Environmental attributes of the polymer composition and / or reactive components forming said polymer

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a system for producing compositions comprising at least one polymer and / or compositions comprising at least one compound having at least one functional group, with each composition having an associated composition passport or digital asset. The present disclosure further relates to a method for producing compositions comprising at least one polymer and / or compositions comprising at least one compound having at least one functional group, with each composition having an associated composition passport or digital asset. The present disclosure further relates to an apparatus for generating a passport or digital asset associated with a composition comprising at least one polymer and / or associated with a composition comprising at least one compound having at least one functional group, a computer-implemented method for generating a composition passport or digital asset associated with a composition comprising at least one polymer and / or associated with a composition comprising at least one compound having at least one functional group, a computer program element for generating a composition passport or digital asset, a use of a composition comprising at least one polymer and / or compositions comprising at least one compound having at least one functional group, with each composition having an associated composition passport or digital asset, and a product produced from a composition comprising at least one polymer and / or compositions comprising at least one compound having at least one functional group, with each composition having an associated polymer passport or digital asset. The present disclosure further relates to a composition passport or digital asset that includes data associated with one or more decentralized identifier(s) and environmental impact data, an apparatus for manufacturing a product associated with the composition passport or digital asset, and a method for manufacturing a product associated with the composition passport or digital asset.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] Technical Field The present disclosure relates to systems for producing compositions comprising at least one polymer and / or compositions comprising at least one compound having at least one functional group, each composition having an associated composition passport or digital asset. The present disclosure also relates to methods for producing compositions comprising at least one polymer and / or compositions comprising at least one compound having at least one functional group, each composition having an associated composition passport or digital asset. The present disclosure also relates to devices for generating passports or digital assets associated with compositions comprising at least one polymer and / or compositions comprising at least one compound having at least one functional group, computer-implemented methods for generating composition passports or digital assets associated with compositions comprising at least one polymer and / or compositions comprising at least one compound having at least one functional group, computer program elements for generating composition passports or digital assets, uses of compositions comprising at least one polymer and / or compositions comprising at least one compound having at least one functional group, each composition having an associated composition passport or digital asset, and products produced from compositions comprising at least one polymer and / or compositions comprising at least one compound having at least one functional group, each composition having an associated polymer passport or digital asset. The present disclosure further relates to a composition passport or digital asset that includes data related to one or more decentralized identifier(s) and environmental impact data, an apparatus for manufacturing a product associated with the composition passport or digital asset, and a method for manufacturing a product associated with the composition passport or digital asset. [Background technology]

[0002] Technology background In the supply chain, the environmental impact of each supply chain participant is a major concern. Particularly in the chemical industry, compositions comprising at least one polymer and / or at least one compound with at least one functional group, such as reactive components used in the preparation of polymers, are used in a wide range of applications and are supplied to diverse value chains. In such a complex system, transparency between value chain participants is difficult to achieve. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0003] Summary of the Invention In one aspect, a system is disclosed for producing compositions comprising at least one polymer and / or for producing compositions comprising at least one compound having at least one functional group, with each composition having an associated composition passport or digital asset, the system comprising: a chemical manufacturing network configured to produce compositions comprising at least one polymer and / or to produce compositions comprising at least one compound having at least one functional group, each composition being produced from one or more raw material input(s) via one or more chemical process(es) in the chemical manufacturing network, and wherein environmental attribute(s) are associated with the one or more raw material input(s) and / or the one or more chemical process(es); - Composition passport or digital asset, providing a distributed identifier associated with each composition produced and one or more environmental attribute(s) of one or more input raw material(s) and / or one or more chemical process(es); a manufacturing operations device configured to generate by linking a distributed identifier with an environmental attribute(s); Optionally, a chemical manufacturing network or system configured to provide each manufactured composition in association with a composition passport or digital asset.

[0004] In another aspect, a system is disclosed for producing compositions comprising at least one polymer and / or for producing compositions comprising at least one compound having at least one functional group, with each composition having an associated composition passport or digital asset, the system comprising: a chemical manufacturing network configured to produce compositions comprising at least one polymer and / or to produce compositions comprising at least one compound having at least one functional group, each composition being produced from one or more raw material input(s) via one or more chemical process(es) in the chemical manufacturing network, and wherein environmental attribute(s) are associated with the one or more raw material input(s) and / or the one or more chemical process(es); and a manufacturing operations device configured to generate a composition passport or digital asset by providing and / or linking one or more environmental attribute(s) associated with one or more input raw material(s) and / or chemical process(es) to a decentralized identifier associated with each manufactured composition(s).

[0005] In another aspect, a method is disclosed for producing compositions comprising at least one polymer and / or at least one compound having at least one functional group, with each composition having an associated composition passport or digital asset, the method comprising: - manufacturing a composition comprising at least one polymer and / or a composition comprising at least one compound having at least one functional group, each composition being produced from one or more raw material inputs via one or more chemical process(es) of a chemical manufacturing network, with environmental attribute(s) associated with the one or more raw material inputs and / or the one or more chemical process(es); - Composition passport or digital asset, providing a distributed identifier associated with each composition(s) produced and one or more environmental attribute(s) associated with one or more input raw material(s) and / or one or more chemical process(es); generating a distributed identifier by linking it with one or more environmental attributes; - Providing each produced composition in association with a composition passport or digital asset.

