Analyses

The synthesis of chemicals through power-to-x economics is critical to achieve net zero goals, but is limited by the challenge of designing processes powered by intermittent renewable energy. Here the true cost of utilizing intermittent energy is assessed and the economic drivers for energy curtailment are revealed.

Future industrial processes for the electrolytic production of ethylene from aqueous carbonate feedstocks are not well understood. The authors develop unit operations and full process designs, evaluate the techno-economics at scale, identify key process requirements and barriers, and elucidate the minimum benchmarks needed for the future commercial viability of this technology.

Biodegradable plastics, often considered environmentally friendly, may contribute to environmental impacts in natural ecosystems, which are not fully understood due to inadequate assessment methods. The authors develop a life cycle impact assessment method to evaluate the climate-change and aquatic-ecotoxicity impacts of biodegradable microplastics in freshwater environments and support the design of future plastics.

Robust decarbonization strategies for the petrochemical industry are hampered by many sources of uncertainty in greenhouse gas emissions estimates. Here the authors quantify and prioritize uncertainty sources, finding that the most significant factor is the lack of detailed data about specific production processes used in chemical facilities.