{
  "authors": [],
  "basis": {
    "capacity": "per tonne of HDPE pellets (the dataset's basis); no plant size"
  },
  "benchmarks": [
    {
      "dataset": "hdpe-low-pressure-eu-average",
      "expression": "(feed:electricity + feed:steam) / product:polyethylene",
      "family": "polyolefins",
      "kpi": "hdpe-direct-energy",
      "problem": "kWh/kg to kWh/t needs core's foundation.units (pip install 'cheme-as-code[units]')",
      "reference": {
        "basis": "unallocated",
        "conditions": {
          "region": "EU",
          "technology": "HDPE plants, slurry and gas phase not separated",
          "year": 1999
        },
        "id": "bref-pol-hdpe-direct-energy",
        "note": "Direct energy, the energy consumption as delivered. The BAT-associated levels of Table 13.4 (p. 260) are 2.05 GJ/t for new and 2.05 to 2.52 GJ/t for existing installations, 569 to 700 kWh/t at 3.6 MJ/kWh. The source notes that bimodal and high molecular weight grades can deviate strongly.",
        "range": [
          570,
          940
        ],
        "source": {
          "accessed": "2026-11-05",
          "citation": "European Commission, JRC (2007) Reference Document on Best Available Techniques in the Production of Polymers (POL BREF), August 2007",
          "kind": "bref",
          "locator": "Section 3.3.3, Table 3.11, p. 64",
          "url": "https://eippcb.jrc.ec.europa.eu/sites/default/files/2019-11/pol_bref_0807.pdf"
        }
      },
      "status": "unchecked",
      "title": "Electricity and heat as delivered per t of HDPE",
      "unit": "kWh/t",
      "value": null
    },
    {
      "dataset": "hdpe-low-pressure-eu-average",
      "expression": "(feed:ethylene + feed:1-butene) / product:polyethylene",
      "family": "polyolefins",
      "kpi": "hdpe-specific-monomer",
      "problem": "1 to kg/t needs core's foundation.units (pip install 'cheme-as-code[units]')",
      "reference": {
        "basis": "unallocated",
        "conditions": {
          "region": "EU",
          "technology": "HDPE plants, slurry and gas phase not separated; 24 plants, average age 15 years, average capacity 161 kt/a",
          "year": 1999
        },
        "id": "bref-pol-hdpe-monomer",
        "note": "From the average of the better half of the plants to the average of the 4th quartile; the European average is 1027 kg/t, raised by a few plants of the 4th quartile. That the figure includes the comonomer is our reading of \"monomer consumption\".",
        "range": [
          1008,
          1066
        ],
        "source": {
          "accessed": "2026-11-05",
          "citation": "European Commission, JRC (2007) Reference Document on Best Available Techniques in the Production of Polymers (POL BREF), August 2007",
          "kind": "bref",
          "locator": "Section 3.3.3, Table 3.11, p. 64",
          "url": "https://eippcb.jrc.ec.europa.eu/sites/default/files/2019-11/pol_bref_0807.pdf"
        }
      },
      "status": "unchecked",
      "title": "Monomer (ethylene and comonomer) consumption per t of HDPE",
      "unit": "kg/t",
      "value": null
    },
    {
      "dataset": "hdpe-low-pressure-eu-average",
      "expression": "(emission:C2H4 + emission:CH4) / product:polyethylene",
      "family": "polyolefins",
      "kpi": "hdpe-voc-air",
      "problem": "1 to kg/t needs core's foundation.units (pip install 'cheme-as-code[units]')",
      "reference": {
        "basis": "unallocated",
        "conditions": {
          "region": "EU",
          "technology": "HDPE plants, slurry and gas phase not separated",
          "year": 1999
        },
        "id": "bref-pol-hdpe-voc",
        "note": "Converted from g/t. The source's VOC includes all hydrocarbons and other organics, fugitives included. Germany reports 0.64 to 0.67 kg/t (Table 3.12); the BAT-associated levels are 0.3 to 0.5 kg/t for new and 0.5 to 1.8 kg/t for existing installations (Table 13.4).",
        "range": [
          0.65,
          5.75
        ],
        "source": {
          "accessed": "2026-11-05",
          "citation": "European Commission, JRC (2007) Reference Document on Best Available Techniques in the Production of Polymers (POL BREF), August 2007",
          "kind": "bref",
          "locator": "Section 3.3.3, Table 3.11, p. 64",
          "url": "https://eippcb.jrc.ec.europa.eu/sites/default/files/2019-11/pol_bref_0807.pdf"
        }
      },
      "status": "unchecked",
      "title": "Hydrocarbons to air (VOC, point sources and fugitives) per t of HDPE",
      "unit": "kg/t",
      "value": null
    }
  ],
  "chemistry": {
    "inputs": [
      {
        "chemical": "ethylene",
        "grade": null,
        "inventory_key": "feed:ethylene",
        "role": "feedstock"
      },
      {
        "chemical": "1-butene",
        "grade": null,
        "inventory_key": "feed:1-butene",
        "note": "comonomer, from the branch count of HDPE (ASSUMED 1-butene)",
        "role": "feedstock"
      },
      {
        "chemical": "hydrogen",
        "grade": null,
        "inventory_key": "feed:hydrogen",
        "note": "chain-transfer agent for molecular-weight control",
        "role": "feedstock"
      },
      {
        "chemical": "isobutane",
        "grade": null,
        "inventory_key": "feed:isobutane",