[0006] In another aspect, a method is disclosed for producing compositions comprising at least one polymer and / or at least one compound having at least one functional group, with each composition having an associated composition passport or digital asset, the method comprising: - a step of producing a composition comprising at least one polymer and / or a composition comprising at least one compound having at least one functional group, each composition being produced from one or more raw material inputs via one or more chemical process(es) of a chemical production network, wherein one or more raw material inputs and / or one or more chemical process(es) have environmental attribute(s) associated with them; - generating a composition passport or digital asset by providing and / or linking a decentralized identifier associated with each generated composition and one or more environmental attribute(s) of one or more input raw material(s) and / or chemical process(es).

[0007] In another aspect, an apparatus is disclosed for generating passports or digital assets associated with compositions comprising at least one polymer and / or compositions comprising at least one compound having at least one functional group, each composition being produced from one or more raw material input(s) via one or more chemical process(es) in a chemical manufacturing network, and having environmental attribute(s) associated with the one or more raw material input(s) and / or the one or more chemical process(es), the apparatus comprising: a decentralized identity provider configured to provide a decentralized identifier associated with each composition produced and associated with one or more environmental attribute(s) of one or more input raw material(s) and / or one or more chemical process(es) used to produce each composition; an assigner configured to bind a decentralized identifier to an environmental attribute(s); and a passport provider configured to provide a composition passport or digital asset associated with each generated composition to the decentralized network, wherein environmental attribute(s) associated with each generated composition are made accessible to consumers of each composition via the composition passport or digital asset.

[0008] In another aspect, a method, e.g., a computer-implemented method, is disclosed for generating composition passports or digital assets associated with compositions comprising at least one polymer and / or associated with compositions comprising at least one compound having at least one functional group, each composition being produced from one or more raw material input(s) via one or more chemical process(es) in a chemical manufacturing network, and wherein environmental attribute(s) are associated with the one or more raw material input(s) and / or the one or more chemical process(es), the method comprising: - providing a distributed identifier associated with one or more environmental attribute(s) of each composition produced and one or more input raw material(s) and / or one or more chemical process(es) used to produce each composition produced; - associating a decentralized identifier with an environmental attribute(s); and - providing a composition passport or digital asset to the decentralized network in association with each produced composition, such that the environmental attribute(s) associated with each produced composition are accessible to consumers of each produced composition via the composition passport or digital asset.

[0009] In another aspect, disclosed is a computer element, such as a computer-readable storage medium, computer program, or computer program product, comprising instructions that, when executed by a computing node or computing system, direct the computing node or computing system to perform the steps of a computer-implemented method disclosed herein.

[0010] In another aspect, disclosed is a computer element such as a computer readable storage medium, computer program, or computer program product that includes instructions that, when executed by an apparatus disclosed herein, direct the apparatus to perform the steps that the apparatus disclosed herein is configured to perform.

[0011] In another aspect, disclosed are compositions comprising at least one polymer and / or at least one compound having at least one functional group, with each composition having associated thereto a composition passport or digital asset produced according to the methods disclosed herein. In another aspect, disclosed are compositions comprising at least one polymer and / or at least one compound having at least one functional group, with each composition having associated thereto a composition passport or digital asset produced according to the systems disclosed herein.

[0012] In another aspect, disclosed are compositions comprising at least one polymer and / or at least one compound having at least one functional group, with each composition having an associated composition passport or digital asset, wherein the compositions comprising at least one polymer and / or the compositions comprising at least one compound having at least one functional group are produced from one or more raw material input(s) via one or more chemical process(es) in a chemical manufacturing network, wherein the one or more raw material input(s) and / or the one or more chemical process(es) have associated environmental attribute(s), and wherein the composition passport or digital asset includes a distributed identifier associated with each produced composition and a link to the environmental attribute(s) associated with the one or more raw material input(s) and / or one or more chemical process(es) used to produce each composition.

[0013] In another aspect, a composition passport or digital asset generated according to the methods disclosed herein is disclosed. In another aspect, a composition passport or digital asset generated according to the apparatus disclosed herein is disclosed.

[0014] In another aspect, a manufacturing system is disclosed for producing products from compositions comprising at least one polymer and / or compositions comprising at least one compound having at least one functional group, each composition having an associated composition passport or digital asset provided according to the systems, devices, or methods disclosed herein. In another aspect, a manufacturing method is disclosed for producing products from compositions comprising at least one polymer and / or compositions comprising at least one compound having at least one functional group, each composition having an associated composition passport or digital asset provided according to the systems, devices, or methods disclosed herein.

[0015] In another aspect, disclosed is the use of a composition comprising at least one polymer and / or a composition comprising at least one compound having at least one functional group, each composition having an associated composition passport or digital asset disclosed herein to manufacture a product from the composition associated with the composition passport or digital asset.

