Anhydrous ethanol to storage

Activity Ethanol by direct hydration of ethylene (100 000 t/a anhydrous, phosphoric acid catalyst), GLO: the inventory of 1 kilogram of its reference product, attributional, cut-off.

Calculation maturity: not assessed Design maturity: Concept (research)Not independently reviewedethanol-1:ethanol-by-direct-hydration-of-ethylene-100-000-t-a-anhydrous:product:ETOHPreliminaryReport a problem with this dataset

Research outputAn inventory from a research design at the design maturity its process states, not verified plant data: check its calculation maturity and review status before use. Background activities are referenced by name only; no background data is included. All caveats

What it is

Unallocated foreground LCI of Ethanol by direct hydration of ethylene (100 000 t/a anhydrous), case design, derived from the flowsheet by cheme assess lca.

Reference product: 1 kilogram of Anhydrous ethanol to storage (1.5 bar(a), 40 degC, 99.4798 % ETOH (mole))
Chemical: ethanol
CAS: 64-17-5
Code: ethanol-1:ethanol-by-direct-hydration-of-ethylene-100-000-t-a-anhydrous:product:ETOH
Dataset: ethanol-by-direct-hydration-of-ethylene-100-000-t-a-anhydrous version 0.1.0 · UUID 86e53708-4d8c-57c1-9bb9-36be2ecff9ac
Activity UUID: not available (the library assigns none; use the code)
Database: cheme-as-code-atlas-preview-c3ab348 (version preview-c3ab348)
Process: Ethanol by direct hydration of ethylene (100 000 t/a anhydrous, phosphoric acid catalyst)
Geography: GLO · background inputs with a site rule link at the user's site location (default DE)
Time period: 2026 · valid until 2031
Technology: vapour-phase direct hydration of ethylene over H3PO4 on silica (513-541 K, 7 MPa, 5 % conversion per pass), gas recycle with water scrubbing, light-ends and concentrating distillation, 3A molecular-sieve dehydration; 100 000 t/a · level current
Boundary: gate-to-gate foreground of the plant
Production volume: 100,016,720 kg/a (product:ETOH per hour x operation.hours_per_year (8000 h/a))
Classification: ISIC Rev.4 2011 (taxonomy/families.yaml (ISIC Rev.4) of the process's families)
System model: attributional, cut-off (docs/system-model.md, methodology 1.1.0)
Allocation: none, 100 % of the dataset to this product (rule single-output, from study)
one product: nothing to allocate
Rights: CC-BY-4.0: the ChemE-as-Code process library's own concept design (LICENSE-DATA)

Exchanges per 1 kilogram of Anhydrous ethanol to storage

As exported: allocated and scaled to the reference product. Provenance: 15 assumed, 1 calculated. Pedigree scores (1 best, 5 worst): reliability, completeness, temporal correlation, geographical correlation, further technological correlation.

Preliminary6 exchanges are not yet linked to a background dataset. They count no burden, so the inventory is incomplete: do not read a result from it as complete.

