Exploring Comparative Energy and Environmental Benefits of Virgin, Recycled, and Bio-Derived PET Bottles
Abstract
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a common plastic resin used to produce packaging, notably plastic bottles. Most PET bottles are produced from fossil fuel-derived feedstocks. Bio-derived and recycling-based pathways to PET bottles, however, could offer lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than the conventional route. In this paper, we use life-cycle analysis to evaluate the GHG emissions, fossil fuel consumption, and water consumption of producing one PET bottle from virgin fossil resources, recycled plastic, and biomass, considering each supply chain stage. We considered two routes to produce bottles from biomass: one in which all PET precursors (ethylene glycol and teraphthalic acid) are bio-derived and one in which only ethylene glycol is bio-derived. Bio-derived and recycled PET bottles offer both GHG emissions and fossil fuel consumption reductions ranging from 12% to 82% and 13% to 56%, respectively, on a cradle-to-grave basis compared to fossil fuel-derived PET bottles assuming PET bottles are landfilled. However, water consumption is lower in the conventional pathway to PET bottles. Water demand is high during feedstock production and conversion in the case of biomass-derived PET and during recycling in the case of bottles made from recycled PET.
- Authors:
-
[1];
[1];
[2];
- Systems Assessment Group, Energy Systems Division, Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), 9700 S. Cass Avenue, Argonne, Illinois 60439, United States
- National Bioenergy Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), 15013 Denver West Parkway, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Sustainable Transportation Office. Bioenergy Technologies Office
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1488959
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1493915; OSTI ID: 1508579
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC02-06CH11357; AC36-08GO28308
- Resource Type:
- Published Article
- Journal Name:
- ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Name: ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering Journal Volume: 6 Journal Issue: 8; Journal ID: ISSN 2168-0485
- Publisher:
- American Chemical Society
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY; bio-derived PET bottle; life-cycle analysis; recycled-based PET bottle; water consumption
Citation Formats
Benavides, Pahola Thathiana, Dunn, Jennifer B., Han, Jeongwoo, Biddy, Mary, and Markham, Jennifer. Exploring Comparative Energy and Environmental Benefits of Virgin, Recycled, and Bio-Derived PET Bottles. United States: N. p., 2018.
Web. doi:10.1021/acssuschemeng.8b00750.
Benavides, Pahola Thathiana, Dunn, Jennifer B., Han, Jeongwoo, Biddy, Mary, & Markham, Jennifer. Exploring Comparative Energy and Environmental Benefits of Virgin, Recycled, and Bio-Derived PET Bottles. United States. https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.8b00750
Benavides, Pahola Thathiana, Dunn, Jennifer B., Han, Jeongwoo, Biddy, Mary, and Markham, Jennifer. Thu .
"Exploring Comparative Energy and Environmental Benefits of Virgin, Recycled, and Bio-Derived PET Bottles". United States. https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.8b00750.
@article{osti_1488959,
title = {Exploring Comparative Energy and Environmental Benefits of Virgin, Recycled, and Bio-Derived PET Bottles},
author = {Benavides, Pahola Thathiana and Dunn, Jennifer B. and Han, Jeongwoo and Biddy, Mary and Markham, Jennifer},
abstractNote = {Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a common plastic resin used to produce packaging, notably plastic bottles. Most PET bottles are produced from fossil fuel-derived feedstocks. Bio-derived and recycling-based pathways to PET bottles, however, could offer lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than the conventional route. In this paper, we use life-cycle analysis to evaluate the GHG emissions, fossil fuel consumption, and water consumption of producing one PET bottle from virgin fossil resources, recycled plastic, and biomass, considering each supply chain stage. We considered two routes to produce bottles from biomass: one in which all PET precursors (ethylene glycol and teraphthalic acid) are bio-derived and one in which only ethylene glycol is bio-derived. Bio-derived and recycled PET bottles offer both GHG emissions and fossil fuel consumption reductions ranging from 12% to 82% and 13% to 56%, respectively, on a cradle-to-grave basis compared to fossil fuel-derived PET bottles assuming PET bottles are landfilled. However, water consumption is lower in the conventional pathway to PET bottles. Water demand is high during feedstock production and conversion in the case of biomass-derived PET and during recycling in the case of bottles made from recycled PET.},
doi = {10.1021/acssuschemeng.8b00750},
journal = {ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering},
number = 8,
volume = 6,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Jun 28 00:00:00 EDT 2018},
month = {Thu Jun 28 00:00:00 EDT 2018}
}
https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.8b00750
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Figures / Tables:
Figure 1.: Fossil fuel- and bio-derived pathways for production of PET resin and PET bottles.