[0016] In another aspect, disclosed is the use of a composition passport or digital asset disclosed herein to generate a product passport or digital asset associated with a product made from a composition comprising at least one polymer and / or a composition comprising at least one compound having at least one functional group, wherein each composition has an associated composition passport or digital asset. In another aspect, disclosed is a method of using a digital asset generated according to the method disclosed herein in the manufacture of a product made from a composition comprising at least one polymer and / or a composition comprising at least one compound having at least one functional group, wherein each composition has an associated composition passport or digital asset.

[0017] In another aspect, disclosed are compositions comprising at least one polymer and / or at least one compound having at least one functional group, with a digital asset associated with each composition comprising a decentralized identifier linked to one or more input raw material(s) and / or one or more environmental attribute(s) of one or more chemical process(es) used to produce each composition.

[0018] In another embodiment, the use of compositions comprising at least one polymer and / or at least one compound having at least one functional group, each composition having an associated composition passport or digital asset for producing a product from each composition and associating the composition passport or digital asset associated with each composition with the product produced from each composition, is disclosed. In another embodiment, the use of compositions comprising at least one polymer and / or at least one compound having at least one functional group, each composition having an associated composition passport or digital asset for producing a product from each composition and deriving a product passport or digital asset from each composition passport or digital asset, is disclosed. In another embodiment, a method is disclosed of using compositions comprising at least one polymer and / or compositions comprising at least one compound having at least one functional group, each composition having an associated digital asset for producing a product from each composition as disclosed herein and deriving a digital asset associated with the product from each composition passport or digital asset.

[0019] Any disclosures and embodiments described herein relate to methods, systems, chemical products, compositions comprising at least one polymer, compositions comprising at least one compound having at least one functional group, composition passports or digital assets, and tiered computer elements, and vice versa. As an advantageous feature, benefits obtained in any embodiment and example are applicable to all other embodiments and examples as well.

[0020] Embodiment In the following description, the embodiments of the present disclosure will be outlined using embodiments and / or examples. It should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments and / or examples. All terms and definitions used in this specification are to be interpreted broadly and have general meanings.

[0021] The methods, systems, compositions comprising at least one polymer, compositions comprising at least one compound having at least one functional group, composition passports or digital assets, and computer components disclosed herein provide an efficient, secure, and robust way to share or exchange environmental impact data between different participant nodes in a value chain. In particular, by providing composition-specific data via a composition passport or digital asset, the environmental impact associated with each composition can be shared, providing transparency from each composition to the products manufactured with that composition. Because data access can be controlled by the entity providing each composition(s), the composition passport or digital asset enables secure data exchange. The data assets exchanged are specific to the composition(s) manufactured to meet the needs of the composition consumer. In this way, securely providing environmental impact data across diverse and highly complex value chains can improve tracking and traceability of manufactured compositions. The ability to track the environmental impact of compositions comprising at least one polymer and / or, therefore, at least one compound having at least one functional group, allows value chain participants to handle the compositions more easily, efficiently, and sustainably.

[0022] In one embodiment, a polymer may be a compound comprising at least two monomer units. A monomer unit may be considered a subunit of a polymer. A polymer may be made from monomers by commonly known polymerization reactions. A polymer may be made from a single type of monomer or from different monomers. The monomer units may be randomly distributed or present as blocks within the polymer. A polymer may be a linear polymer. A polymer may be a branched polymer. A polymer may be a crosslinked polymer.

[0023] In one embodiment, the composition comprising at least one polymer (hereinafter referred to as polymer composition) and associated with the composition passport or digital asset may be selected from compositions comprising at least one polymer selected from thermosets, thermoplastics, elastomers, thermoplastic elastomers, as well as copolymers and blends thereof.

[0024] Suitable polymer compositions include polyamide (PA), polyurethane (PU), low density polyethylene (LDPE), high density polyethylene (HDPE), polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyvinyl acetate (PVA), polystyrene (PS), polyacrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polystyrene acrylonitrile (SAN), polyacrylate styrene acrylonitrile (ASA), polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon®), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), polymethyl methacrylate (PMA), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), polybutadiene (BR, PBD), poly(cis-1,4-isoprene), poly(trans-1,4-isoprene), poly(methyl methacrylate ... The polymer may be selected from compositions comprising at least one polymer selected from the group consisting of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyoxymethylene (POM), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polybutylene adipate co-terephthalate (PBAT), polyester (PES), polyethersulfone (PESU), polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (P3HB), poly-4-hydroxybutyrate (P4HB), polyhydroxyvalerate (PHV), polyhydroxyhexanoate (PHH), polyhydroxyoctanoate (PHO), polylactic acid (PLA), polysulfone (PSU), polyphenylene sulfone (PPSU), and copolymers and mixtures thereof.