Input	Amount	Unit	Provenance	Pedigree	Linked to
Polymer-grade ethylene from a steam cracker feed:ETHYLENE fresh ethylene, stream S1 (D-002) From stream S1	0.646	kilogram	assumed	4 4 1 3 3	Atlas (pinned): Ethylene and propylene by ethane steam cracking (1000 kt/a ethylene, concept) (Polymer-grade ethylene, GLO) compatible: grade the input names ethylene only; ethylene (Polymer-grade ethylene) is taken; unit kilogram; system model cutoff (one database); allocation mass (deviation); boundary plant gate (pinned): no distribution or losses; the consumer's dataset counts its delivery
Demineralised make-up water feed:WATER make-up water, stream S28 From stream S28	0.6777	kilogram	assumed	4 4 1 3 3	market for water, deionised (water, deionised, RoW) in your background (default ecoinvent-3.11-cutoff)
Electric power feed:POWER compressors K-101, K-102, pump P-101, sieve vacuum pump, streams Q1, Q2, Q6, Q12 electricity From streams Q1, Q2, Q6, Q12	0.05511	kilowatt hour	assumed	4 4 1 3 3	market for electricity, medium voltage (electricity, medium voltage, DE, site location) in your background (default ecoinvent-3.11-cutoff)
HP steam 4200 kPa(a) feed:HPS reactor feed superheater E-102, stream Q4 steam, HP, 253.25 degC, 42 bar(a) From stream Q4	0.3714	kilowatt hour	assumed	4 4 1 3 3	Atlas: heat from steam, per kWh (Atlas unit proxy) (heat from steam, by energy, GLO)
LP steam 450 kPa(a) feed:LPS column reboilers C-201 and C-202, streams Q7, Q9 steam, LP, 147.65 degC, 4.5 bar(a) From streams Q7, Q9	1.43	kilowatt hour	assumed	4 4 1 3 3	Atlas: heat from steam, per kWh (Atlas unit proxy) (heat from steam, by energy, GLO)
Loop purge and light-ends off-gas to the fuel-gas header product:FUELGAS loop purge S13 and light-ends off-gas S19 (D-005) From streams S13, S19	0.05167	kilogram	assumed	4 4 1 3 3	unlinked unlinked, no technosphere mapping: no mapping (chemical 'flare-gas'); add it to lci/mappings.yaml technosphere or to the process's lca/mappings.yaml exchanges
Water-loop blowdown to wastewater treatment product:WW water-loop blowdown, stream S25 (D-005, D-007) From stream S25	0.2721	kilogram	calculated	3 4 1 3 3	Atlas (plant): wastewater to treatment, per kg (Atlas unit proxy) (wastewater, by mass, GLO) compatible: grade the input names wastewater only; wastewater (Wastewater treated) is taken; unit kilogram; system model cutoff (one database); allocation mass (single-output); boundary plant gate of a site utility: no utility market yet (docs/markets.md)
Cooling water return product:CW heat rejected to cooling water, streams Q3, Q5, Q8, Q10, Q11 cold, 25 degC From streams Q3, Q5, Q8, Q10, Q11	2.207	kilowatt hour	assumed	4 4 1 3 3	Atlas (plant): cooling water service, per kWh heat rejected (Atlas screening proxy) (heat rejected to cooling water, GLO) compatible: grade the input names cooling-water only; cooling-water (Heat rejected to cooling water, 25/35 degC) is taken; unit kilowatt hour; carrier cold, 25 degC from cold, 25 degC; system model cutoff (one database); allocation mass (single-output); boundary plant gate of a site utility: no utility market yet (docs/markets.md)
Phosphoric acid make-up to the catalyst (as 100 % H3PO4) consumable:phosphoric-acid ASSUMED: 1 kg H3PO4 per t ethanol carried out of the reactor and replaced (D-007); no open source of the loss rate found	9.998e-4	kilogram	assumed	4 4 1 3 3	unlinked unlinked, no technosphere mapping: no mapping (no chemical slug or factor id); add it to lci/mappings.yaml technosphere or to the process's lca/mappings.yaml exchanges
Disposal: Phosphoric acid make-up to the catalyst (as 100 % H3PO4) (neutralised to sodium phosphate, leaves with the blowdown to biological wastewater treatment) disposal:consumable.phosphoric-acid D-007	9.998e-4	kilogram	assumed	4 4 1 3 3	unlinked unlinked, no technosphere mapping: no mapping (no chemical slug or factor id); add it to lci/mappings.yaml technosphere or to the process's lca/mappings.yaml exchanges
Caustic soda for the acid neutralisation (as 100 % NaOH) consumable:caustic-soda ASSUMED: 2 mol NaOH per mol H3PO4 carried over (to disodium phosphate): 100 t/a x 2 x 40.00/98.00 = 82 t/a (D-007)	8.199e-4	kilogram	assumed	4 4 1 3 3	unlinked unlinked, no technosphere mapping: no mapping (no chemical slug or factor id); add it to lci/mappings.yaml technosphere or to the process's lca/mappings.yaml exchanges
Disposal: Caustic soda for the acid neutralisation (as 100 % NaOH) (as sodium phosphate in the blowdown to biological wastewater treatment) disposal:consumable.caustic-soda D-007	8.199e-4	kilogram	assumed	4 4 1 3 3	unlinked unlinked, no technosphere mapping: no mapping (no chemical slug or factor id); add it to lci/mappings.yaml technosphere or to the process's lca/mappings.yaml exchanges
Hydration catalyst (H3PO4 on silica), R-101 charge consumable:hydration-catalyst ASSUMED: ~115 m3 of catalyst (US 5349096 space-time yield of about 0.11 kg ethanol per L and h, equipment list R-101) at ~0.5 t/m3, replaced every 4 years (the patents note a limited catalyst life; no figure taken)	1.5e-4	kilogram	assumed	4 4 1 3 3	unlinked unlinked, no technosphere mapping: no mapping (no chemical slug or factor id); add it to lci/mappings.yaml technosphere or to the process's lca/mappings.yaml exchanges
Disposal: Hydration catalyst (H3PO4 on silica), R-101 charge (landfill of the spent acid-impregnated silica after neutralisation) disposal:consumable.hydration-catalyst ASSUMED	1.5e-4	kilogram	assumed	4 4 1 3 3	market for inert waste, for final disposal (inert waste, for final disposal, RoW) in your background (default ecoinvent-3.11-cutoff)
Molecular sieve 3A (V-301 beds) consumable:molecular-sieve ASSUMED: two beds of ~15 t for 16.4 t/h of 93 wt% vapour, replaced every 5 years (D-005); to be confirmed by the sieve supplier	5.999e-5	kilogram	assumed	4 4 1 3 3	market for zeolite, powder (zeolite, powder, GLO) in your background (default ecoinvent-3.11-cutoff)
Disposal: Molecular sieve 3A (V-301 beds) (landfill of spent zeolite (inert)) disposal:consumable.molecular-sieve ASSUMED	5.999e-5	kilogram	assumed	4 4 1 3 3	market for inert waste, for final disposal (inert waste, for final disposal, RoW) in your background (default ecoinvent-3.11-cutoff)

