FLAVOURS & FRAGRANCES
Feedstock Raw material processing Chemical production Products & implementation
Fossil feedstocks
...............................................................................................
_ E xi st in g re f in er ie s _____ __, ) Existing chemical production network j Multiple products using alternative l feedstock in the value chain
Ii\ Fast
I .... .... Low technological
\J implementation !fl!! risk ( established )
Biomass or Waste
Investments for transforming primary raw material into chemical industry raw material
Mass Balance
� Segregated
I
.. NEWPLANTS
Many investments into new small-scale plants
-- -------- --
Ii\ Slow
I ........ High technological
'-' implementation !fl!! risk ( R & D needed )
Few selected products based on alternative feedstock
Figure 2 – Biomass balance & introduction of alternative feedstocks
Emissions along the value chain
F & F houses produce or source aroma ingredients to compound the flavour and fragrance mixtures that are used by FMCG companies in their food , home care and personal care products .
A study conducted by a prominent fragrance house demonstrates that over 95 % of the CO 2 emissions associated with a cosmetic fragrance composition can be attributed to the primary raw materials and production processes necessary to create aroma ingredients . Less than 5 % arises from compounding at fragrance houses . Therefore , significant CO 2 emission reductions in F & F value chains must target the primary raw materials and the processes deployed to convert primary raw materials into aroma ingredients .
Process improvements
With synthetic aroma ingredients produced via thermochemical transformations currently holding a market share of about 90 %, data from the chemical industry can serve as a useful proxy to assess past and future emission reduction opportunities stemming from the transformation of raw materials into aroma ingredients .
In recent decades , the European chemical industry has reduced absolute CO 2 emissions while
increasing production . Key measures included continuous improvements in energy- and resource-efficiency in production processes , as well as a shift to renewable electricity .
However , there is a scientific limit to such process improvements , namely the amount of resources and energy that were required if the processes were run at 100 % yield and without creating waste energy . The closer processes get to this theoretical optimum , the more difficult and costly further improvements are . This is when taking a look at the primary feedstock and respective optimisation potential comes into play .
Primary raw material differences
Organic chemicals like aroma ingredients require carbon-containing feedstocks . For synthetic aroma ingredients , naphtha , natural gas , coal and bio-based crude sulfate turpentine ( CST ), a by-product of the pulp and paper industry , are used .
Using coal as a primary raw material results in the highest CO 2 emissions among otherwise comparable production routes . The IEA has stated in the 2023 update to its Net Zero Roadmap for Chemicals that “ higher use of coal in emerging market and developing economies makes the path to net zero more challenging ”. 1
On the other hand , raw materials from biomass are particularly important for limiting the further increase of CO 2 in the atmosphere and thus limiting climate change . During the process of photosynthesis , plants absorb CO 2 from the atmosphere . This so-called biogenic uptake means that carbon is sequestered from the atmosphere during the growth of the plant biomass . When biomass-based raw materials are then used as feedstocks in the production of products , they can contribute to a lower product carbon footprint , since the CO 2 emitted at the end of life during combustion or decomposition is essentially the same that was previously absorbed from the atmosphere .
The challenge for the industry has been to find a way to keep the existing assets with its very efficient production processes in use , while gradually shifting the feedstock from fossil to biomass-based raw materials .
A drop-in solution
The biomass balance approach offers a viable solution to this challenge . It entails the blending of certified bio-based feedstocks alongside conventional feedstocks at chemical production sites .
The quantity of certified feedstock introduced is carefully tracked and virtually attributed to specific
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