[0025] Particularly preferred polymer compositions are PA4, PA5, PA6, PA7, PA8, PA9, PA10, PA11, PA12, PA46, PA66, PA666, PA69, PA610, PA612, PA96, PA99, PA910, PA912, PA1212, PA6.T, PA9.T, PA8.T, PA10.T, PA12.T, PA6.1, PA8.1, PA9.I, PA10.1, PA12.1, PA6.T / 6, PA6.T / 10, PA6.T / 12, PA6.T / 6.I, PA6.T / 8.T, PA6.T / 9.T, PA6.T / 10T, PA6.T / 12.T, PA12.T / 6.T, PA6.T / 6.I / 6, PA6.T / 6.I / 12, PA6.T / 6.1 / 6.10, PA6.T / 6.1 / 6.12, PA6.T / 6.6, PA6.T / 6.10, PA6.T / 6.12, PA10.T / 6, PA10.T / 11, PA10.T / 12, PA8.T / 6.T, PA8.T / 66, PA8.T / 8.I, PA8.T / 8.6, PA8.T / 6.I, PA10.T / 6.T, PA10.T / 6.6, PA10.T / 10.I, PA10T / 10.I / 6.T, PA10.T / 6.I, PA4.T / 4.I / 46, PA4.T / 4.I / 6.6, PA5.T / 5.I, PA5.T / 5.I / 5.6, PA5.T / 5.I / 6.6, PA6.T / 6.I / 6.6, PAMXDA.6, PA.IPDA.I, PAIPDA.T, PAMACM.I, PAMACM.T, PAPACM.I, PAPACM.T, PAMXDA.I, PAMXDA.T, PA6.T / IPDA.T, PA6.T / MACM.T, PA6.T / PACM.T, PA6.T / MXDA.T, PA6.T / 6.1 / 8.T / 8.1, PA6.T / 6.I / 10.T / 10.I, PA6.T / 6.I / IPDA.T / IPDA.I, PA6.T / 6.I / MXDA.T / MXDA.I, PA6.T / 6.I / MACM.T / MACM.I, PA6.T / 6.I / PACM.T / PACM.I, PA6.T / 10.T / IPDA.T, PA6.T / 12.T / IPDA.T, PA6.T / 10.T / PACM.T, PA6.T / 12.T / PACM.T, PA10.T / IPDA.T, PA12.T / IPDA.The composition may be selected from compositions comprising at least one polymer selected from T and copolymers and mixtures thereof, preferably PA6 and PA66, and copolymers and mixtures thereof.

[0026] A suitable polymer composition may be a composition comprising at least one polyurethane obtained by reacting composition A with composition B.

[0027] Composition A may comprise a compound containing at least two, preferably two or three, isocyanate groups. Preferably, Composition A comprises a compound selected from aliphatic, cycloaliphatic and aromatic compounds containing at least two, preferably two or three, isocyanate groups, and more preferably, the compound may be selected from 2,2'-, 2,4'- and 4,4'-methylene diisocyanate (MDI) and its homologues, isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI), 2,4- and 2,6-toluene diisocyanate (TDI), tetramethylene diisocyanate, hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI), naphthylene diisocyanate (NDI), and oligomers and mixtures thereof.

[0028] Composition B may comprise a compound containing at least two alcohol groups. Preferably, compound B may be selected from aliphatic, cycloaliphatic, and aromatic compounds containing at least two alcohol groups. Particularly preferably, composition B may comprise a compound selected from polyols, polyether polyols, polyester polyols, and mixtures thereof. Very preferably, composition B may comprise a compound having a molecular weight of 400 g / mol to 15,000 g / mol, which may be selected from polyols, polyether polyols, polyester polyols, and mixtures thereof.

[0029] Component B may comprise a compound containing at least two functional groups reactive with isocyanate groups, preferably at least two functional groups selected from alcohols, amines, and mixtures thereof.

[0030] Composition B may comprise ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, propylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, tripropylene glycol, 1,3-propanediol, 1,3-butanediol, 1,4-butanediol, neopentyl glycol, 1,6-hexanediol, 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol, hydroquinone bis(2-hydroxyethyl)ether, ethanolamine, diethanolamine, methyldiethanolamine, phenyldiethanolamine, glycerol, trimethylolpropane, 1,2,6-hexanetriol, triethanolamine, pentaerythritol, N,N,N',N'-tetrakis(2-hydroxypropyl)ethylenediamine, diethyltoluenediamine, dimethylthiotoluenediamine, and mixtures thereof, optionally copolymerized with an epoxide compound, preferably ethylene oxide and / or propylene oxide.

[0031] In one embodiment, the composition comprising at least one compound having at least one functional group (hereinafter referred to as functional compound composition) and associated with the composition passport or digital asset may be selected from compositions comprising at least one compound having at least one functional group selected from alcohols, aldehydes, carboxylic acids, thiocyanates, isocyanates, nitriles, thiols, halides, preferably F, Cl, Br, I, amines, ketones, ethers, esters, amides, urethanes, and mixtures thereof.

[0032] The functional compound composition may include at least one compound containing at least two alcohol groups, such as an aliphatic compound, a cycloaliphatic compound, or an aromatic compound containing at least two alcohol groups. Preferably, the compound is selected from polyols, polyether polyols, polyester polyols, and mixtures thereof. Particularly preferably, the compound has a molecular weight of 400 g / mol to 15,000 g / mol and is selected from polyols, polyether polyols, polyester polyols, and mixtures thereof.

