Energy and carbon for green chemistry

Since 2006, massive shale gas exploration and development in the United States has enabled the country to reduce the price of gas by a factor of 3. Taking instantaneously advantage of this unique situation, the chemical sector has planned more than 100 billion dollars of investment in new industrial capacity, creating a tremendous environment for its domestic chemical industry. In Europe, despite a high capacity for innovation, the chemical industry is suffering from ageing facilities and high production costs. It must contend with ferocious competition from the United States but also from Asia, which currently represents 46% of the global market, and the Middle East that is benefiting from the 50 billion dollars invested in the chemical sector since the early 2000's. Lower energy prices and labor costs in the United States are negatively impacting the competitiveness of European industrial companies but their capacity to innovate can help them to re-bounce. By reducing the environmental impact of their products, they can generate added value that is important to their direct customers, end users and also governments. In this article, to assist industrial companies, ENEA, a consulting firm specialized in energy and sustainable development, examines two strategic principles of green chemistry: energy efficiency and the use of renewable feedstock. It addresses all of the topics linked to energy and carbon in chemistry, from supply (bio-feedstocks, CO₂ reuse) to the end products (life-cycle analysis, recyclability) while also covering the processes (energy sobriety, bio-refineries, use of microalgae)