"Dow and Crystalsev Announce Plans to Make Polyethylene from Sugar Cane in Brazil."

Renewable Resource Used in Production Process Will Significantly Reduce Carbon Footprint

The Dow Chemical Company, the world's largest producer of polyethylene, and Crystalsev, one of Brazil's largest ethanol players have announced plans for a world-scale facility to manufacture polyethylene from sugar cane.

Under the terms of a memorandum of understanding agreed by the two companies, Dow and Crystalsev will form a joint venture in Brazil to design and build the first integrated facility of its scale in the world. It is expected to start production in 2011 and will have a capacity of 350,000 metric tons. The venture will combine Dow's leading position in polyethylene with Crystalsev's know-how and experience in ethanol to meet the needs of Dow's customers in Brazil and what will likely be international interest.

"We are excited to partner with a great company like Crystalsev to build the first world-scale polyethylene facility that will use a renewable feedstock," said Andrew Liveris, chairman and CEO of Dow. "This project is a prime example of how Dow's innovation and industry leadership are creating outstanding opportunities to drive forward our strategic growth agenda in a way that fully supports our 2015 Sustainability Goals commitments."

The new facility will use ethanol derived from sugar cane, an annually renewable resource, to produce ethylene - the raw material required to make polyethylene, the world's most widely-used plastic. Ethylene is traditionally produced using either naphtha or natural gas liquids, both of which are petroleum products. It is estimated that the new process will produce significantly less CO2 compared to the traditional polyethylene manufacturing process.

...The companies have already begun conducting a feasibility study to assess various aspects of the project, including engineering design, location, infrastructure needs, supply chain logistics, energy and economics. The study, which is expected to take one year, will also look at the possibility of receiving approval for the project and the process as a Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). The CDM was developed by the United Nations to help companies manage their carbon credits from emerging market projects.

The areas being considered as potential sites for the new facility are currently being used for low-density cattle grazing and are not near any rain forests. Both companies have underscored their commitment to ensuring that the plant is located in a sustainable environment. ..."

From:
http://www.csrwire.com/News/9270.html

Great news, thanks for the info.

It's not going to be much of a threat when these chemical feedstocks take more oil to process into plastic than if they simply used oil.

It's not going to be much of a threat when these chemical feedstocks take more oil to process into plastic than if they simply used oil.Why would you think that true? If it were, then the "from alcohol" process would cost more and no one would be investing millions in it, especially as it is new with more unknowns and risks. Be a little bit logical and/or think before your post. (I have had to tell you this so many times before that I have lost count.- Go back to "mining the asterorids for gold" or saving the world with your "faith dollars" etc. and leave chemistry alone.)

Billy, the fact that you have been a jerk has nothing to do with the subject.

I would guess Billy T is right...

"We are excited to partner with a great company like Crystalsev to build the first world-scale polyethylene facility that will use a renewable feedstock," said Andrew Liveris, chairman and CEO of Dow.
...

The new facility will use ethanol derived from sugar cane, an annually renewable resource, to produce ethylene - the raw material required to make polyethylene, the world's most widely-used plastic. Ethylene is traditionally produced using either naphtha or natural gas liquids, both of which are petroleum products.

...since they actually said they were using means other than oil to produce it. :shrug:

And, my dear esteemed colleague who seems not to have done his homework, how do they make the ethanol and how many BTUs of petroleum do they use per BTU of ethanol?

And, my dear esteemed colleague who seems not to have done his homework, how do they make the ethanol and how many BTUs of petroleum do they use per BTU of ethanol?

Perhaps none! They could potentially just run it off of the same ethanol they would help to make (not that I'm saying they will b/c Brazil isn't oil free).

Your hypothetical problem is that the energy put into making the 350k metric tons of polyethylene is more than the energy that could be gained from using the oil as fertilizer? Do you have basis for that? Like knowledge of how much energy plants like that take as well as how much energy is in the oil used to fertilize?

I would guess you're wrong because the oil based way of producing uses oil to power it plus oil to make it.

Maybe with knowledge of the chemical steps it takes we could make a really good guess. Sadly I don't even know all of the reactants and steps of either, nor would I know there enthalpies. You?