Chemical and petrochemical sector: potential of best practice technology and other measures for improving energy efficiency

With a share of more than 30% of the total industrial energy use worldwide (including feedstocks), the chemical and petrochemical sector is by far the largest energy user in industry. The sector is faced with the challenge of saving energy primarily for economic and environmental reasons. This information paper assesses the energy saving potential and CO2 emission reductions related to the application of Best Practice Technology (BPT) in chemical processes. In addition, the energy saving potentials of combined heat and power (CHP) and recycling and energy recovery are estimated. The analyses were performed for selected countries and for the world as a whole for the year 2006.