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SPINE LCI dataset: Production of Alkyl Polyglucosides (APG) from coconut oil

Administrative

Technical System

System Boundaries

Flow Data

About Inventory

Administrative
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Finished Y

Date Completed 95-01-01

Copyright Carl Hanser Verlag

Availability Public

Technical System
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Name Production of Alkyl Polyglucosides (APG) from coconut oil

Functional Unit 1000 kg

Functional Unit Explanation All emissions, use of resources and energy consumption is based on 1000 kg of APG.

Process Type Cradle to gate

Site Europe

Sector

Owner Europe

Technical system description BRIEF DESCRIPTION:
The following steps are involved in the production of APG:

Coconut oil production:
Process data for the production of coconut oil relate to the procurement and processing Philippine coconut oils. The country represents a major exporting country for this type of oil.

Corn production:
The process involves spreading of fertilisers and harvesting.

Nitrogen fertiliser production:
Nitrogen fertiliser is used for the corn production (cultivation of corn). Nitrogen is applied in the form of ammonia, which is manufactured by steam reforming of natural gas.

Phosphorous fertiliser production:
Phosphor fertiliser is used for the corn production (cultivation of corn). Phospate is applied as P2O5, which is produced by the action of sulphuric acid on phosphate rock.

Potassium fertiliser production:
Potassium fertiliser is used for the corn production (cultivation of corn). Potassium is generally applied in the form of KCl. The production process includes sylvite mining and processing, KCl production and potassium fertiliser production.

Lime/lime stone production:
Limestone is used for the corn production and is quarried from open pits. The process involved blasting, crushing screening and finally calcination of the limestone into lime.

Sulphur production:
No details were given om sulphur production.

Glucose monohydrate production:
Glucose monohydrate is produced from corn and sulphur. The process involves cleaning, wet milling, light milling, thourough milling, enzyme/enzyme hydrolysis and crystallisation.

Salt production:
Salt is used in the APG production process. No details were given on salt production.

Caustic soda production:
Caustic soda is used in the APG production process. No details were given on caustic soda production.

APG production:
APG is derived from fatty alcohols and glucose monohydrate by the Fischer Synthesis. Salt and caustic soda is also used in the process.

Information concerning all the subsystems described above:
Transports are included in the system. The fuels for the transports and the fuels for the processes are traced back to the extraction of petrochemical raw materials and/or extraction of bio fuels. The electricity data are based on the electricity profile for each country and the petrochemical and biomass raw materials for electricity production are traced back to the extraction process (same process as for fuel raw materials).

System Boundaries
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Nature Boundary All emissions are considered equivalent, independent of where they take place (locally, regionally, globally; in densely populated areas or rural areas).

Time Boundary The process data used pertain mainly to 1992, being yearly averages where possible. It is recognised that operating processes and conditions are constantly evolving.

Geographical Boundary This study examined the surfactant production in Europe, notably manufacturing processes conducted in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom. Raw materials may be produced outside of Europe. Therefore, relevant input data from Malaysia, the Philippines and the United States of America have also been incorporated.

Other Boundaries The detergent formulation, use and final disposal of the surfactants were not covered.

The environmental effects associated with the manufacture of capital equipment and with energy and fuel requirements for plant and building conditioning (heat, air etc.) were not included, neither were those associated with personnel requirements.

For electricity based on nuclear power and wind power, no emissions and resource exploits have been accounted for.

Allocations Raw materials, energy and environmental emissions are allocated among co-products on an output weight basis, i.e. on the basis of mass. Co-products in this LCI include those materials that are currently recycled, reused or marketed in some beneficial way.

Systems Expansions N/A (unless aggregated system from special type
of comparative LCI study).

Flow Data

General Activity QMetaData
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Date Conceived 1992
Data Type Derived, unspecified
Represents
Method LC-inventory data from tables 1 and 3-5, pages 196-197 in lit.ref.

Literature Reference Tenside Surfactants Detergents; 32. Jahrgang 2/1995; Carl Hanser Verlag; Munchen

Notes The raw material data are given in ’’kg’’ and the energy data are given in ’’MJ’’. However, it is important to remember that the raw materials themselves have an energy content.

Flow Table and Specific Meta Data
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QMetaData Direction FlowType Substance Quantity Min Max SDev Unit Environment Geography

