Greenhouse Gas and Energy Life Cycle Assessment of Pine Chemicals Derived from Crude Tall Oil and Their Substitutes.

Pine chemicals are co-products of papermaking that are upgraded into diverse products from inks to adhesives. They can also be utilized for energy purposes. This research investigates the carbon and energy life cycle assessment (LCA) of pine chemicals derived from crude tall oil (CTO). The study goals are to determine the cradle-to-gate carbon and energy footprint for CTO-derived chemicals, compare CTO-derived chemicals to their likely substitutes, and calculate the carbon and energy effects of shifting CTO resources from current chemical production to biodiesel production. The data collected represent 100% of the U.S. and 90% of the European CTO distillation industry for 2011. This analysis is the first industry-level LCA of pine chemicals. The carbon footprint for CTO-derived pine chemical products is 50% lower than the likely mix of alternative products, including hydrocarbon resins for rubber, ink, and adhesive, alkyl succinic anhydride for paper size, and heavy fuel oil for heat. Current and proposed European policies could result in CTO being classified as renewable biomass for energy production, creating incentive to convert CTO into fuel rather than chemicals. The differences in the carbon and energy footprints of utilizing CTO for biodiesel versus chemicals are not meaningful when comparing European CTO biodiesel, which displaces conventional diesel, to European CTO-derived chemicals, which displace the previously discussed substitutes. Therefore, there is no additional carbon or energy benefit that accrues by diverting CTO from current chemical feedstock applications to use for biodiesel production in Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]