion-for-ethylene-production/ |url-status=live }}</ref> According to a 2022 report using renewable or nuclear energy could cut emissions by almost half.<ref name="COMET"/>