substance

Adipic acid

Formula: C6H10O4
CAS: 124-04-9
InChIKey: WNLRTRBMVRJNCN-UHFFFAOYSA-N
ChEBI: CHEBI:30832

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Made by

Adipic acid from cyclohexane via KA oil and nitric acid oxidationMain productConcept · not reviewed

Used by

No process in the Atlas uses this yet.

When a process with this chemical is added to the library, it appears here.

Routes compared

All 2 ways to make Adipic acid, with filters →

Not comparable as they standSystem boundary: differs; Data quality (TfS DQR): not stated by every route; Reference product (grade, state): not stated by every route. The rows say which route each warning concerns.

Per 1 kg of Adipic acid: inventory from each route's LCI dataset, unallocated; footprints per the functional unit of their own LCA.

Route	Tier, design maturity, review status	Geography, year	Energy	Feedstocks	Key emissions	Footprint	Comparability
Adipic acid from cyclohexane via KA oil and nitric acid oxidationcontinuous two-stage process: air oxidation of cyclohexane, then oxidation of KA with 50 to 60 % nitric acid (EPA 1991, 3.2.2: 98 % of US output from cyclohexane in continuous operation)	Tier 1 (sourced conceptual)Design maturity: Concept (research)Not independently reviewedDataset review: unreviewed	RER, 2009	Electricity: 0.389 kWh Steam, as heat delivered: 7.14 kWh Fuel, counted as heat from natural gas: 0.333 kWh	Cyclohexane: 0.791 kg Nitric acid, 60 wt% weak acid (net make-up): 1.45 kg Oxygen from process air (stripping, NOx reabsorption and oxidation air): 0.805 kg (free)	CO2, fossil: KA-section off-gas and residue burned on site, and the nitric acid oxidation: 0.621 kg Water vapour from burning the KA-section off-gas and residue: 0.171 kg CO from the nitric acid oxidation: 0.00039 kg Non-methane organics from the nitric acid oxidation and refining: 0.000587 kg NOx (as NO2) after the NOx absorber: 0.00811 kg N2O after catalytic decomposition: 0.053 kg	no footprint	Reference product (grade, state): states no product System boundary: boundary is gate-to-gate: cobalt-catalysed air oxidation of cyclohexane to KA (cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone) with cyclohexane recycle, nitric acid oxidation over copper-vanadium, NOx stripping and reabsorption, crystallisation, drying, catalytic N2O decomposition; nitric acid, steam, fuel and power from outside; the routes state gate-to-gate: cobalt-catalysed air oxidation of cyclohexane to KA (cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone) with cyclohexane recycle, nitric acid oxidation over copper-vanadium, NOx stripping and reabsorption, crystallisation, drying, catalytic N2O decomposition; nitric acid, steam, fuel and power from outside, gate-to-gate: cobalt-catalysed air oxidation of cyclohexane to KA (cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone) with cyclohexane recycle, nitric acid oxidation over copper-vanadium, NOx stripping and reabsorption, crystallisation, drying; nitric acid, steam, fuel and power from outside Data quality (TfS DQR): states no data quality rating (TfS DQR)
Adipic acid from cyclohexane via KA oil and nitric acid oxidationcontinuous two-stage process: air oxidation of cyclohexane, then oxidation of KA with 50 to 60 % nitric acid (EPA 1991, 3.2.2: 98 % of US output from cyclohexane in continuous operation)	Tier 1 (sourced conceptual)Design maturity: Concept (research)Not independently reviewedDataset review: unreviewed	GLO, 2009	Electricity: 0.389 kWh Steam, as heat delivered: 7.14 kWh Fuel, counted as heat from natural gas: 0.333 kWh	Cyclohexane: 0.791 kg Nitric acid, 60 wt% weak acid (net make-up): 1.45 kg Oxygen from process air (stripping, NOx reabsorption and oxidation air): 0.805 kg (free)	CO2, fossil: KA-section off-gas and residue burned on site, and the nitric acid oxidation: 0.621 kg Water vapour from burning the KA-section off-gas and residue: 0.171 kg CO from the nitric acid oxidation: 0.00039 kg Non-methane organics from the nitric acid oxidation and refining: 0.000587 kg NOx (as NO2) after the NOx absorber: 0.00811 kg N2O, unabated: 0.3 kg	no footprint	Reference product (grade, state): states no product System boundary: boundary is gate-to-gate: cobalt-catalysed air oxidation of cyclohexane to KA (cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone) with cyclohexane recycle, nitric acid oxidation over copper-vanadium, NOx stripping and reabsorption, crystallisation, drying; nitric acid, steam, fuel and power from outside; the routes state gate-to-gate: cobalt-catalysed air oxidation of cyclohexane to KA (cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone) with cyclohexane recycle, nitric acid oxidation over copper-vanadium, NOx stripping and reabsorption, crystallisation, drying, catalytic N2O decomposition; nitric acid, steam, fuel and power from outside, gate-to-gate: cobalt-catalysed air oxidation of cyclohexane to KA (cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone) with cyclohexane recycle, nitric acid oxidation over copper-vanadium, NOx stripping and reabsorption, crystallisation, drying; nitric acid, steam, fuel and power from outside Data quality (TfS DQR): states no data quality rating (TfS DQR)

How comparability is checked

Allocation: same (same allocation method: none (single product))
Background data (impacts): not applicable (same background data and boundary behind the impact numbers (only routes with a footprint))
System boundary: differs (same system boundary of the inventory (the dataset's boundary): gate-to-gate: cobalt-catalysed air oxidation of cyclohexane to KA (cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone) with cyclohexane recycle, nitric acid oxidation over copper-vanadium, NOx stripping and reabsorption, crystallisation, drying, catalytic N2O decomposition; nitric acid, steam, fuel and power from outside, gate-to-gate: cobalt-catalysed air oxidation of cyclohexane to KA (cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone) with cyclohexane recycle, nitric acid oxidation over copper-vanadium, NOx stripping and reabsorption, crystallisation, drying; nitric acid, steam, fuel and power from outside)
Data quality (TfS DQR): not stated by every route (data quality: every route states a TfS DQR, none more than 1 above the best)
Functional unit: same (same functional unit (amount and unit of the reference product): 1 kg)
Reference product (grade, state): not stated by every route (same reference product: registry grade and state)
System model: same (same system model (docs/system-model.md): cutoff)

ISO 14044 requires a critical review (by a panel of interested parties, ISO/TS 14071) of a comparative assertion intended to be disclosed to the public. These routes are listed side by side for screening; a statement that one is better than another needs that review. None of these routes has had such a review.