Process complexity
Highly integrated production systems create dependencies between heat, steam, electricity, hydrogen and material flows.
CHEMICALS
Untangling energy,feedstocks and carbon.
Chemical production sits at the intersection of energy, raw materials and complex process systems. We help producers identify where electrification, low-carbon hydrogen, alternative feedstocks and carbon management can create credible pathways to lower emissions.
Discuss your transitionStrategy, technology and investment planning for energy-intensive chemical production.
THE CHALLENGE
Carbon enters the processfrom more than one direction.
Chemical-sector emissions cannot be understood through energy consumption alone.
Fossil resources may provide heat, generate hydrogen or become part of the product itself. The same facility can therefore face combustion emissions, process emissions and feedstock-related carbon simultaneously.
Fossil feedstocks
Carbon can enter production as a raw material rather than simply as a source of energy.
Hydrogen demand
Existing chemical processes already consume significant quantities of hydrogen, much of it produced from fossil fuels.
Continuous operations
Large chemical plants are designed around high utilisation and tightly integrated systems where major interventions can affect the wider site.
UNDERSTANDING THE BASELINE
Separate the energyfrom the chemistry.
The emissions profile varies significantly between ammonia, methanol, olefins and other chemical products.
A useful baseline therefore distinguishes how carbon moves through the production system rather than treating the site as a single emissions source.
The relative importance of each source depends heavily on the product, process route, site integration and existing energy system.
Process Heat
Fuels used to generate high- and medium-temperature heat across reactors and process systems.
Hydrogen Production
Emissions associated with conventional fossil-based hydrogen generation.
Process Chemistry
CO₂ and other greenhouse gases generated directly by chemical reactions.
Feedstocks
Fossil carbon entering the production system as raw material.
Electricity & Utilities
Power demand from compression, pumping, separation, cooling and auxiliary systems.
ILLUSTRATIVE MATERIAL FLOW
- 01Energy inputs
- 02Raw materials
- 03Processing
- 04Products
- 05Emissions
DECARBONISATION PATHWAYS
Change the energy.Change the inputs.Change the process.
Chemical decarbonisation can require interventions across the entire production system — from efficiency and electrification to hydrogen, circular feedstocks and carbon management.
01
Efficiency & Integration
Reduce what the process needs.
Improve heat integration, utilities and process performance before introducing more capital-intensive technologies.
TYPICAL MEASURES
- Heat integration
- Waste heat recovery
- Steam-system optimisation
- Advanced process control
- Equipment efficiency
02
Electrification
Move suitable energy demand to electricity.
Replace fossil-fired systems with electrical technologies where temperature, process requirements and grid capacity support the transition.
TYPICAL MEASURES
- Electric boilers
- Heat pumps
- Electric process heating
- Electric cracking
- Electrified utilities
03
Low-Carbon Hydrogen
Decarbonise a critical molecule.
Replace conventional fossil-derived hydrogen and evaluate where low-carbon hydrogen creates value beyond existing demand.
TYPICAL MEASURES
- Electrolytic hydrogen
- Low-carbon hydrogen supply
- Electrolyser integration
- Hydrogen storage
- Hydrogen infrastructure
04
Feedstock Transition
Reduce fossil carbon at the source.
Evaluate alternative raw materials and circular pathways that reduce dependence on virgin fossil feedstocks.
TYPICAL MEASURES
- Recycled feedstocks
- Bio-based feedstocks
- Renewable carbon
- Alternative synthesis routes
- Circular material systems
05
Carbon Management
Address the emissions that remain.
Evaluate carbon capture, utilisation and storage where emissions remain concentrated or difficult to eliminate through process transformation.
TYPICAL MEASURES
- Carbon capture
- CO₂ purification
- Utilisation pathways
- Transport infrastructure
- Geological storage
BUILDING THE SYSTEM
The technologies interact.So must the strategy.
A technology cannot be assessed in isolation when changing one part of a chemical plant can alter energy, material and utility requirements elsewhere.
| Transition Lever | Infrastructure Need | Capital Intensity | Maturity | Primary Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Process efficiency | Low | Low–Moderate | High | Energy |
| Electrification | Grid | Moderate–High | High–Developing | Heat & utilities |
| Low-carbon hydrogen | Power / H₂ | High | Developing | Hydrogen emissions |
| Alternative feedstocks | Supply chain | Moderate–High | Variable | Embedded carbon |
| Carbon capture | CO₂ network | High | Application-dependent | Residual emissions |
Technology choices must be assessed as part of the wider production and infrastructure system.
PATHWAY LOGIC
Optimise
Reduce energy and material requirements.
Electrify
Move suitable heat and utilities toward low-carbon power.
