Eco-profiles of the European Plastics Industry Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene Copolymer (ABS) A report by I Boustead for Plastics Europe Data last calculated March 2005 abs 1 IMPORTANT NOTE Before using the data contained in this report, you are strongly recommended to look at the following documents: 1. Methodology This provides information about the analysis technique used and gives advice on the meaning of the results. 2. Data sources This gives information about the number of plants examined, the date when the data were collected and information about up-stream operations. In addition, you can also download data sets for most of the upstream operations used in this report. All of these documents can be found at: www.plasticseurope.org. Plastics Europe may be contacted at Ave E van Nieuwenhuyse 4 Box 3 B-1160 Brussels Telephone: 32-2-672-8259 Fax: 32-2-675-3935 abs 2 CONTENTS ABS..................................................................................................................................................4 ECO-PROFILE OF ABS ..............................................................................................................6 abs 3 ABS ABS takes its name from the initial letters of the three immediate precursors: acrylonitrile (CH 2=CH-CN) butadiene (CH 2=C-CH=CH 3) styrene (C 6H5-CH=CH 2) and is a two phase polymer system consisting of a glassy matrix of styrene- acrylonitrile copolymer and the synthetic rubber, styrene-butadiene copolymer. The optimal properties of this polymer are achieved by the appropriate grafting between the glassy and rubbery phases. ABS copolymers have toughness, temperature stability and solvent resistance properties superior to those of high impact polystyrene and are true engineering polymers. They can be formed using all of the common plastics techniques and can also be cold formed using techniques usually associated with metals. ABS is a well known polymer used in many technical and consumer applications such as: Interior and exterior automotive parts Housings for domestic appliances such as hair driers and vacuum cleaners Kitchen appliances such as mixing machines and refigerator linings Furniture parts Telephones Toys Pipes and profiles The principal operations leading to the production of ABS are shown in Figure 1. abs 4 Natural gas extraction, Crude oil processing & extraction air transport & transport Ammonia naphtha Oil naphtha Reforming Cracking production refining for benzene ammonia pygas Aromatics benzene plant benzene propylene Acrylonitrile Ethylbenzene production production butenes ethylene butadiene ethyl butadiene Dehydrogenation Polymerisation benzene of butenes of butadiene polybutadiene Styrene production styrene polybutadiene acrylonitrile styrene ABS Graft ABS SAN ABS Mass copolymer polymerisation production polymerisation production Compounding acrylonitrile- styrene- butadiene- acrylonitrile styrene copolymer copolymer (SAN) (ABS) Figure 1 Schematic flow diagram of the principal operations leading to the production of ABS. abs 5 ECO-PROFILE OF ABS Table 1 shows the gross or cumulative energy to produce 1 kg of ABS and Table 2 gives this same data