Why does an ethylene oxide plant emit CO2, and how is it counted?
Ethylene is oxidised with oxygen over a silver catalyst, and a share of it burns to CO2 inside the reactor. That CO2 is stripped from the recycle gas. Vented, it is Scope 1 process CO2. Sold to a CO2 buyer, report it separately and state where it goes.
Process CO2
The side reaction that burns ethylene is the main direct source. IPCC 2006 Volume 3 covers ethylene oxide under petrochemicals.
CO2 sold on
Some plants sell the stripped CO2 for drinks or dry ice. It is usually released again soon after, so do not present it as removed. Show it as a transferred quantity next to your Scope 1.
MEG
Ethylene oxide is reacted with water to make MEG, then glycol is separated by evaporation. Steam for that step is the main fuel use.
What Senseible does here
Senseible reads bills, fuel invoices and production records into dated, fingerprinted records, so the figure you send a buyer can be traced to its documents.
Sources: IPCC 2006 Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, GHG Protocol Corporate Standard
Last reviewed 2026-10-22.