BASF offers neopentyl glycol and propionic acid with carbon footprint of zero
German chemical firm BASF for the first time offers neopentyl glycol (NPG) and propionic acid (PA) with a cradle-to-gate product carbon footprint (PCF) of zero. Produced at BASF’s Ludwigshafen site, Germany, the products are available globally as “NPG ZeroPCF” and “PA ZeroPCF.” BASF achieves the zero PCF for NPG and PA by using renewable raw materials in its production system via its biomass balance (BMB) approach. For NPG, BASF additionally uses renewable energy for production.
NPG ZeroPCF and PA ZeroPCF are “drop-in” solutions: They are identical in quality and properties to the standard products, allowing customers to use them in their production without the need for adjustments to their existing processes. In this way, customers can simply and efficiently reduce emissions from purchased goods or services (Scope 3) and increase the share of renewable raw materials in the value chain, thus contributing to the shift to a circular economy.
BASF manufactures NPG ZeroPCF and PA ZeroPCF in its integrated production system applying its BMB approach. For this, BASF feeds renewable raw materials into its Verbund in the very first steps of chemical production and attributes a corresponding share of the renewable raw materials to specific sales products by means of a certified mass balance method. The renewable raw material used is waste-based. BASF’s biomass balanced products are certified according to recognised standards like either REDcert2 or ISCC plus. In the production of NPG ZeroPCF, BASF additionally uses renewable energies via Renewable Energy Certificates.
The PCF comprises the total greenhouse gas emissions that occur until the product leaves the BASF factory gate for the customer, from the extraction of resources through manufacturing of precursors to the making of the final chemical product itself. On its journey to achieve net zero CO2 emissions by 2050, BASF is the first large chemical company to make the individual carbon footprints of all its sales products available to its customers.
BASF has achieved Carbon Neutral certification from global climate change consultancy the Carbon Trust for its NPG ZeroPCF and PA ZeroPCF. The Carbon Trust certifies products as Carbon Neutral that are either carbon neutral through temporary natural upstream carbon sinks like plants4 or through carbon credits purchased by the manufacturing company. BASF dsyd iy achieves the cradle-to-gate product carbon footprint of zero for NPG ZeroPCF and PA ZeroPCF without purchasing carbon credits. The certification will be reviewed on an annual basis.
An essential field of NPG application is powder coatings, especially for the construction and automotive industries as well as for household appliances. Besides emitting minimal to zero volatile organic compounds (VOC), the coatings process with powder coatings also reduces processing times and energy requirements. By applying NPG ZeroPCF, the carbon footprint of the powder coating resins can be reduced significantly. This can help manufacturers in the construction, automotive, white goods and furniture industries to achieve their upstream Scope 3 CO2 emission reduction targets.
Due to its high chemical and thermal stability, the polyalcohol NPG has proven itself in many further applications, in particular as a building block for the production of polyester and alkyd resins for various coatings and plastics. Other areas of application for NPG include the manufacture of lubricants, plasticisers and pharmaceuticals: It is used as a building block in the synthesis of, for example, hormones, cardiovascular drugs and painkillers.