        "note": "diluent make-up; the source does not name the solvent (ASSUMED isobutane)",
        "role": "feedstock"
      },
      {
        "chemical": "air",
        "grade": null,
        "note": "combustion air of the flare or thermal oxidiser, free; its O2 is feed:O2",
        "role": "feedstock"
      },
      {
        "chemical": "water",
        "grade": null,
        "inventory_key": "feed:water",
        "note": "ASSUMED equal to the effluent",
        "role": "feedstock"
      }
    ],
    "outputs": [
      {
        "chemical": "polyethylene",
        "grade": null,
        "inventory_key": "product:polyethylene",
        "note": "HDPE pellets",
        "role": "main-product"
      },
      {
        "chemical": "wastewater",
        "grade": null,
        "inventory_key": "output:wastewater",
        "role": "waste"
      },
      {
        "chemical": "carbon-dioxide",
        "grade": null,
        "inventory_key": "emission:CO2",
        "role": "emission"
      }
    ],
    "utilities": [
      {
        "chemical": "electricity",
        "grade": null,
        "inventory_key": "feed:electricity",
        "role": "utility"
      },
      {
        "chemical": "steam",
        "grade": null,
        "inventory_key": "feed:steam",
        "note": "the source's net thermal energy, counted as steam heat delivered (kWh); it may embed a credit for exported heat (deviation in the dataset)",
        "role": "utility"
      }
    ]
  },
  "description": "",
  "design_basis": null,
  "engineering": null,
  "facets": {
    "feedstock_basis": [
      "fossil"
    ],
    "product_classes": [
      "polymers"
    ],
    "region": "EU",
    "unit_operations": [
      "reaction",
      "polymerisation",
      "extrusion"
    ]
  },
  "families": [
    "polyolefins"
  ],
  "gap_count": 4,
  "gates": null,
  "id": "polyethylene-1",
  "issues": {
    "closed_count": 0,
    "list_url": "https://github.com/ChemE-as-Code/process-library/issues?q=is%3Aissue%20label%3A%22process%3Apolyethylene-1%22",
    "new": {
      "action": "https://github.com/ChemE-as-Code/process-library/issues/new?template=1-action-item.yml&labels=process%3Apolyethylene-1&process=polyethylene-1",
      "change": "https://github.com/ChemE-as-Code/process-library/issues/new?template=4-design-change.yml&labels=process%3Apolyethylene-1&process=polyethylene-1",
      "hold": "https://github.com/ChemE-as-Code/process-library/issues/new?template=2-engineering-hold.yml&labels=process%3Apolyethylene-1&process=polyethylene-1",
      "process": "https://github.com/ChemE-as-Code/process-library/issues/new?template=6-process-development.yml&labels=process%3Apolyethylene-1&process=polyethylene-1",
      "tq": "https://github.com/ChemE-as-Code/process-library/issues/new?template=3-technical-query.yml&labels=process%3Apolyethylene-1&process=polyethylene-1",
      "tracker": "https://github.com/ChemE-as-Code/process-library/issues/new?template=7-process-tracker.yml&labels=process%3Apolyethylene-1&process=polyethylene-1"
    },
    "open": [],
    "open_by_gate": {},
    "open_count": 0,
    "private": false,
    "repository": "ChemE-as-Code/process-library"
  },
  "keywords": [
    "polyethylene",
    "HDPE",
    "polyolefin",
    "slurry",
    "loop reactor",
    "Ziegler-Natta",
    "ethylene",
    "1-butene"
  ],
  "lca": null,
  "lci_gaps": [
    {
      "dataset": "hdpe-low-pressure-eu-average",
      "key": "feed:1-butene",
      "link": "technosphere",
      "type": "input"
    },
    {
      "dataset": "hdpe-low-pressure-eu-average",
      "key": "feed:isobutane",
      "link": "technosphere",
      "type": "input"
    },
    {
      "dataset": "hdpe-low-pressure-eu-average",
      "key": "output:ethylene-unaccounted",
      "link": "technosphere",
      "type": "output"
    },
    {
      "dataset": "hdpe-low-pressure-eu-average",
      "key": "emission:PM10",
      "link": "biosphere",
      "type": "emission"
    }
  ],
  "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": "Plastics Europe (2026) Eco-profile of Polyolefins: High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE), Linear Low Density Polyethylene (LLDPE), Polypropylene (PP). January 2026, LCA practitioner ifeu Heidelberg",
      "url": "https://plasticseurope.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/PE-and-PP.zip"
    },
    {
      "title": "European Commission JRC (2007) Reference Document on Best Available Techniques in the Production of Polymers (POL BREF), August 2007, chapters 3 and 13",
      "url": "https://eippcb.jrc.ec.europa.eu/sites/default/files/2019-11/pol_bref_0807.pdf"
    }
  ],
  "repository": {
    "access": "public",
    "path": "processes/polyethylene-1",
    "url": "https://github.com/ChemE-as-Code/process-library"
  },
  "representations": [],
  "summary": "Sourced conceptual inventory per tonne of HDPE pellets: utilities and direct emissions from the Plastics Europe eco-profile's gate-to-gate averages of European plants, ethylene from stoichiometry with the sourced losses, 1-butene from the branch count. No flowsheet; not reviewed.",
  "title": "High-density polyethylene by low-pressure polymerisation of ethylene (European average)",
  "validation": {
    "status": "unreviewed"
  },
  "viewer": null
}