Journal of Natural Environment

Scenarios analysis of carbon emission reduction based on Net Zero guideline

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran.

2 Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, Arak University, Arak, Iran.

3 Environmental Manager of Lorestan Petrochemical Company, Lorestan, Iran.

10.22059/jne.2024.363347.2586

Abstract

Today, one of the most important issues related to human development is climate change. Due to the increasing trend of production and consumption of polymer products, the emission of greenhouse gases has increased in this sector and it is necessary to take effective measures to reduce the consequences of climate change. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of greenhouse gas emission reduction scenarios in an integrated manner based on Net Zero guidelines. In this research, using the guidelines of Net Zero (combustion emission, per energy and material consumption) and the concept of carbon intensity of emission equivalent to carbon dioxide, the effectiveness of greenhouse gas emission reduction scenarios for the production of one ton of polyethylene has been evaluated. According to the results obtained in this research, the most effective scenarios are replacement with photovoltaic energy source, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 0.7% (5% replacement) to 6.3% (50% replacement). Also, electricity saving scenarios from 5% to 20%, in three scenarios with 5%, 10% and 20% electricity savings, which will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 0.6% to 2.6%. On the other hand, the plan to recover combustible gases in the polyethylene production process, according to the available technologies, can contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 1.2%. In general, it can be stated that the recovery of combustible gases is more reasonable than costly scenarios such as replacing the energy source.

Keywords

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Journal of Natural Environment
Volume 76, Issue 4
March 2024
Pages 569-577