Carbon Emissions: Chemicals Industry

Carbon Emissions in the Chemicals Industry

The Industry at a Glance, 1994
(SIC Code: 28)

Total Energy-Related Emissions: 78.3 million metric tons of carbon (MMTC)
-- Pct. of All Manufacturers: 21.1%
-- Nonfuel Emissions: 12.0 MMTC

Total First Use of Energy: 5,328 trillion Btu
-- Pct. of All Manufacturers: 24.6%

Energy Sources Used As Feedstocks: 2,297 trillion Btu
-- LPG: 1,365 trillion Btu
-- Natural Gas: 674 trillion Btu

Carbon Intensity: 14.70 MMTC per quadrillion Btu

Energy Information Administration, "1994 Manufacturing Energy Consumption Survey" and Emissions of Greenhouse Gases in the United States 1998

Source of Carbon	Carbon Emissions (million metric tons)
Energy-Related Carbon Emissions, 1994
All Energy Sources	78.3
Natural Gas	32.1
Net Electricity	25.7
Coal	7.8
LPG	4.7
Waste Gas	4.6
All Other Sources	3.4
Energy Information Administration, "1994 Manufacturing Energy Consumption Survey" and Emissions of Greenhouse Gases in the United States 1998

Energy-Related Carbon Emissions for Selected Chemicals Industries, 1994. The chemicals industry as a whole uses almost 25 percent of manufacturing energy and emits over 20 percent of the carbon. The plastics industry alone emits over 2 percent of all manufacturers' carbon.

Energy-Related Carbon Emissions for the Chemicals Industry by Source, 1994. Natural gas and electricity are the two largest sources of energy-related carbon emissions for the chemical industry. A significant amount of the carbon content of the energy is sequestered in chemical industry products, such as plastics and fertilizers, rather than emitted through combustion.
Emissions for the Chemicals Industry by Source

[Energy-Related Carbon Emissions in Manufacturing]

Contact:: Stephanie Battles; Stephanie.Battles@eia.doe.gov; (Phone: (202) 586-7237); FAX: 202-586-0018

URL: http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/efficiency/carbon_emissions/chemicals.html

Contact Us

File Last Modified: May 31, 2000