Decarbonise Hydrogen
Replace existing fossil-derived hydrogen.
Transform Feedstocks
Reduce dependence on virgin fossil carbon.
Manage Residual Carbon
Capture emissions that remain technically difficult to eliminate.
HOW WE HELP
See the whole systembefore changing one part.
- 01
MAP
Understand the system.
Map energy, hydrogen, carbon and material flows alongside major assets and production requirements.
- Energy baseline
- Carbon-flow map
- Asset profile
- 02
IDENTIFY
Build the opportunity portfolio.
Identify credible interventions across efficiency, electrification, hydrogen, feedstocks and carbon management.
- Opportunity portfolio
- Technology shortlist
- Indicative abatement
- 03
MODEL
Test the interactions.
Evaluate technical performance, economics and system-level consequences across alternative transition pathways.
- Techno-economic model
- Scenario analysis
- Infrastructure requirements
- 04
SEQUENCE
Build the transition plan.
Prioritise interventions and align deployment with assets, infrastructure, technology readiness and capital cycles.
- Preferred pathway
- Investment sequence
- Decision gates
SYSTEM DEPENDENCIES
A low-carbon plant needsa low-carbon system around it.
Deep decarbonisation can dramatically change what a chemical facility requires from the infrastructure beyond its boundary.
Electrification and electrolytic hydrogen can increase electricity demand. Alternative feedstocks create new supply chains. Carbon capture requires access to transport and permanent storage.
TODAY
Existing inputs
- Natural gas → Process heat
- Natural gas → Hydrogen production
- Fossil feedstock → Chemical production
- Grid → Electricity
TRANSITION
System interventions
- Efficiency
- Electrification
- Low-carbon hydrogen
- Alternative feedstocks
- Carbon capture
FUTURE
Low-carbon system
- Low-carbon electricity → Heat + utilities
- Low-carbon electricity → Hydrogen
- Circular / renewable carbon → Feedstocks
- Residual CO₂ → Transport + storage
The transition pathway must therefore consider not only what happens inside the plant, but whether the surrounding energy and material system can support it.
DELIVERABLES
Clarity acrossa complex system.
Energy & Carbon Baseline
A structured view of energy, emissions, hydrogen and material flows across the production system.
Decarbonisation Opportunity Portfolio
A prioritised set of opportunities spanning efficiency, electrification, hydrogen, feedstocks and carbon management.
Technology Assessment
Technical and economic evaluation of alternative process and energy technologies.
Hydrogen & Electrification Strategy
Assessment of future electricity and hydrogen requirements, economics and infrastructure implications.
Infrastructure & Dependency Map
A clear view of the grid, hydrogen, feedstock and CO₂ systems required to enable the pathway.
Investment Roadmap
A phased programme connecting technology choices, infrastructure, asset cycles and major capital decisions.
CHEMICALS IN PRACTICE
Rebuilding the energy systemaround a European chemical site.
Terravia developed an integrated transition pathway for an energy-intensive chemical facility, evaluating process electrification, low-carbon hydrogen and efficiency investments alongside the infrastructure required to support them.
The work identified where immediate investment was justified and where future decisions should remain conditional on energy economics and infrastructure availability.
- Reduction available from priority measures
- 34%
- Major technology pathways
- 3
- Potential increase in electricity demand
- 2.4×
- Major transition horizon
- 2035
WORK DELIVERED
- Site energy and emissions baseline
- Process-heat assessment
- Electrification screening
- Hydrogen demand scenarios
- Techno-economic modelling
- Infrastructure requirements
- Phased investment roadmap
HOW WE SUPPORT THE SECTOR
Connect the processto the investment case.
Decarbonisation Strategy
Determine how energy, hydrogen, feedstock and carbon interventions combine into a coherent transition pathway.
Explore Decarbonisation StrategyTechnology & Economics
Test electrification, hydrogen and alternative process technologies against technical requirements and future economics.
Explore Technology & EconomicsInvestment Roadmaps
Sequence process, infrastructure and capital investments across a complex long-term transition.
Explore Investment RoadmapsOTHER INDUSTRIES
Explore our work acrosshard-to-abate sectors.
Cement & Lime
Process emissions, high-temperature kilns and the role of materials, alternative fuels and carbon capture.
Explore Cement & LimeGlass & Ceramics
High-temperature production and the transition toward electric, hybrid and alternative-fuel systems.
Explore Glass & CeramicsMetals
Major production-route, energy-system and asset transformations across capital-intensive operations.
Explore MetalsSTART A CONVERSATION
Turn a complex system into a credible transition.
Whether you are evaluating electrification, planning future hydrogen demand or reconsidering the carbon entering your production system, Terravia can help identify the pathway, dependencies and investments that matter.
Talk to our team