Methyl methacrylate (MMA) Eco-profiles and Environmental Product Declarations of the European Plastics Manufacturers March 2014

1 would be necessary for a Number of plants 5 included in data complete sustainability assess- collection Representativene ment. Further, they do not European ss production imply a value judgment (92%) between environmental criteria. Reference year 2010 – 2011 Year of data 2012 – 2013 This EPD describes the collection and calculation production of the methyl Expected 2016 methacrylate (MMA) monomer temporal validity Cut-offs from cradle to gate (from crude No significant cut-offs oil extraction to monomer at Data Quality Good plant). Please keep in mind Allocation Price allocation method that comparisons cannot be or 50/50 allocation made on the level of the (functional material alone: it is necessary approach) to consider the full life cycle of Description of the Product an application in order to Environmental and the Production compare the performance of Process Product Declaration different materials and the This Eco-profile represents the effects of relevant life cycle European average production Introduction parameters. This EPD is of methyl methacrylate (MMA) This Environmental Product intended to be used by monomer from cradle to gate. Declaration (EPD) is based member companies, to support MMA is an organic compound upon life cycle inventory (LCI) product-orientated environ- with the formula C H O . It is a data from PlasticsEurope’s mental management; by users 5 8 2 key intermediate chemical, due Eco-profile programme. It has of plastics, as a building block to its ability to undergo poly- been prepared according to of life cycle assessment (LCA) merization and copolymeri- PlasticsEurope’s Eco- studies of individual products; zation. MMA is mainly used for profiles and Environmental and by other interested parties, the production of polymethyl Declarations – LCI Metho- as a source of life cycle methacrylate (PMMA). dology and PCR for information. Uncompounded Polymer Resins and Reactive Meta Data Production Process Polymer Precursors (PCR Data Owner Cefic, MSG Several methods exist for the LCA Practitioner version 2.0, April 2011). EPDs BIO Intelligence production of MMA. The main Service route, which is used by the provide environmental Programme PlasticsEurope performance data, but no Owner aisbl European producers partici- Programme information on the economic DEKRA pating in this Eco-profile, is the Manager, Consulting Reviewer “acetone cyanohydrin route”. and social aspects which GmbH

2 This route is based on three Data Sources and Allocation did not allow any subdivision, steps. This Eco-profile is based on 3 economic allocation was The first step of the process is individual LCA studies applied in order to partition all intended to produce hydrogen performed independently by the input and output flows of cyanide (HCN). Hydrogen the 3 main European the process between hydrogen cyanide is usually produced producers of MMA: Altuglas, cyanide and its co-product from methane and ammonia Evonik and Lucite. The primary (ammonium sulfate or according to the Andrussow data used in these 3 studies acrylonitrile). In the third step process or the Degussa and then in this Eco-profile of the process, where the process. These processes comes from 5 plants located in spent sulfuric is used to produce ammonium sulfate as 3 different European countries produce ammonium sulfate as a co-product. Hydrogen and is site-specific gate-to-gate a co-product, the amount of cyanide may also be obtained production data. sulfuric acid consumed in the as a co-product from the The 3 producers participating process is equally allocated acrylonitrile production process to this Eco-profile cover 92 % between MMA and ammonium (Sohio process). of the European MMA sulfate (50/50 by mass). This In the second step, hydrogen production capacity in 2012. approach is based on the cyanide and acetone are used Data for the upstream supply functions fulfilled by sulfuric as reagents for the production chain until the precursors and acid, which is required for the of Acetone cyanohydrin (ACH). all relevant background data production of the two co- In the third step, MMA is (such as energy and auxiliary products. produced from acetone materials) are taken from the cyanohydrin, sulfuric acid and ecoivent 2.2 database, except Use Phase and End-of-Life methanol. Firstly, acetone for acetone which is taken from Management cyanohydrin undergoes sulfuric the GaBi 5 database. The disposal of waste from acid assisted hydrolysis and is In this Eco-profile, allocation production processes is converted into a sulfate ester was applied in the first step considered within the system of methacrylamide. Secondly, and in the third step of the boundaries of this Eco-profile. an esterification with methanol MMA production process. In The use phase and end-of-life gives MMA. During the third the first step of the process, processes are outside the step, sulfuric acid is used as an when it was possible, the system boundaries of this intermediate reagent. After the process was subdivided into cradle-to-gate system. reactions, the spent sulfuric sub-processes and only a few acid may be recycled and flows intrinsically shared by the Environmental reused for the MMA production co-products were allocated. In Performance or may be neutralised with this case, these specific flows The tables below show the ammonia, producing ammo- were fully allocated to the most environmental performance nium sulfate as a co-product. valuable co-product. Other- indicators associated with the wise, when the available data production of 1 kg of MMA.