[0033] The functional compound composition may include at least one compound containing at least two functional groups reactive with isocyanate groups, such as at least two functional groups selected from amines, and mixtures thereof.

[0034] The functional compound composition may comprise at least one compound containing at least two, preferably two or three, isocyanate groups, such as aliphatic, cycloaliphatic, and aromatic compounds containing at least two, preferably two or three, isocyanate groups. Preferably, the compound may be selected from 2,2'-, 2,4'-, and 4,4'-methylenediphenyldiisocyanate (MDI) and their homologues, isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI), 2,4- and 2,6-toluene diisocyanate (TDI), tetramethylene diisocyanate, hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI), naphthylene diisocyanate (NDI), and oligomers and mixtures thereof.

[0035] The functional compound composition may comprise at least one compound selected from lactams, preferably β-lactam, γ-lactam, δ-lactam, and ε-lactam, and mixtures thereof, and more preferably β-propiolactam, γ-butyrolactam, δ-valerolactam, ε-caprolactam, and mixtures thereof.

[0036] In one embodiment, the composition comprising at least one polymer may further comprise at least one additive.

[0037] In one embodiment, the composition comprising at least one compound having at least one functional group may further comprise at least one additive.

[0038] The at least one additive may be selected from glass fibers, flame retardants, catalysts, blowing agents, colorants, and mixtures thereof.

[0039] A chemical manufacturing network may include one or more chemical and / or mechanical process(es). A chemical manufacturing network may produce one or more output material(s) through chemical and / or mechanical processing. A chemical manufacturing network may include multiple types of manufacturing processes that produce one or more output material(s) from one or more input raw material(s). A chemical manufacturing network may produce one or more output material(s) from input raw material(s) provided to the chemical manufacturing network. A chemical manufacturing network may include a complex manufacturing network that produces multiple chemical products through multiple manufacturing process(es). A chemical manufacturing network may include coupled, interconnected, and / or uncoupled manufacturing process(es). A chemical manufacturing network may include a complex network or a Verbund network.

[0040] A chemical manufacturing network may include identity-preserving or partitioned manufacturing process(es). Identity-preserving or partitioned in this context may refer to the environmental attribute(s) of the input material(s) being preserved or partitioned in the manufacturing process(es). Examples include non-fossil, e.g., renewable or recycled, input materials used to produce one or more composition(s) that do not contain fossil components. A further example includes fossil input material(s) used to produce one or more composition(s) that have fossil components. A chemical manufacturing network may include non-identity-preserving or non-segregated manufacturing process(es). Non-identity-preserving or non-partitioned in this context may refer to the blending of non-fossil input material(s) with fossil input material(s) to produce composition(s). For example, fossil and renewable materials may be blended to produce composition(s) that include fossil and renewable materials.

[0041] A chemical manufacturing network may include one or more manufacturing process(es) with multiple manufacturing steps. The manufacturing steps included in the chemical manufacturing network may be defined by the physical system boundary of the chemical manufacturing network. The system boundary may be defined by the location and / or control of the manufacturing process or step. The system boundary may be defined by the location of the chemical manufacturing network. The system boundary may be defined by the manufacturing process(es) or step(s) controlled by one entity or multiple entities jointly. The system boundary may be defined by a value chain with staggered manufacturing process(es) or step(s) leading to a chemical end product, controlled jointly or separately by multiple entities. A chemical manufacturing network may include waste recovery, sorting processes, recycling processes such as pyrolysis, cracking processes such as steam cracking, separation processes that separate intermediates from one process step, and further process steps that convert such intermediates into output material(s), particularly composition(s) that exit the system boundary of the chemical manufacturing network. Input raw material(s) may enter the physical system boundary of the chemical manufacturing network. An input(s) of a chemical manufacturing network may be marked by the introduction of input raw material(s) into a system boundary of the chemical manufacturing network or chemical substance network. An output material(s), particularly a manufactured composition(s), may be discharged from a physical system boundary of the chemical manufacturing network. An output(s) of a chemical manufacturing network may be marked by the discharge of output material(s), particularly a manufactured composition(s), from the chemical manufacturing network or system boundary of the chemical manufacturing network.

[0042] A chemical manufacturing network may include one or more manufacturing chain(s) for producing composition(s), such as composition(s) comprising at least one polymer and / or composition(s) comprising at least one compound having at least one functional group. The manufacturing chain(s) for producing the composition(s) may be connected to one another. The manufacturing chain(s) for producing the composition(s) may be connected to one another with manufacturing chain(s) for producing other output(s). The manufacturing chain(s) for producing the composition(s) may include manufacturing chain(s) for producing intermediates used in producing the composition(s). The manufacturing chain(s) for producing the composition(s) may use input raw material(s) provided by chemical network(s) to produce intermediates that can be used in producing the composition(s).

