Transforming the Process Industries through Electrification: Challenges and Opportunities

Michael Baldea; Elizabeth Endler; Elaine Hale; Christos Maravelias; Massimiliano Barolo; Iiro Harjunkoski; Mehmet Mercangoz; Sirish Shah; Masoud Soroush; Brent Young; Qi Zhang

doi:10.1021/acs.iecr.5c01256

Transforming the Process Industries through Electrification: Challenges and Opportunities

Michael Baldea, Elizabeth Endler, Elaine Hale, Christos Maravelias, Massimiliano Barolo, Iiro Harjunkoski, Mehmet Mercangoz, Sirish Shah, Masoud Soroush, Brent Young, Qi Zhang

Grid Planning and Analysis Center

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

1 Scopus Citations

Abstract

For the more than 70 years, the process industries have provided essential fuels and materials for global growth. Increased manufacturing production comes with substantial environmental impact. Reducing environmental impact through process electrification, carbon capture, and other emerging technologies would require large changes throughout the process industries. We review opportunities and challenges related to electrification, focusing on technical, operational, and economic considerations. We conclude that electrification could completely eliminate scope 1 CO2 emissions, increase product quality, and reduce the equipment size and cost. On the other hand, it calls for a significant expansion of power generation capacity, as well as new paradigms for process design and operations.

Original language	American English
Pages (from-to)	16466-16478
Number of pages	13
Journal	Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research
Volume	64
Issue number	34
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.iecr.5c01256
State	Published - 2025

NREL Publication Number

NREL/JA-6A40-92787

Keywords

emissions reduction
grid integration
process design
process electrification
process operations

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10.1021/acs.iecr.5c01256

Cite this

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abstract = "For the more than 70 years, the process industries have provided essential fuels and materials for global growth. Increased manufacturing production comes with substantial environmental impact. Reducing environmental impact through process electrification, carbon capture, and other emerging technologies would require large changes throughout the process industries. We review opportunities and challenges related to electrification, focusing on technical, operational, and economic considerations. We conclude that electrification could completely eliminate scope 1 CO2 emissions, increase product quality, and reduce the equipment size and cost. On the other hand, it calls for a significant expansion of power generation capacity, as well as new paradigms for process design and operations.",

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T1 - Transforming the Process Industries through Electrification: Challenges and Opportunities

AU - Baldea, Michael

AU - Endler, Elizabeth

AU - Hale, Elaine

AU - Maravelias, Christos

AU - Barolo, Massimiliano

AU - Harjunkoski, Iiro

AU - Mercangoz, Mehmet

AU - Shah, Sirish

AU - Soroush, Masoud

AU - Young, Brent

AU - Zhang, Qi

PY - 2025

Y1 - 2025

N2 - For the more than 70 years, the process industries have provided essential fuels and materials for global growth. Increased manufacturing production comes with substantial environmental impact. Reducing environmental impact through process electrification, carbon capture, and other emerging technologies would require large changes throughout the process industries. We review opportunities and challenges related to electrification, focusing on technical, operational, and economic considerations. We conclude that electrification could completely eliminate scope 1 CO2 emissions, increase product quality, and reduce the equipment size and cost. On the other hand, it calls for a significant expansion of power generation capacity, as well as new paradigms for process design and operations.

AB - For the more than 70 years, the process industries have provided essential fuels and materials for global growth. Increased manufacturing production comes with substantial environmental impact. Reducing environmental impact through process electrification, carbon capture, and other emerging technologies would require large changes throughout the process industries. We review opportunities and challenges related to electrification, focusing on technical, operational, and economic considerations. We conclude that electrification could completely eliminate scope 1 CO2 emissions, increase product quality, and reduce the equipment size and cost. On the other hand, it calls for a significant expansion of power generation capacity, as well as new paradigms for process design and operations.

KW - emissions reduction

KW - grid integration

KW - process design

KW - process electrification

KW - process operations

U2 - 10.1021/acs.iecr.5c01256

DO - 10.1021/acs.iecr.5c01256

M3 - Article

SN - 0888-5885

VL - 64

SP - 16466

EP - 16478

JO - Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research

JF - Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research

IS - 34

ER -

Transforming the Process Industries through Electrification: Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract

NREL Publication Number

Keywords

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