Input Natural resource Coal 1 kg Ground

Input Natural resource Coal 6669 MJ Ground

Input Natural resource Coconuts 1319 kg Ground

Input Natural resource Coconuts 1755 MJ Ground

Input Natural resource Crude oil 6426 MJ Ground

Input Natural resource Limestone 77 kg Ground

Input Natural resource NaCl 4 kg Ground

Input Natural resource Natural gas 18,2 kg Ground

Input Natural resource Natural gas 9900 MJ Ground

Input Natural resource Sulphur 1 kg Ground

Input Refined resource Hydro power 300 MJ Technosphere

Input Refined resource Nitrogen fertiliser 12,7 kg Technosphere

Input Refined resource Nuclear 1690 MJ Technosphere

Input Refined resource Phosphorous fertiliser 6,8 kg Technosphere

Input Refined resource Potassium fertiliser 9,6 kg Technosphere

Output Emission Acid 2,26 kg Water

Output Emission Aldehydes 24 g Air

Output Emission BOD 6,35 kg Water

Output Emission CH4 5,6 g Air

Output Emission Chlorine 10 g Air

Output Emission CO 2,87 kg Air

Output Emission CO2 150 kg Air

Output Emission CO2 1623 kg Air

Output Emission COD 7 kg Water

Output Emission Cr 5,84 mg Water

Output Emission Dissolved solids 21,2 kg Water

Output Emission Fe 1,96 kg Water

Output Emission Fluorides 0,01 kg Water

Output Emission Fluorine 0,01 kg Air

Output Emission HC 0,11 kg Water

Output Emission HC 15,7 kg Air

Output Emission HCl 0,14 kg Air

Output Emission HF 1,2 g Air

Output Emission Hg 1,12 mg Water

Output Emission Hg 12,5 mg Air

Output Emission Kerosene 0,11 mg Air

Output Emission Metal ion 0,013 kg Water

Output Emission Metals 0,01 kg Air

Output Emission NH3 18 g Air

Output Emission Ni 1,03 mg Water

Output Emission NOx 13,1 kg Air

Output Emission N-tot 1,96 kg Water

Output Emission Odorous sulphurs/thiols 1,2 g Air

Output Emission Oil 0,0071 kg Water

Output Emission Other chemicals 1,42 mg Water

Output Emission Other organics 0,46 kg Air

Output Emission Particles 11,7 kg Air

Output Emission Pb 0,467 mg Water

Output Emission Pb 22,9 mg Air

Output Emission Phenol 0,011 kg Water

Output Emission SOx 14 kg Air

Output Emission Sulphides 0,776 g Water

Output Emission Susp solids 12,2 kg Water

Output Emission Zn 5,13 mg Water

Output Product Alcyl Polyglucosides 1000 kg Technosphere

Output Residue Solid waste 135 kg Ground

About Inventory
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Publication Tenside Surfactants Detergents; 32. Jahrgang 2/1995; Carl Hanser Verlag; Munchen

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Data documented by: Malin Ericson, Akzo Nobel Surface Chemistry

Documentation reviewed by: Ann-Christin Pålsson, CPM/TEP, Chalmers University of Technology
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Intended User Manufacturers and users of sur

General Purpose -To produce an authoritative and comprehensive Life Cycle Inventory for major surfactant production in Europe through a common approach in order to facilitate objectivity in surfactant assessments on environmental grounds.
-To secure the best possible validation of data and broad acceptance of the methodology and conclusions by industry, regulatory authorities, and academia, through assessment of the study by an appropriate expert review panel.

Detailed Purpose -To establish an industry-wide inventory of the energy and emissions associated with the production of major surfactants in Western Europe under the conditions prevailing in 1992.
-To bring together environmental data on the use of the main raw material sources - crude oil, natural gas, mineral, oleochemical, agricultural feedstock - for the processing pathways to the derived major surfactants.
-To provide benchmarks for the processing steps of surfactant production against which individual producers can assess their own processes and identify opportunities for improvement.
-To publish the results of the study and its conclusions in the open literature for access and reference by interested bodies.

Commissioner - European LCI Surfactant Study Group (CEFIC/ECOSOL).

Practitioner - Franklin Associates, Ltd. 4121 W. 83rd St., Suite 108 Prairie Village, KS 66208, USA.

Reviewer Klöppfer, Prof. Dr. W. - C.A.U. Consultants Frankfurt, Germany

Applicability It is generally not possible to replace one surfactant type by another without changing other components of a preparation, or altering performance characteristics. Therefore, it is not in general meaningful to compare surfactants on a weight basis.

APGs comprise a comparatively new class of commercial surfactants. APGs show interesting synergy with other surfactants, which can enable the reduction of acrive ingredients at the same perfromance level. Besides their application in detergents they are well-suited to several cosmetic formulations and other surfactant applications, where special foaming abilities are required.

About Data 13 industrial companies participated in the project, including major surfactant manufacturers, raw material and intermediate suppliers, as well as surfactant users in Europe, some of whom are both manufacturers and users. Participating companies are BASF, Colgate-Palmolive, Condea, Enichem Augusta, Henkel, Hoechst, Hüls, ICI, Petresa, Procter & Gamble, Shell, Unilever and Wibarco.

Process data were obtained directly from each company performing the process. These data were often proprietary. Therefore, technical process data from private corporations were collected from a minimum of three producers for each intermediate and surfactant type.
The information is presented in the form of industry averages in order to preserve confidentiality.

Fuel-related data for European countries were based on various governmental statistics and industry contacts (aggregated and provided by Dr. I. Bousted, The Open University, U.K.).

Notes Data for other surfactants such as Alcohol sulphates (AS), Alcohol ethoxy sulphates (AES), soap, Secondary alkane sulphonates (SAS), Alcohol ethoxylates (AE) and Linear alkylbenzene sulphonates (LAS) were given in the same study.

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