[0043] One or more input raw material(s) may be supplied to a chemical manufacturing network to produce one or more output material(s), particularly composition(s) comprising at least one polymer and / or composition(s) comprising at least one compound having at least one functional group. The output material(s), particularly said composition(s), may be produced from one or more input raw material(s) via one or more chemical process(es) of the chemical manufacturing network. The input raw material(s) may include any input raw material entering the chemical manufacturing network through any input port. The input raw material(s) may include natural, organic, or inorganic input raw material(s). The input raw material(s) may be a precursor product, intermediate, feedstock, or raw material used in the production of one or more output material(s), particularly said composition(s). The input raw material(s) may be supplied to a chemical manufacturing network to produce one or more output material(s), particularly one or more of said composition(s). An input material may be supplied to a chemical manufacturing network that includes one or more manufacturing process(es) having multiple process steps. The input material may be supplied to the chemical manufacturing network at the beginning of the manufacturing process or at any intermediate step in the manufacturing process. The input material supplied to the chemical manufacturing network may be used in the production of one or more output material(s), in particular one or more of the composition(s) described above.

[0044] An input material identifier may be associated with the input material. The input material identifier may include any identifier uniquely associated with the input material. The input material identifier may be associated with a physical instance of the input material. The input material identifier may be associated with a single batch of the input material. The input material identifier may be associated with a group of the input material. The input material identifier may be associated with multiple physical instances of the input material. The input material identifier may be associated with a continuous or semi-continuous stream of the input material. The input material identifier may be associated with a stream of the input material over a particular time period or from a particular supplier, for example. The input material identifier may be linked or associated with one or more environmental attribute(s).

[0045] An environmental attribute may refer to a property related to environmental impact. Such a property may be a property of the input raw material(s), chemical process(es), chemical production network(s), composition(s) comprising at least one polymer, and / or composition(s) comprising at least one compound with a functional reactive group. The environmental attribute may be indicative of the environmental performance of the input raw material(s), chemical process(es), chemical production network(s), composition(s) comprising at least one polymer, and / or composition(s) comprising at least one compound with a functional reactive group. The environmental attribute may be derived from the property of the input raw material(s), chemical process(es), chemical production network(s), composition(s) comprising at least one polymer, and / or composition(s) comprising at least one compound with a functional reactive group. The environmental attributes may be associated with the environmental impact of the composition(s) comprising at least one polymer and / or the composition(s) comprising at least one compound having a functional reactive group at any stage in the life cycle of the raw material input(s), chemical process(es), chemical manufacturing network(s), raw material input(s), and composition(s). These stages may include raw material supply, feedstock supply, production of a chemical product such as an intermediate or final product, production of an individual product using the chemical product, use of the chemical product or the individual product, end-of-life product treatment, end-of-life product recycling, end-of-life product disposal, reuse of components from the end-of-life product, or any subset of stages. The environmental attributes may be specified or derived from any activity of one or more entities participating at any stage in the life cycle of one or more raw material(s) or product(s).

[0046] The environmental attributes may include one or more feature(s) linkable to the environmental burden of the input raw material(s), chemical process(es), chemical manufacturing network(s), composition(s) comprising at least one polymer and / or composition(s) comprising at least one compound with a functional reactive group. The environmental attributes may include environmental, technological, recyclability or circularity feature(s) associated with the environmental burden of the input raw material(s), chemical process(es), chemical manufacturing network(s), composition(s) comprising at least one polymer and / or composition(s) comprising at least one compound with a functional reactive group.

[0047] The environmental attributes may include one or more feature(s) linkable to the environmental burden of the input raw material(s), chemical process(es), chemical manufacturing network(s), composition(s) comprising at least one polymer and / or composition(s) comprising at least one compound with a functional reactive group. The environmental attributes may include environmental, technological, recyclability, or circularity feature(s) associated with the environmental burden of the input raw material(s), chemical process(es), chemical manufacturing network(s), composition(s) comprising at least one polymer and / or composition(s) comprising at least one compound with a functional reactive group. The one or more environmental attribute(s) may be linkable to the environmental burden of the composition(s) comprising at least one polymer and / or composition(s) comprising at least one compound with a functional reactive group. The one or more environmental attribute(s) may relate to the environmental, technological, recyclability, circularity and / or complementary risk characteristic(s) of the composition(s) comprising at least one polymer and / or the composition(s) comprising at least one compound having a functional reactive group.

[0048] The environmental characteristic(s) may specify or quantify ecological criteria associated with the environmental burden. The environmental characteristic(s) may be measurements taken during the life cycle or may be derived from measurements. The environmental characteristic(s) may be determined at any stage in the life cycle to characterize the environmental burden at or up to that stage. The environmental characteristic(s) may include, for example, carbon footprint, greenhouse gas emissions, resource use, air emissions, ozone depletion potential, water pollution, noise pollution, energy consumption, waste reduction, or eutrophication potential. The environmental characteristic(s) may include, for example, product characteristics associated with the manufacture of the product, such as bio-based, plant-based, animal-based, halogen-free, fluoride-free, vegan, halal, kosher, palm oil-free, natural, no toxic substances added, no VOCs added, or any combination thereof.

