Life Cycle Assessment of Diethyl Carbonate (DEC) and Glycerol Carbonate (GC) Coproduction from Bioethanol, CO 2 , and Glycerol

Diethyl carbonate (DEC) can be sustainably produced from bioethanol and captured CO2, and then used with crude glycerol to produce glycerol carbonate (GC), both of which are high-value products. DEC is an electrolyte in lithium batteries and a precursor for polycarbonates, while GC is a versatile, eco-friendly solvent in cosmetics and a precursor for polymers like polyurethanes and coatings. While these productions are techno-economically profitable, their environmental impacts have not been comprehensively studied. This study conducts the first-ever, novel, comprehensive cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) for DEC and GC production following the green chemistry principles. The overall results were within the lower range when compared to the literature. The global warming impact was lower than both the literature and the global chemical industry benchmarks. Uncertainty analysis showed that most impact categories’ results were reliable. Utilizing bioethanol from lignocellulosic biomass and crude glycerol from the esterification of used vegetable oil was the best scenario, while using maize as a feedstock for bioethanol production instead of sugarcane was the worst case. Future recommendations include investigating other crops and lignocellulosic biomass for bioethanol. These results provide essential new environmental data to complement techno-economic assessments and support sustainable fine/specialty chemical production.