{
  "authors": [],
  "basis": {
    "capacity": "per tonne of adipic acid (the datasets' basis); no plant size"
  },
  "benchmarks": [
    {
      "dataset": "adipic-acid-ka-nitric-catalytic-n2o-abatement",
      "expression": "emission:N2O / product:adipic-acid",
      "family": "oxygenates",
      "kpi": "aa-n2o-emission-abated",
      "problem": "1 to kg/t needs core's foundation.units (pip install 'cheme-as-code[units]')",
      "reference": {
        "basis": "unallocated",
        "conditions": {
          "region": "DE",
          "technology": "KA oil oxidation with nitric acid, N2O abatement installed; yearly values 2001 to 2007",
          "year": 2007
        },
        "id": "ecofys-2009-de-aa-co2eq",
        "note": "The source gives 5.6 to 12.7 t CO2-eq per t adipic acid for the German adipic acid production of 2001 to 2007, with abatement (national emissions over national output). The text calls it one plant, but its Table 8 lists three German sites. Converted with the GWP of 310 for N2O that the same chapter uses, reading all of the CO2-eq as N2O, so the range is an upper bound of the N2O. The same chapter gives an EU-27 weighted average of 10.27 t CO2-eq/t for 2007/08 without steam and electricity (Table 9), about 33 kg N2O/t on the same reading.",
        "range": [
          18.1,
          41.0
        ],
        "source": {
          "accessed": "2026-11-05",
          "citation": "Ecofys, Fraunhofer ISI, Öko-Institut (2009) Methodology for the free allocation of emission allowances in the EU ETS post 2012: Sector report for the chemical industry, by order of the European Commission (study contract 07.0307/2008/515770/ETU/C2)",
          "kind": "government",
          "locator": "Chapter 6, section 6.3.2, Table 10, p. 46 (GWP 310 on p. 47)",
          "url": "https://climate.ec.europa.eu/document/download/b5e9cb5a-ff10-4a89-a083-e69663b708d3_en"
        }
      },
      "status": "unchecked",
      "title": "N2O emitted per t of adipic acid by a plant with N2O abatement",
      "unit": "kg/t",
      "value": null
    },
    {
      "dataset": "adipic-acid-ka-nitric-catalytic-n2o-abatement",
      "expression": "(emission:N2O + emission:N2 * 1.57111) / product:adipic-acid",
      "family": "oxygenates",
      "kpi": "aa-n2o-generation",
      "problem": "1 to kg/t needs core's foundation.units (pip install 'cheme-as-code[units]')",
      "reference": {
        "basis": "unallocated",
        "conditions": {
          "region": "US",
          "technology": "nitric acid oxidation of KA; uncontrolled",
          "year": 1995
        },
        "id": "ap42-aa-n2o-uncontrolled",
        "note": "The sum of two uncontrolled factors, the oxidation reactor (290 kg/t, from gas analyses at two plants, rating D) and the nitric acid tank fume sweep (1.3 kg/t, one stack test, rating E). A single value, recorded as a zero-width range and not widened.",
        "range": [
          291.3,
          291.3
        ],
        "source": {
          "accessed": "2026-11-05",
          "citation": "US EPA (1995) Compilation of Air Pollutant Emission Factors (AP-42), Fifth Edition, Volume I, Chapter 6 Organic Chemical Process Industry, Section 6.2 Adipic Acid, final section January 1995",
          "kind": "government",
          "locator": "Table 6.2-2, p. 6.2-5",
          "url": "https://19january2021snapshot.epa.gov/sites/static/files/2020-10/documents/c06s02.pdf"
        }
      },
      "status": "unchecked",
      "title": "N2O generated per t of adipic acid, before abatement",
      "unit": "kg/t",
      "value": null
    },
    {
      "dataset": "adipic-acid-ka-nitric-catalytic-n2o-abatement",
      "expression": "feed:cyclohexane / product:adipic-acid",
      "family": "oxygenates",
      "kpi": "aa-specific-cyclohexane",
