Life Cycle Inventory of Brazilian Methanol: a Contribution for the National Database
GP2
Grupo de Prevenção da Poluição
Escola Politécnica - USP
Life Cycle Inventory of Brazilian Methanol:
Contribution for National Database
Luiz Alexandre Kulay
Eduardo Toshio Sugawara
Gil Anderi da Silva
Life Cycle Assessment VIII
'Calculating Consequences Beyond the Box'
30 September - 2 October 2008, Seattle
GP2
Life Cycle Assessment VIII - Calculating Consequences Beyond the Box
Grupo de Prevenção da Poluição
Escola Politécnica - USP
Life Cycle Inventory of Brazilian Methanol: a Contribution for the National Database
1. Methanol in Brazil
 National Production: 250,000 ton.
 Companies: 02
METANOR S.A. (State of Bahia) – 90,000 ton.
PROSINT (State of Rio de Janeiro) – 162,000 ton.
METANOR
Importation (Others)
18%
4%
 Importation: 250,000 ton.
Up to 92% from Chile (Punta Arenas)
32%
PROSINT
Source: ABIQUIM (2006)
46%
Importation (Chile)
GP2
Life Cycle Assessment VIII - Calculating Consequences Beyond the Box
Grupo de Prevenção da Poluição
Escola Politécnica - USP
Life Cycle Inventory of Brazilian Methanol: a Contribution for the National Database
2. Technology: ICI Low Process Methanol (LPM)
98% CH4 (no S compounds)
Natural
Gas
Catalytically
Reforming
SYNGAS
Synthesis
Compressing
Distillation
steam
Methanol
Others
5–10MPa; 200-300°C
GP2
Life Cycle Assessment VIII - Calculating Consequences Beyond the Box
Grupo de Prevenção da Poluição
Escola Politécnica - USP
Life Cycle Inventory of Brazilian Methanol: a Contribution for the National Database
3. Life Cycle Inventory of Brazilian Methanol
3.1 Goal and Scope Definition
Objective - carry through the Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) of the methanol in
order to contribute to the Brazilian Database for LCA studies
Reference Flow – 1,000 kg methanol
Scope – cradle to gate approach
Methodological Framework – NBR ISO 14040 series
GP2
Life Cycle Assessment VIII - Calculating Consequences Beyond the Box
Grupo de Prevenção da Poluição
Escola Politécnica - USP
Life Cycle Inventory of Brazilian Methanol: a Contribution for the National Database
Boundaries Refining
•
Exclusion Criteria for Unit Processes and environmental loads:
- quantitative: contribution below 1.0% system;
- environmental relevance.
Considered Subsystems
- natural gas production;
- natural gas transportation and distribution;
- steam production;
- SYNGAS obtaining;
Excluded Subsystems
- natural gas exploitation and extraction
- construction + maintenance of capital goods
- methanol processing in Brazil & in Chile;
- transportation + distribution from Chile.
GP2
Life Cycle Assessment VIII - Calculating Consequences Beyond the Box
Grupo de Prevenção da Poluição
Escola Politécnica - USP
Life Cycle Inventory of Brazilian Methanol: a Contribution for the National Database
3.2 Product System Modeling
•
Production Capacity:
- METANOR and PROSINT: ~ 97% of the Brazilian methanol (last 5 years)
•
Importation:
- just from Chile;
•
Technology:
- LPM process – Brazil and Chile;
- Other outlets from purification than methanol: environmental loads.
GP2
Life Cycle Assessment VIII - Calculating Consequences Beyond the Box
Grupo de Prevenção da Poluição
Escola Politécnica - USP
Life Cycle Inventory of Brazilian Methanol: a Contribution for the National Database
Product System: methanol
Purification
Fractioning
Compression
Natural Gas Transportation
SYNGAS
Production
Methanol
Obtaining
Distillation
SYNGAS
Production
Methanol transport
from Chile
Brazilian
Methanol
GP2
Life Cycle Assessment VIII - Calculating Consequences Beyond the Box
Grupo de Prevenção da Poluição
Escola Politécnica - USP
Life Cycle Inventory of Brazilian Methanol: a Contribution for the National Database
3.3 Specific Premises
Natural Gas Production
 Natural gas origin:
- off-shore extraction: Rio de Janeiro and Bahia littorals;
 Average composition: 26 platforms
Component
%
CH4
84,5
C2H6
8,0
C3H8
3,0
C4 and C4+
3,5
CO2
1,0
H2S
3,5ppm
 Desulphurization:
- absorption in Fe2O3 fluidized bed;
- S compounds recover (allocation by commercial criteria)
GP2
Life Cycle Assessment VIII - Calculating Consequences Beyond the Box
Grupo de Prevenção da Poluição
Escola Politécnica - USP
Life Cycle Inventory of Brazilian Methanol: a Contribution for the National Database
Natural Gas Production
Cold
Absorption
NGPU 2
CH4
Compression
3
Turbo
Expansion
NGPU 3
Compression
1
Purified
Natural Gas
Liquid phase
Cold
LRU
Absorption
Processed
Natural Gas
CH4
Compression
2
C2; C3; C4; C4+
Cold
Absorption
NGPU 1
CH4
GP2