[0049] The technical characteristic(s) may specify or quantify performance that is at least indirectly associated with environmental impact. The technical characteristic(s) may be or be derived from measurements taken during the life cycle. The technical characteristic(s) may be determined at any stage of the life cycle to characterize performance at or up to that stage. The technical characteristic(s) may include, for example, chemical composition data, raw material composition such as bio-based or recycled input material content specifying x% non-fossil and y% fossil content, bill of materials, product specification data such as product purity, product format (as an indicator of its impact on dust formation / emissions), safety data, product extractability, migration data, toxicity data or ecotoxicity data, product ingredient data, safety data, application property data, application instructions, quality data, or any combination thereof.

[0050] The circularity feature(s) can specify or quantify life cycle characteristics associated with circular use. The circularity feature(s) can be or be derived from measurements taken during the life cycle. The circularity feature(s) can be or be derived from circular data recorded in one or more prior life cycle(s) that include reuse. The circularity feature(s) can be determined at any stage of the life cycle and can characterize the reuse or recycling performance at or up to that stage. The circularity feature(s) can include, for example, recycling data, reuse rate, recycling percentage, recycling loop, reuse performance, reuse quality, or any combination thereof.

[0051] The recyclability characteristic(s) may specify or quantify life cycle characteristics associated with recycled use. The recyclability characteristic(s) may include the composition of the feedstock, including ingredients specifically tailored to make the feedstock suitable for recycling. The recyclability characteristic(s) may be measurements taken during the life cycle or derived from measurements. The recyclability characteristic(s) may be or be derived from recycling data recorded in one or more prior life cycle(s). The recyclability characteristic(s) may be determined at any stage of the life cycle and may characterize the recycling performance at or up to that stage. The recyclability characteristic(s) may include, for example, recycling data, reuse count, recycle composition, recycle quality, waste stream composition, waste stream quality, or any combination thereof.

[0052] In one embodiment, a composition passport or digital asset associated with a composition(s) comprising at least one polymer and / or a composition(s) comprising at least one compound having a functional reactive group may include mass-balanced environmental attributes related to raw material inputs. The mass-balanced environmental attributes may include environmental attributes of the raw material input(s) used to produce the composition(s), which attributes are tracked and can be traced to each composition(s) by mass. The environmental impact of the raw material input(s) may be determined based on the raw material input(s) used in the chemical process(es) producing each composition(s). For example, the bio-based, renewable, and / or recycled content of the raw material input(s) used to produce each composition(s) may be tracked. Further, for example, the characteristics of the chemical process(es) used to produce each composition(s) may be tracked. Examples of process characteristics that may be tracked that relate to environmental impact include water consumption, CO2 and / or greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, waste generation, mixed feedstock production, recycling design, energy consumption, waste reduction or reduced property loss, etc. These characteristics may be tracked based on certificates from certification authorities. These characteristics may be tracked based on intrinsic physical properties derived from measurements.

[0053] In one embodiment, manufactured compositions comprising at least one polymer and / or manufactured compositions comprising at least one compound having a functional reactive group are linked to a distributed identifier that physically identifies each manufactured composition. The manufacturing operation device may be configured to provide a distributed identifier associated with the physical entity of each manufactured composition. The manufacturing operation device may be configured to link the distributed identifier to the physical identifier of each manufactured composition. The manufacturing operation device may be configured to assign the distributed identifier to a physical identifier connected to each manufactured composition. The manufacturing operation device may be configured to assign the distributed identifier to a physical identifier physically connected to each manufactured composition. This allows the distributed identifier associated with the environmental attribute(s) to be linked to the physical entity of each composition, thereby enabling digital assets including the environmental attributes to be securely linked to the physical entity of each composition.

[0054] In one embodiment, the distributed identifier is related to data associated with at least one product produced from each composition(s) (i.e., a composition comprising at least one polymer and / or a composition(s) comprising at least one compound having a functional reactive group), and one or more environmental attribute(s) associated with the at least one product are derived from one or more environmental attribute(s) associated with each composition(s). The one or more environmental attribute(s) associated with each composition(s) may be associated with one or more input raw material(s) and / or chemical process(es) used to produce each composition(s). The distributed identifier may be related to any identifier uniquely associated with each composition(s). The distributed identifier may be associated with a physical entity of each composition(s). The distributed identifier may refer to a single batch of each composition. The distributed identifier may be associated with a group of compositions. The identifier may refer to multiple physical entities of each composition. The distributed identifier may be associated with a continuous or semi-continuous stream of manufactured composition(s). The identifier may, for example, refer to each stream of composition(s) over a particular time period or from a particular supplier.

[0055] In one embodiment, one or more environmental attribute(s) associated with each composition(s) (i.e., a composition comprising at least one polymer and / or a composition(s) comprising at least one compound having a functional reactive group) are provided from at least one balance account configured to store environmental attribute(s) associated with the input material(s). The balance account may be associated with a storage structure associated with metadata such as an environmental attribute type. For example, the balance account may be associated with metadata indicating that the environmental attribute type is recycled content or bio-based. The inbound allocator may be configured to assign one or more environmental attribute(s) associated with the input material(s) to at least one balance account, for example, upon entry of the input material into the chemical manufacturing network. The balance account may be associated with each environmental attribute type. The outbound assigner may be configured to assign at least one environmental attribute from the at least one balance account associated with each environmental attribute to a decentralized identifier. The one or more environmental attribute(s) may be assigned to the at least one decentralized identifier. Allocation may include deallocation of one or more environmental attribute(s) from the balance accounts associated with each environmental attribute type. The balance accounts ensure that environmental attributes of input materials can be tracked and allocated to each composition.