      "no_open_reference": "No open source with a cyclohexane or KA consumption per t of adipic acid found (2026-11-05). Read: LVOC BREF 2017 section 2.1.2.3.3 (no consumption data), US EPA EPA-450/3-91-026 section 3.2.2 (yield ranges only, which the datasets use), AP-42 section 6.2 (emission factors only), the EU ETS benchmark study of 2009 chapter 6 (emissions only), the IEA information paper of 2009 (energy only). Kirk-Othmer and Ullmann's are not open access and were not read.",
      "problem": "1 to kg/t needs core's foundation.units (pip install 'cheme-as-code[units]')",
      "reference": null,
      "status": "unchecked",
      "title": "Cyclohexane consumption per t of adipic acid",
      "unit": "kg/t",
      "value": null
    },
    {
      "dataset": "adipic-acid-ka-nitric-catalytic-n2o-abatement",
      "expression": "feed:electricity / product:adipic-acid",
      "family": "oxygenates",
      "kpi": "aa-specific-electricity",
      "no_open_reference": "No open source with an adipic acid electricity figure independent of the datasets found (2026-11-05), in the same documents as aa-specific-steam. The IEA paper gives 0.5 GJ/t at best practice and 1.4 GJ/t as the Western European average (139 to 389 kWh/t); the datasets take the average.",
      "problem": "kWh/kg to kWh/t needs core's foundation.units (pip install 'cheme-as-code[units]')",
      "reference": null,
      "status": "unchecked",
      "title": "Electricity per t of adipic acid",
      "unit": "kWh/t",
      "value": null
    },
    {
      "dataset": "adipic-acid-ka-nitric-catalytic-n2o-abatement",
      "expression": "feed:nitric-acid * 0.59985 / product:adipic-acid",
      "family": "oxygenates",
      "kpi": "aa-specific-nitric-acid",
      "no_open_reference": "No open source with a nitric acid consumption per t of adipic acid found (2026-11-05), in the same documents as aa-specific-cyclohexane. The datasets' make-up is the nitrogen of the N2O and NOx only, a lower bound.",
      "problem": "1 to kg/t needs core's foundation.units (pip install 'cheme-as-code[units]')",
      "reference": null,
      "status": "unchecked",
      "title": "Nitric acid (100 % HNO3) consumption per t of adipic acid",
      "unit": "kg/t",
      "value": null
    },
    {
      "dataset": "adipic-acid-ka-nitric-catalytic-n2o-abatement",
      "expression": "feed:steam / product:adipic-acid",
      "family": "oxygenates",
      "kpi": "aa-specific-steam",
      "no_open_reference": "No open source with an adipic acid steam figure independent of the datasets found (2026-11-05). The IEA information paper (Saygin et al. 2009) gives 18.5 GJ/t at best practice (Table 1, p. 14, estimated, footnote 2) and 25.7 GJ/t as the estimated current Western European average (Table 13, p. 50), both after Chauvel and Lefebvre (1989), that is 5139 to 7139 kWh/t; the datasets take the average, so binding it would be transcription only. Also read: LVOC BREF 2017 section 2.1.2.3.3, the EU ETS benchmark study of 2009 chapter 6 (CO2 of the steam only), EPA-450/3-91-026 and AP-42 6.2 (no energy figures).",
      "problem": "kWh/kg to kWh/t needs core's foundation.units (pip install 'cheme-as-code[units]')",
      "reference": null,
      "status": "unchecked",
      "title": "Steam (as heat) per t of adipic acid",
      "unit": "kWh/t",
      "value": null
    },
    {
      "dataset": "adipic-acid-ka-nitric-unabated",
      "expression": "emission:N2O / product:adipic-acid",
      "family": "oxygenates",
      "kpi": "aa-n2o-generation",
      "problem": "1 to kg/t needs core's foundation.units (pip install 'cheme-as-code[units]')",
      "reference": {
        "basis": "unallocated",
        "conditions": {
          "region": "US",
          "technology": "nitric acid oxidation of KA; uncontrolled",
          "year": 1995
        },
        "id": "ap42-aa-n2o-uncontrolled",
        "note": "The sum of two uncontrolled factors, the oxidation reactor (290 kg/t, from gas analyses at two plants, rating D) and the nitric acid tank fume sweep (1.3 kg/t, one stack test, rating E). A single value, recorded as a zero-width range and not widened.",