expressed in terms of primary fuels. Table 3 shows the energy data expressed as masses of fuels. Table 4 shows the raw materials requirements and Table 5 shows the demand for water. Table 6 shows the gross air emissions and Table 7 shows the corresponding carbon dioxide equivalents of these air emissions. Table 8 shows the emissions to water. Table 9 shows the solid waste generated and Table 10 gives the solid waste in EU format. Table 1 Gross energy required to produce 1 kg of ABS. (Totals may not agree because of rounding) Fuel type Fuel prod'n Energy content Energy use Feedstock Total & delivery of delivered in energy energy energy fuel transport (MJ) (MJ) (MJ) (MJ) (MJ) Electricity 5.95 2.31 0.47 - 8.73 Oil fuels 0.40 16.29 0.13 26.35 43.17 Other fuels 1.03 20.08 0.04 22.29 43.44 Totals 7.39 38.67 0.64 48.64 95.34 Table 2 Gross primary fuels required to produce 1 kg of ABS. (Totals may not agree because of rounding) Fuel type Fuel prod'n Energy content Fuel use Feedstock Total & delivery of delivered in energy energy energy fuel transport (MJ) (MJ) (MJ) (MJ) (MJ) Coal 1.86 2.67 0.15 0.65 5.32 Oil 1.01 16.50 0.23 26.35 44.10 Gas 2.18 21.40 0.13 21.58 45.30 Hydro 0.14 0.07 <0.01 - 0.21 Nuclear 1.70 0.68 0.10 - 2.48 Lignite 0.38 0.84 <0.01 - 1.21 Wood <0.01 <0.01 <0.01 0.01 0.01 Sulphur <0.01 <0.01 <0.01 0.06 0.06 Biomass (solid) 0.02 0.01 <0.01 <0.01 0.02 Hydrogen <0.01 0.15 <0.01 - 0.15 Recovered energy <0.01 -3.98 <0.01 - -3.98 Unspecified <0.01 0.30 <0.01 - 0.30 Peat <0.01 <0.01 <0.01 - <0.01 Geothermal 0.01 0.01 <0.01 - 0.02 Solar <0.01 <0.01 <0.01 - <0.01 Wave/tidal <0.01 <0.01 <0.01 - <0.01 Biomass (liquid/gas) 0.03 0.01 0.01 - 0.04 Industrial waste 0.02 0.01 <0.01 - 0.03 Municipal Waste 0.03 0.01 <0.01 - 0.05 Wind 0.01 0.01 <0.01 - 0.02 Totals 7.39 38.67 0.63 48.64 95.33 abs 6 Table 3 Gross primary fuels used to produce 1 kg of ABS expressed as mass. Fuel type Input in mg Crude oil 980000 Gas/condensate 890000 Coal 190000 Metallurgical coal 200 Lignite 80000 Peat 180 Wood 720 Table 4 Gross raw materials required to produce 1 kg of ABS. Raw material Input in mg Air 490000 Animal matter <1 Barytes 1 Bauxite 360 Bentonite 110 Biomass (including water) 7500 Calcium sulphate (CaSO4) 89 Chalk (CaCO3) <1 Clay <1 Cr <1 Cu 84 Dolomite 6 Fe 500 Feldspar <1 Ferromanganese <1 Fluorspar 8 Granite <1 Gravel 8500 Hg <1 Limestone (CaCO3) 11000 Mg 1200 N2 130000 Ni 12 O2 1000 Olivine 5 Pb 1 Phosphate as P2O5 <1 Potassium chloride (KCl) 4400 Quartz (SiO2) <1 Rutile <1 S (bonded) <1 S (elemental) 6200 Sand (SiO2) 690 Shale 250 Sodium chloride (NaCl) 7000 Sodium nitrate (NaNO3) <1 Talc 21000 Unspecified <1 Zn 14 abs 7 Table 5 Gross water consumption required for the production of 1 kg of ABS. (Totals may not agree because of rounding) Source Use for Use for Totals processing cooling (mg) (mg) (mg) Public supply 3800000 2 3800000 River canal 2500000 46000000 49000000 Sea 480000 30000000 30000000 Well 48000 300000 350000 Unspecified 2300000 64000000 67000000 Totals 9100000 141000000 150000000 abs 8 Table 6 Gross air emissions associated with the production of 1 kg of ABS. (Totals may not agree because of rounding) Emission From From From From From From Totals fuel prod'n