Toward sustainable carbon utilization: Integrated LCA–TEA assessment of carbon dioxide–derived polymers

Abstract

The polymers using carbon dioxide (CO₂) offer a promising pathway toward CO₂ utilization, but their environmental and economic viability remains uncertain. This study implements Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Techno-Economic Analysis (TEA) to evaluate three polymer processes that use CO₂ as a precursor: poly(trimethylene carbonate) (PTMC), tunable polypropylene carbonate/poly(propylene oxide/polylactic acid) (PPP), and polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB). TRACI 2.1 was used to quantify environmental impacts, while TEA models assess capital investment, operating costs, and key financial indicators under various scenarios. The results show significant deviation between these polymer production pathways. The PPP process shows the highest global warming potential (6 tCO₂ e/t) due to high electricity and chemical agent consumption, while PTMC and PHB contribute less to global warming potential. PHB demonstrates that its nutrient-intensive fermentation drives higher costs (5 k$/t) and trade-offs in eutrophication and acidification. The TEA results show that all pathways require a capital investment of around USD 4–5.5 million and are viable under medium-high favorable market conditions. Among the three pathways, PHB demonstrates the strongest economic performance (NPV of USD 6.8 million, ROROI of 30 %) at high product prices, whereas PTMC and PPP appear less viable in comparison. The integrated LCA/TEA approach, supported by Monte Carlo simulations, further shows that changes in chemical agents can significantly influence both the environmental and economic outcomes of these processes.