        "range": [
          291.3,
          291.3
        ],
        "source": {
          "accessed": "2026-11-05",
          "citation": "US EPA (1995) Compilation of Air Pollutant Emission Factors (AP-42), Fifth Edition, Volume I, Chapter 6 Organic Chemical Process Industry, Section 6.2 Adipic Acid, final section January 1995",
          "kind": "government",
          "locator": "Table 6.2-2, p. 6.2-5",
          "url": "https://19january2021snapshot.epa.gov/sites/static/files/2020-10/documents/c06s02.pdf"
        }
      },
      "status": "unchecked",
      "title": "N2O generated per t of adipic acid, before abatement",
      "unit": "kg/t",
      "value": null
    },
    {
      "dataset": "adipic-acid-ka-nitric-unabated",
      "expression": "feed:cyclohexane / product:adipic-acid",
      "family": "oxygenates",
      "kpi": "aa-specific-cyclohexane",
      "no_open_reference": "No open source with a cyclohexane or KA consumption per t of adipic acid found (2026-11-05). Read: LVOC BREF 2017 section 2.1.2.3.3 (no consumption data), US EPA EPA-450/3-91-026 section 3.2.2 (yield ranges only, which the datasets use), AP-42 section 6.2 (emission factors only), the EU ETS benchmark study of 2009 chapter 6 (emissions only), the IEA information paper of 2009 (energy only). Kirk-Othmer and Ullmann's are not open access and were not read.",
      "problem": "1 to kg/t needs core's foundation.units (pip install 'cheme-as-code[units]')",
      "reference": null,
      "status": "unchecked",
      "title": "Cyclohexane consumption per t of adipic acid",
      "unit": "kg/t",
      "value": null
    },
    {
      "dataset": "adipic-acid-ka-nitric-unabated",
      "expression": "feed:electricity / product:adipic-acid",
      "family": "oxygenates",
      "kpi": "aa-specific-electricity",
      "no_open_reference": "No open source with an adipic acid electricity figure independent of the datasets found (2026-11-05), in the same documents as aa-specific-steam. The IEA paper gives 0.5 GJ/t at best practice and 1.4 GJ/t as the Western European average (139 to 389 kWh/t); the datasets take the average.",
      "problem": "kWh/kg to kWh/t needs core's foundation.units (pip install 'cheme-as-code[units]')",
      "reference": null,
      "status": "unchecked",
      "title": "Electricity per t of adipic acid",
      "unit": "kWh/t",
      "value": null
    },
    {
      "dataset": "adipic-acid-ka-nitric-unabated",
      "expression": "feed:nitric-acid * 0.59985 / product:adipic-acid",
      "family": "oxygenates",
      "kpi": "aa-specific-nitric-acid",
      "no_open_reference": "No open source with a nitric acid consumption per t of adipic acid found (2026-11-05), in the same documents as aa-specific-cyclohexane. The datasets' make-up is the nitrogen of the N2O and NOx only, a lower bound.",
      "problem": "1 to kg/t needs core's foundation.units (pip install 'cheme-as-code[units]')",
      "reference": null,
      "status": "unchecked",
      "title": "Nitric acid (100 % HNO3) consumption per t of adipic acid",
      "unit": "kg/t",
      "value": null
    },
    {
      "dataset": "adipic-acid-ka-nitric-unabated",
      "expression": "feed:steam / product:adipic-acid",
      "family": "oxygenates",
      "kpi": "aa-specific-steam",
      "no_open_reference": "No open source with an adipic acid steam figure independent of the datasets found (2026-11-05). The IEA information paper (Saygin et al. 2009) gives 18.5 GJ/t at best practice (Table 1, p. 14, estimated, footnote 2) and 25.7 GJ/t as the estimated current Western European average (Table 13, p. 50), both after Chauvel and Lefebvre (1989), that is 5139 to 7139 kWh/t; the datasets take the average, so binding it would be transcription only. Also read: LVOC BREF 2017 section 2.1.2.3.3, the EU ETS benchmark study of 2009 chapter 6 (CO2 of the steam only), EPA-450/3-91-026 and AP-42 6.2 (no energy figures).",