Elementary flows

No elementary flows are exported for this activity (pass-through emissions and free inputs are left out, see the caveats).

The streams are the plant's own flows: an amount here is allocated and per 1 kilogram of Anhydrous ethanol to storage, so it differs from the stream's flow, and it can sum several streams.

Where these numbers come from: each exchange names its source above; the dataset is processes/ethanol-1/lca/dataset.yaml in library version c3ab348.

Used by

No other activity of this database links to it.

How good it is

Review

Not reviewed: no LCI review record yet

Data quality

DQR 2.33 · PEF-style DQR 2.73

TeR 3 · GeR 3 · TiR 1 · P 3.94 · C 4 · weakest TeR · primary data 0 %

Mass and carbon closure

Assessed (lca/manifest.json balance, tolerance 5 %: design maturity concept (sourced screening))

lci-carbon-origin: not-assessable
lci-element-balance: not-assessable
lci-mass-balance: closed

element balance not assessable: no composition for consumable:phosphoric-acid (no composition), disposal:consumable.phosphoric-acid (no composition), consumable:caustic-soda (no composition), disposal:consumable.caustic-soda (no composition), consumable:hydration-catalyst (no composition), disposal:consumable.hydration-catalyst (no composition), consumable:molecular-sieve (no composition), disposal:consumable.molecular-sieve (no composition)
carbon balance not assessable: no composition for consumable:phosphoric-acid (no composition), disposal:consumable.phosphoric-acid (no composition), consumable:caustic-soda (no composition), disposal:consumable.caustic-soda (no composition), consumable:hydration-catalyst (no composition), disposal:consumable.hydration-catalyst (no composition), consumable:molecular-sieve (no composition), disposal:consumable.molecular-sieve (no composition)

Change report

Not available: this build has no change report against an earlier release.

