Carbon is one of the essential raw materials in the chemical industry, but until now it has been obtained mainly from fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas, or coal. Access to sustainable carbon sources is therefore crucial for the climate-neutral transformation of the industry. A discussion paper presented by IN4climate.NRW entitled “Carbon – but sustainable!” concludes that the German chemical industry's needs can basically be met from sustainable sources. Additional imports are not absolutely necessary for this. Nevertheless, the paper identifies a considerable need for political action. The publication is available free of charge.
Chemical products such as detergents, adhesives, varnishes, paints, and plastics are used in many areas of life. The majority of these products are based on carbon, around 85 percent of which currently comes from fossil sources. The IN4climate.NRW paper, which is supported by companies, associations, and scientific institutions, describes viable strategies that will enable the chemical industry in Germany to achieve climate neutrality by 2045 while at the same time securing its competitiveness.
Dr. Katharina Schubert, Managing Director of NRW.Energy4Climate, points out that the complexity of chemical production processes presents both challenges and opportunities. Although the wide range of products and reaction pathways makes it difficult to convert the raw material base, it also opens up opportunities for innovative processes based on sustainable resources. The chemical industry in North Rhine-Westphalia in particular, with its spectrum ranging from basic materials to specialty chemicals, could play a pioneering role here, provided that suitable political framework conditions are created in a timely manner.
According to the analyses, a domestic supply of sustainable carbon is fundamentally possible. The prerequisite is that all available sources, such as plastic waste, biomass, and CO2, are consistently tapped and the corresponding processing methods are further developed technologically. This requires the further expansion of mechanical plastic recycling in the sense of a functioning circular economy.
In addition, particularly in North Rhine-Westphalia, rapid location decisions and investments in the chemical recycling of plastics are necessary. In the field of biomass, it is crucial that existing resources are used primarily for material and efficient purposes in accordance with the cascade principle, for example for the production of biopolymers or specialty chemicals. To avoid conflicts of use, strategic prioritization is necessary, which should be preceded by a thorough analysis of the quantities available to industry in North Rhine-Westphalia. In addition, the use of CO2 as a raw material for the chemical industry is becoming increasingly important. Its use should be consistently geared towards closed carbon cycles. Biogenic CO2 is particularly suitable for short-lived or non-recyclable products such as packaging. The corresponding quantities must be taken into account at an early stage when planning transport and infrastructure networks.
Given the long development and investment cycles of new technologies, the initiative underscores the need for clear political guidelines at this early stage. Among other things, strategic programs with targeted funding, the establishment of lead markets for defossilized products, and reliable prospects for the rapid expansion of necessary transport infrastructure are required. A coordinated overall concept forms the basis for the future supply of sustainable carbon to the chemical industry and ensures its competitiveness. The complete publication is available free of charge: Download
