Mapping carbon of the Dutch industry today and how this can evolve towards circularity.

Abstract

The pressure of climate change resulted in national climate policy towards 2050. The Dutch climate agreement mentions that in this period a complex system change for base industries regarding energy and material use is needed to lower emissions, and that the industries must evolve towards circularity. To understand the relationship between industrial activities and how carbon ends up in the environment, an inventory of carbon flows is required.This thesis presents carbon flow models based on material flow analysis methodology for thirteen individual fossil carbon-intensive industries. The models explain the energetic and non-energetic conversion of carbon within industrial processes, and show how carbon ends up in the atmosphere or become fixed in products. Furthermore, the results show import, export, and intermediate flows of carbon for the petrochemical industry. The mapping of carbon provides a reference point that can be applied for assessments on the feasibility and consequences of decarbonization directions. The thesis includes one assessment of the chemical recycling of plastic waste. This assessment unveils that friction can be expected when realizing ambitions for circularity, as the availability of sufficient and suitable chemically recyclable waste is not guaranteed. The current state of carbon flow models opens up opportunities for further research on the decarbonization of the industry. Additionally, the models can be expanded and improved by including direct and indirect energy use, and by developing frozen technology and business as usual carbon flow models for 2050.