KPI benchmark positions

Not available: no benchmarked KPI for this dataset.

How to use it

Downloads

cheme-as-code-atlas-preview-c3ab348.xlsx · bw2io ExcelImporter workbook (bw2io 0.9 Excel layout) · the whole database
code ethanol-1:ethanol-by-direct-hydration-of-ethylene-100-000-t-a-anhydrous:product:ETOH
cheme-as-code-atlas-preview-c3ab348-olca-jsonld.zip · openLCA JSON-LD (olca-schema) (2) · the whole database
process 86e53708-4d8c-57c1-9bb9-36be2ecff9ac (processes/86e53708-4d8c-57c1-9bb9-36be2ecff9ac.json)
cheme-as-code-atlas-preview-c3ab348-multifunctional.json · Brightway 2.5 multifunctional database (JSON, for the multifunctional package) (cheme-as-code/lci-multifunctional/v1) · the whole database
code ethanol-1:ethanol-by-direct-hydration-of-ethylene-100-000-t-a-anhydrous:product:ETOH
cheme_as_code_lci-0.1.0-py3-none-any.whl · the installer

A file with this activity alone is not available: each file above is the whole database, and the line under it says how to find this activity there.

import bw2data as bd
from cheme_as_code_lci import install

bd.projects.set_current("my-project")   # holds your licensed background + biosphere3
install("cheme-as-code-atlas-preview-c3ab348.xlsx", background="ecoinvent-3.11-cutoff", location="DE")
activity = bd.get_activity(("cheme-as-code-atlas-preview-c3ab348", "ethanol-1:ethanol-by-direct-hydration-of-ethylene-100-000-t-a-anhydrous:product:ETOH"))

While any exchange of the database has no mapping, install() writes nothing and only lists the unlinked exchanges. So the last line finds no activity until the gaps are mapped: the download section gives the ways to use the database now.

How to cite

Anhydrous ethanol to storage, from Ethanol by direct hydration of ethylene (100 000 t/a anhydrous, phosphoric acid catalyst) (dataset ethanol-by-direct-hydration-of-ethylene-100-000-t-a-anhydrous 0.1.0), ChemE-as-Code Process Atlas LCI database preview-c3ab348, activity ethanol-1:ethanol-by-direct-hydration-of-ethylene-100-000-t-a-anhydrous:product:ETOH. Cite the Process Atlas paper (in preparation, 2026), by Artur M. Schweidtmann and Jana M. Weber, and the ChemE-as-Code Process Atlas LCI database version preview-c3ab348.

DOI: none yet (the Process Atlas paper is in preparation)

For the data, cite the Process Atlas paper; for the platform that builds and checks it, the ChemE-as-Code paper.

Schweidtmann, A. M. & Weber, J. M. (2026, in preparation). Process Atlas: an open, git-native, reproducible library and life cycle inventory of chemical processes (working title).

BibTeX

@unpublished{schweidtmann_process_atlas,
  author = {Schweidtmann, Artur M. and Weber, Jana M.},
  title = {{Process Atlas: an open, git-native, reproducible library and life cycle inventory of chemical processes (working title)}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://atlas.cheme-as-code.org},
  note = {in preparation}
}

Schweidtmann, A. M. (2026, in preparation). ChemE-as-Code: An Open-Source Platform for AI-Accelerated Chemical Process Engineering (working title).

BibTeX

@unpublished{schweidtmann_cheme_as_code,
  author = {Schweidtmann, Artur M.},
  title = {{ChemE-as-Code: An Open-Source Platform for AI-Accelerated Chemical Process Engineering (working title)}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://cheme-as-code.org},
  note = {in preparation}
}