fuel use transport process biomass fugitive (mg) (mg) (mg) (mg) (mg) (mg) (mg) dust (PM10) 1000 190 4 490 - - 1700 CO 1300 1200 50 2500 - - 5100 CO2 550000 2100000 12000 380000 -670 - 3100000 SOX as SO2 2100 4500 160 1100 - - 8000 H2S <1 - <1 <1 - - <1 mercaptan <1 <1 <1 <1 - - <1 NOX as NO2 1800 2900 92 760 - - 5500 NH3 <1 - <1 2 - - 2 Cl2 <1 <1 <1 <1 - - 1 HCl 51 26 <1 2 - - 79 F2 <1 <1 <1 1 - - 1 HF 2 1 <1 <1 - - 3 hydrocarbons not specified 880 280 27 3200 - 2 4400 aldehyde (-CHO) <1 - <1 <1 - - <1 organics <1 <1 <1 340 - - 340 Pb+compounds as Pb <1 <1 <1 <1 - - <1 Hg+compounds as Hg <1 - <1 <1 - - <1 metals not specified elsewhere <1 2 <1 <1 - - 3 H2SO4 <1 - <1 <1 - - <1 N2O <1 <1 <1 <1 - - <1 H2 36 <1 <1 16 - - 52 dichloroethane (DCE) C2H4Cl2 <1 - <1 <1 - <1 <1 vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) <1 - <1 <1 - <1 <1 CFC/HCFC/HFC not specified <1 - <1 <1 - - <1 organo-chlorine not specified <1 - <1 1 - - 1 HCN <1 - <1 <1 - - <1 CH4 27000 450 <1 2400 - <1 30000 aromatic HC not specified elsewhere <1 - <1 420 - 2 430 polycyclic hydrocarbons (PAH) <1 2 <1 <1 - - 2 NMVOC <1 - <1 28 - - 28 CS2 <1 - <1 <1 - - <1 methylene chloride CH2Cl2 <1 - <1 <1 - - <1 Cu+compounds as Cu <1 <1 <1 <1 - - <1 As+compounds as As - - - <1 - - <1 Cd+compounds as Cd <1 - <1 <1 - - <1 Ag+compounds as Ag - - - <1 - - <1 Zn+compounds as Zn <1 - <1 <1 - - <1 Cr+compounds as Cr <1 1 <1 <1 - - 1 Se+compounds as Se - - - <1 - - <1 Ni+compounds as Ni <1 2 <1 <1 - - 2 Sb+compounds as Sb - - <1 <1 - - <1 ethylene C2H4 - - <1 5 - - 5 oxygen - - - <1 - - <1 asbestos - - - <1 - - <1 dioxin/furan as Teq - - - <1 - - <1 benzene C6H6 - - - 3 - 7 10 toluene C7H8 - - - <1 - 1 1 xylenes C8H10 - - - <1 - <1 <1 ethylbenzene C8H10 - - - 1 - 2 2 styrene - - - <1 - 1 2 propylene - - - 4 - - 4 abs 9 Table 7 Carbon dioxide equivalents corresponding to the gross air emissions for the production of 1 kg of ABS. (Totals may not agree because of rounding) Type From From From From From From Totals fuel prod'n fuel use transport process biomass fugitive (mg) (mg) (mg) (mg) (mg) (mg) (mg) 20 year equiv 2200000 2100000 12000 550000 -670 20 4900000 100 year equiv 1200000 2100000 12000 460000 -670 12 3800000 500 year equiv 740000 2100000 12000 420000 -670 8 3300000 abs 10 Table 8 Gross emissions to water arising from the production of 1 kg of ABS. (Totals may not agree because of rounding). Emission From From From From Totals fuel prod'n fuel use transport process (mg) (mg) (mg) (mg) (mg) COD 2 2 <1 2200 2200 BOD 1 <1 <1 47 48 Pb+compounds as Pb <1 - <1 <1 <1 Fe+compounds as Fe <1 - <1 <1 <1 Na+compounds as Na <1 - <1 780 780 acid as H+ 1 - <1 7 7 NO3- <1 <1 <1 74 74 Hg+compounds as Hg <1 - <1 <1 <1 metals not specified <1 - <1 190 190 ammonium compounds 1 <1 <1 340 340 Cl- <1 3 <1 3000 3000 CN- <1 - <1 9 9 F- <1 - <1 <1 <1 S+sulphides as S <1 - <1 <1 <1 dissolved organics <1 - <1 8 9 suspended solids 55 - 4 2100 2200 detergent/oil <1 <1 <1 14 14 hydrocarbons not 13 <1 <1 4 17 organo-chlorine not <1 - <1 <1 <1 dissolved chlorine <1 - <1 <1 <1 phenols <1 - <1 3 3 dissolved solids not <1 - <1 1100 1100 P+compounds as P <1 <1 <1 120 120 other nitrogen as N <1 <1 <1 100 100 other organics not <1 - <1