      "problem": "kWh/kg to kWh/t needs core's foundation.units (pip install 'cheme-as-code[units]')",
      "reference": null,
      "status": "unchecked",
      "title": "Steam (as heat) per t of adipic acid",
      "unit": "kWh/t",
      "value": null
    }
  ],
  "chemistry": {
    "inputs": [
      {
        "chemical": "cyclohexane",
        "grade": null,
        "inventory_key": "feed:cyclohexane",
        "role": "feedstock"
      },
      {
        "chemical": "nitric-acid",
        "grade": null,
        "inventory_key": "feed:nitric-acid",
        "note": "net make-up as 60 wt% weak acid, linked to nitric-acid-1",
        "role": "feedstock"
      },
      {
        "chemical": "air",
        "grade": null,
        "note": "feed:oxygen: oxygen of the process air, free (closes the balance)",
        "role": "feedstock"
      }
    ],
    "outputs": [
      {
        "chemical": "adipic-acid",
        "grade": null,
        "inventory_key": "product:adipic-acid",
        "role": "main-product"
      },
      {
        "chemical": "wastewater",
        "grade": null,
        "inventory_key": "output:wastewater",
        "role": "waste"
      },
      {
        "chemical": "carbon-dioxide",
        "grade": null,
        "inventory_key": "emission:CO2",
        "note": "KA-section off-gas and residue burned on site, and the nitric acid oxidation",
        "role": "emission"
      },
      {
        "chemical": "water",
        "grade": null,
        "inventory_key": "emission:H2O",
        "note": "combustion water vapour",
        "role": "emission"
      }
    ],
    "utilities": [
      {
        "chemical": "electricity",
        "grade": null,
        "inventory_key": "feed:electricity",
        "role": "utility"
      },
      {
        "chemical": "steam",
        "grade": null,
        "inventory_key": "feed:steam",
        "note": "counted as heat delivered (kWh), gross",
        "role": "utility"
      },
      {
        "chemical": "methane",
        "grade": null,
        "note": "feed:fuel: fuel counted as heat from natural gas (kWh), ASSUMED natural gas",
        "role": "utility"
      }
    ]
  },
  "description": "",
  "design_basis": null,
  "engineering": null,
  "facets": {
    "feedstock_basis": [
      "fossil",
      "atmospheric"
    ],
    "product_classes": [
      "chemicals"
    ],
    "region": "generic",
    "unit_operations": [
      "reaction",
      "distillation",
      "absorption",
      "crystallisation",
      "drying"
    ]
  },
  "families": [
    "oxygenates"
  ],
  "gap_count": 4,
  "gates": null,
  "id": "adipic-acid-1",
  "issues": {
    "closed_count": 0,
    "list_url": "https://github.com/ChemE-as-Code/process-library/issues?q=is%3Aissue%20label%3A%22process%3Aadipic-acid-1%22",
    "new": {
      "action": "https://github.com/ChemE-as-Code/process-library/issues/new?template=1-action-item.yml&labels=process%3Aadipic-acid-1&process=adipic-acid-1",
      "change": "https://github.com/ChemE-as-Code/process-library/issues/new?template=4-design-change.yml&labels=process%3Aadipic-acid-1&process=adipic-acid-1",
      "hold": "https://github.com/ChemE-as-Code/process-library/issues/new?template=2-engineering-hold.yml&labels=process%3Aadipic-acid-1&process=adipic-acid-1",
      "process": "https://github.com/ChemE-as-Code/process-library/issues/new?template=6-process-development.yml&labels=process%3Aadipic-acid-1&process=adipic-acid-1",
      "tq": "https://github.com/ChemE-as-Code/process-library/issues/new?template=3-technical-query.yml&labels=process%3Aadipic-acid-1&process=adipic-acid-1",
      "tracker": "https://github.com/ChemE-as-Code/process-library/issues/new?template=7-process-tracker.yml&labels=process%3Aadipic-acid-1&process=adipic-acid-1"
    },
