Environmental and economic assessment of olefin synthesis from waste as an emerging alternative to conventional light olefin production routes

Light olefins such as ethylene and propylene are essential petrochemical intermediates but remain highly energy- and carbon-intensive to produce using conventional fossil-based technologies. We conduct the life-cycle environmental and economic assessment (LCA/LCC) of seven olefin production pathways, such as coal-based, natural gas-based, shale gas-based, crude oil-based, bio-based, waste-to-olefins and waste-to-olefins with sorption-enhanced olefin synthesis, to understand trade-offs and identify decarbonisation opportunities. A cradle-to-gate LCA employs nine EF 3.1 midpoint indicators, using foreground data from industrial sources, Aspen Plus V14 modelling, and ecoinvent v3.10 inventories. Results show that coal-based olefin production exhibits the highest environmental burdens, particularly for climate change, freshwater ecotoxicity, eutrophication, and water use. Natural gas-based and crude oil-based routes perform better across non-climate categories but remain carbon-intensive. Bio-based olefin production route provides partial climate benefits but is penalised by large land and water requirements. In contrast, waste-to-olefins and waste-to-olefins with sorption-enhanced olefin synthesis achieve net-negative greenhouse gas emissions due to biogenic carbon uptake and integrated CO 2 capture. Sorption-enhanced olefin synthesis further reduces energy demand via in-situ water removal and process intensification, yielding lower GHG emissions (47%), reduced water use by 64%, and improved selectivity compared with conventional waste-to-olefin routes. However, higher impacts persist in ozone depletion and ionising radiation categories, driven by upstream electricity supply chains. Economic analysis indicates that gasification and CO 2 management dominate overall costs, while the sorption-enhanced synthesis adds only a modest incremental cost to waste-to-olefin pathways. Total life cycle costing for waste-to-olefins with sorption-enhanced olefin synthesis falls within EUR 2130 to 3550 t −1 olefin, including environmental cost, competitive with emerging green olefin pathways. Overall, the findings demonstrate that combining waste feedstocks, CO 2 capture, and sorption-enhanced process intensification offers a promising pathway for low-carbon, resource-efficient olefin production, especially within future decarbonised energy systems.