3 Input Parameters resistance, low-density, Indicator Unit Value Additional Environmental capacity to be thermoformed Non-renewable MJ 100.3 1) etc.), PMMA can be used for a energy resources and Health Information  Fuel energy MJ 64.8 Methacrylate monomers are wide range of fields and  Feedstock MJ 35.5 reactive products which must applications (automobile energy be handled in appropriate industry, medical technologies, Renewable energy MJ 0.66 resources ways. In order to manage decoration, anti-noise walls, 1) (biomass) hazards please refer to the bathtubs and showers,  Fuel energy MJ 0.66 Safe Handling Manuals MSG advertising signs etc.).  Feedstock MJ — energy and MPA. These documents Abiotic Depletion provide product stewardship Additional Economic Potential advice for the safe storage, Information  Elements kg Sb 2.58E- eq 06 handling and use of these MMA is produced for use as  Fossil fuels MJ 93.8 products. Along with the Safety monomer for production of Renewable kg — Datasheets provided by each polymers and as intermediate materials (biomass) supplier, they should be read for synthesis of other Water use kg 500 and understood before methacrylate esters. The (including cooling water)2) ordering, storing and using substance is manufactured in 1) Calculated as upper heating value methacrylates. Because meth- industrial settings in closed (UHV) 2) With available data, it was not acrylate esters are contact systems and used by industry possible to calculate the water use without cooling water and net allergens, the use of un- for manufacture of polymers in freshwater consumption. reacted liquid monomers in closed and semi-closed mixtures which are intended to systems. Downstream use of Output Parameters come into contact with skin or MMA is almost exclusively in Indicator Unit Value nails, e.g. nail sculpting, is not the form of polymer although GWP kg CO2 3.47 eq recommended. More infor- some products used by ODP g CFC- 3.24E mation on methacrylates and professionals and hobbyists 11 eq -04 human health can be found on may contain significant AP g SO2 eq 19 POCP g Ethene 1.07 the MPA website. quantities of the liquid eq monomer. EP g PO4 eq 1.97 Additional Technical Dust, 4.54E particulate g PM10 Information -01 matter The polymer PMMA, made Waste sent to from monomer MMA, is landfill1)  Non- kg 1.55E characterized by its robust hazardous -01 properties and by the fact that  Hazardous kg 1.30E it is easy to process. Thanks to -03 1) With available data, it was not its properties (light reflexion possible to assess the amount of waste sent to incineration. and transmission, mechanical

4 Information

Data Owner Programme Owner

Cefic, Methylmethacrylates Sector Group PlasticsEurope aisbl Avenue E van Nieuwenhuyse 4, Box 3 Avenue E van Nieuwenhuyse 4, Box 3 B-1160 Brussels, Belgium B-1160 Brussels, Belgium Tel.: +32 (2) 675 32 97, Fax: +32 (2) 675 39 35 Tel.: +32 (2) 675 32 97, Fax: +32 (2) 675 39 35 E-mail: [email protected]. E-mail: [email protected].

Programme Manager & Reviewer For copies of this EPD, for the underlying LCI data DEKRA Consulting GmbH (Eco-profile); and for additional information, This Environmental Product Declaration has been please refer to http://www.plasticseurope.org/. reviewed by DEKRA Consulting GmbH. It was approved according to the Product References Category Rules PCR version 2.0 (2011-04) and PlasticsEurope: Eco-profiles and environmental ISO 14025:2006. declarations – LCI methodology and PCR for Registration number: PlasticsEurope 2013-005 uncompounded polymer resins and reactive validation expires on 31 December 2016 (date of polymer precursor (version 2.0, April 2011). next revalidation review).