    "open": [],
    "open_by_gate": {},
    "open_count": 0,
    "private": false,
    "repository": "ChemE-as-Code/process-library"
  },
  "keywords": [
    "adipic acid",
    "hexanedioic acid",
    "cyclohexane oxidation",
    "KA oil",
    "cyclohexanol",
    "cyclohexanone",
    "nitric acid oxidation",
    "N2O",
    "nitrous oxide",
    "N2O abatement",
    "nylon 6.6"
  ],
  "lca": null,
  "lci_gaps": [
    {
      "dataset": "adipic-acid-ka-nitric-catalytic-n2o-abatement",
      "key": "feed:cyclohexane",
      "link": "technosphere",
      "type": "input"
    },
    {
      "dataset": "adipic-acid-ka-nitric-catalytic-n2o-abatement",
      "key": "output:dibasic-acids",
      "link": "technosphere",
      "type": "output"
    },
    {
      "dataset": "adipic-acid-ka-nitric-unabated",
      "key": "feed:cyclohexane",
      "link": "technosphere",
      "type": "input"
    },
    {
      "dataset": "adipic-acid-ka-nitric-unabated",
      "key": "output:dibasic-acids",
      "link": "technosphere",
      "type": "output"
    }
  ],
  "maintainers": [],
  "maturity": "concept",
  "preliminary": true,
  "provenance": {
    "library_commit": "a3c52e472f42fbc8cdacfeacf5ef28703c004174",
    "previews": null,
    "previews_stale": false,
    "source_commit": "a3c52e472f42fbc8cdacfeacf5ef28703c004174"
  },
  "publication": {
    "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
    "status": "public"
  },
  "references": [
    {
      "title": "IPCC (2006) 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, Vol. 3 Industrial Processes and Product Use, Ch. 3 Chemical Industry Emissions, section 3.4 Adipic acid production, Table 3.4",
      "url": "https://www.ipcc-nggip.iges.or.jp/public/2006gl/pdf/3_Volume3/V3_3_Ch3_Chemical_Industry.pdf"
    },
    {
      "title": "US EPA (1991) Alternative Control Techniques Document: Nitric and Adipic Acid Manufacturing Plants, EPA-450/3-91-026, chapter 3.2",
      "url": "https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20090511184712/http://www.epa.gov/ttn/catc/dir1/nitric.pdf"
    },
    {
      "title": "US EPA (1995) AP-42, Fifth Edition, Volume I, section 6.2 Adipic Acid",
      "url": "https://19january2021snapshot.epa.gov/sites/static/files/2020-10/documents/c06s02.pdf"
    },
    {
      "title": "Saygin, D., Patel, M.K., Tam, C., Gielen, D.J. (2009) Chemical and Petrochemical Sector: Potential of best practice technology and other measures for improving energy efficiency. IEA Information Paper, OECD/IEA, Tables 1 and 13",
      "url": "https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/c2d071e4-4142-44f1-8a41-88ece29be439/ChemicalandPetrochemicalSector.pdf"
    },
    {
      "doi": "10.2760/77304",
      "title": "Falcke, H. et al. (2017) Best Available Techniques (BAT) Reference Document for the Production of Large Volume Organic Chemicals. JRC Science for Policy Report EUR 28882 EN (JRC109279), section 2.1.2.3.3"
    },
    {
      "title": "Ecofys, Fraunhofer ISI, Öko-Institut (2009) Methodology for the free allocation of emission allowances in the EU ETS post 2012: Sector report for the chemical industry, chapter 6 Adipic acid (benchmark reference only)",
      "url": "https://climate.ec.europa.eu/document/download/b5e9cb5a-ff10-4a89-a083-e69663b708d3_en"
    }
  ],
  "repository": {
    "access": "public",
    "path": "processes/adipic-acid-1",
    "url": "https://github.com/ChemE-as-Code/process-library"
  },
  "representations": [],
  "summary": "Sourced conceptual inventory per tonne of adipic acid, with and without catalytic N2O decomposition: feeds from stoichiometry with US EPA yield ranges, N2O from the IPCC 2006 defaults, energy from IEA Western European averages, air emissions from AP-42. No flowsheet; not reviewed.",
  "title": "Adipic acid from cyclohexane via KA oil and nitric acid oxidation",
  "validation": {
    "status": "unreviewed"
  },
  "viewer": null
}