Life Cycle Assessment VIII - Calculating Consequences Beyond the Box
Grupo de Prevenção da Poluição
Escola Politécnica - USP
Life Cycle Inventory of Brazilian Methanol: a Contribution for the National Database
Natural Gas Transportation
 Rio de Janeiro:
NGPU - Refinary
- 01 pipeline: L = 180km;  = 16”;
- compression stages along the line: Turbine
Refinery - PROSINT
- 01 pipeline: L = 10km;  = 12”;
 Bahia:
NGPU – Petrochemical Complex (Camaçari)
- 02 pipelines: L = 37km;  = 12”;
L = 33km;  = 14”
- No compression stages along the line;
Petrochemical Complex – METANOR
- 01 pipeline: L = 10km;  = 12”;
GP2
Life Cycle Assessment VIII - Calculating Consequences Beyond the Box
Grupo de Prevenção da Poluição
Escola Politécnica - USP
Life Cycle Inventory of Brazilian Methanol: a Contribution for the National Database
Synthesis of Methanol
SYGAS
CH4 = 3%
CO = 15%
H2 = 74%
CO2 = 8%
Methanol
synthesis
Catalysts
CH3OH
H2O
H2
CH4 + H2O  CO + 3H2 - Energy
CO + H2O  CO2 + H2 + Energy
steam
CO + 2H2  CH3OH + Energy
CO2 + 3H2  CH3OH + H2O – Energy
GP2
Life Cycle Assessment VIII - Calculating Consequences Beyond the Box
Grupo de Prevenção da Poluição
Escola Politécnica - USP
Life Cycle Inventory of Brazilian Methanol: a Contribution for the National Database
Methanol Importation
 Importation: 250,000 ton.
 Oceanic Transportation: Origin – Punta Arenas (Chile)
Port
Amount
(x 103t)
(%)
Distance
(Nautical Miles)
Paranaguá (PR)
159
63,6
1,896
Rio Grande (RS)
47
18,8
1,721
Aratu (BA)
28
11,2
3,016
Rio de Janeiro
(RJ)
16
6,4
2,271
GP2
Life Cycle Assessment VIII - Calculating Consequences Beyond the Box
Grupo de Prevenção da Poluição
Escola Politécnica - USP
Life Cycle Inventory of Brazilian Methanol: a Contribution for the National Database
3.4 Data Collection
 Primary data
- Questionnaire distribution;
- visiting on sites;
- completeness: up to 60%;
 Secondary data
- literature;
- experts consultation;
- material and energetic balances;
- databases.
GP2
Life Cycle Assessment VIII - Calculating Consequences Beyond the Box
Grupo de Prevenção da Poluição
Escola Politécnica - USP
Life Cycle Inventory of Brazilian Methanol: a Contribution for the National Database
3.5 Results
Environmental Loads - INPUTS
Energy Consumption (/RF)
Compression (transport)
GJ
472.66
Cold Absorption (NGPU)
GJ
27.18
Compression (distribution)
GJ
22.23
Raw Materials (/RF)
CH4
m3
475.84
C2H6
m3
45.05
Sulfur
g
1.97
Environmental Loads - OUTPUTS
Atmospheric Emissions (/RF)
CH4
m3
36.43
CO2
m3
894.97
SO2
m3
3.43
Liquid Effluent (/RF)
COD
g
170.52
BOD
g
24.01
Life Cycle Assessment VIII - Calculating Consequences Beyond the Box
GP2
Grupo de Prevenção da Poluição
Escola Politécnica - USP
Life Cycle Inventory of Brazilian Methanol: a Contribution for the National Database
4. Conclusion and Limitations
 Energy consumption:
472.86 GJ/ton. (= 87%) dispended for natural gas compression (transport step)
Methanol obtaining generates low consumption due to the energy recovery
 Atmospheric emission:
66,7% are CO2 from natural gas burning (compression step)
 Liquid Effluent:
COD (0.17ton/ton.) from purifying action (organic lights & methanol losses)
 Solid waste:
about 1.9g S/ton.: dessulfurization process
GP2
Life Cycle Assessment VIII - Calculating Consequences Beyond the Box
Grupo de Prevenção da Poluição
Escola Politécnica - USP
Life Cycle Inventory of Brazilian Methanol: a Contribution for the National Database
4. Conclusion and Limitations
 Low level of primary data - completeness of 60%;
 No information about environmental loads from capital goods and
maintenance either in processual transformation or transport
 Variability in terms of data quality;
 Absence of well defined information about technology of methanol’s production
in Chile (modelled according Brazilian technology).
GP2
Life Cycle Assessment VIII - Calculating Consequences Beyond the Box
Grupo de Prevenção da Poluição
Escola Politécnica - USP
Life Cycle Inventory of Brazilian Methanol: a Contribution for the National Database
GP2
Grupo de Prevenção da Poluição
Escola Politécnica - USP
Life Cycle Inventory of Brazilian Methanol:
Contribution for National Database
Thanks for your attention!!
Contact:
Luiz Alexandre Kulay – [email protected]
Eduardo Toshio Sugawara – [email protected]
Gil Anderi da Silva – [email protected]
Life Cycle Assessment VIII
'Calculating Consequences Beyond the Box'
30 September - 2 October 2008, Seattle
GP2
Life Cycle Assessment VIII - Calculating Consequences Beyond the Box
Grupo de Prevenção da Poluição
Escola Politécnica - USP