[0056] In one embodiment, one or more environmental attribute(s) associated with each composition(s) (i.e., a composition including at least one polymer and / or a composition(s) including at least one compound having a functional reactive group) are provided from at least one balance account configured to store environmental attribute(s) associated with the input raw material(s). The inbound allocator may be configured to assign one or more environmental attribute(s) to at least one balance account associated with each environmental attribute, for example, once the input raw material is input into the chemical manufacturing network. The balance account may be associated with each environmental attribute type. The one or more environmental attribute(s) associated with the input raw material may be assigned to the balance account associated with each environmental attribute type. The outbound assigner may be configured to assign or link at least one environmental attribute from the at least one balance account associated with each environmental attribute type to a decentralized identifier. This may include de-assigning one or more environmental attribute(s) from the balance account associated with each environmental attribute type. By using balance accounts, environmental attributes can be tracked through the chemical manufacturing network. In this way, environmental attributes can be decoupled from the raw material flow. The linking of environmental attribute(s) can be performed based on the mass balance of the chemical manufacturing network. In such an approach, the total mass of the raw material inputs and their respective composition(s) and the linking of each environmental attribute(s) associated with the raw material inputs and their respective composition(s) are balanced.

[0057] In one embodiment, the one or more environmental attribute(s) are associated with at least one characteristic related to the environmental impact of one or more raw material input(s) and / or chemical process(es). The one or more environmental attribute(s) can specify environmental characteristics of the raw material input(s) used to produce each composition(s), and / or the one or more environmental attribute(s) can specify environmental characteristics of the chemical process(es) used to produce each composition(s). The one or more environmental attribute(s) can be generated from environmental characteristics of the raw material input(s) used to produce each composition(s), process data associated with the chemical process of the raw material input(s), and / or energy data associated with the energy consumption of the chemical process. The one or more environmental attribute(s) may include a recycled content associated with the input material(s) and assigned or allocable to each composition(s), a renewable content associated with the input material(s) and assigned or allocable to each composition(s), and / or a product carbon footprint associated with each composition(s).

[0058] In one embodiment, the manufacturing operations device is configured to collect environmental attributes associated with the manufactured composition(s) (i.e., compositions comprising at least one polymer and / or compositions comprising at least one compound having a functional reactive group) before, during, and / or after production of each composition(s) by the chemical manufacturing network. The environmental attributes associated with the manufactured composition(s) may be related to the input raw material(s). The environmental attributes associated with the input raw material may be provided before, during, and / or after production of each composition(s) by the chemical manufacturing network. The environmental attributes associated with the input raw material may be assigned to at least one balance account before, during, and / or after production of the composition(s) by the chemical manufacturing network. The environmental attributes associated with the manufactured composition(s) may be related to environmental characteristics generated from process data associated with the chemical process of the input raw material(s) and / or energy data associated with the energy consumption of the chemical process. Environmental attributes associated with the manufactured composition(s) may be generated before, during, and / or after the production of the composition(s) by the chemical manufacturing network. Process data associated with the chemical process of the input raw material(s) and / or energy data associated with the energy consumption of the chemical process may be collected before, during, and / or after the production of the composition(s).

[0059] In one embodiment, the composition passport or digital asset may include a distributed identifier associated with each manufactured composition (i.e., a composition comprising at least one polymer and / or a composition(s) comprising at least one compound having a functional reactive group) and one or more environmental attribute(s) linked to the distributed identifier. The one or more environmental attribute(s) may be linked to the distributed identifier included in the composition passport or digital asset. The one or more environmental attribute(s) may be stored in a database associated with or for the manufacturer of each composition(s) so that they can be accessed by any consumer of the manufactured composition(s). The one or more environmental attribute(s) may be stored in a database associated with or for the manufacturer of each composition(s) so that they can be transferred to the consumer of the manufactured composition(s), for example, upon consumer access or upon delivery of each composition. The distributed identifier may include any unique identifier uniquely associated with the manufacturer of each composition(s) and composition data, such as environmental attributes. The decentralized identifier may include a universally unique identifier (UUID) or a digital identifier (DID). The decentralized identifier may be issued by a central or decentralized identifier issuer. The decentralized identifier may be associated with authentication and / or authorization information. Through the unique association of the decentralized identifier with composition data, such as the manufacturer and environmental attribute(s) of each composition(s), access to the composition data may be controlled by the manufacturer of each composition(s). This is in contrast to a central authority scheme, in which the identifier is provided by a central authority and access to the data is controlled by the central authority. Decentralized in this context refers to the use of identifiers in an implementation that is controlled by the data owner, such as the manufacturer of each composition(s).

[0060] The decentralized identifier may be uniquely associated with each composition(s) (i.e., a composition comprising at least one polymer and / or a composition(s) comprising at least one compound having a functional reactive group) or with the physical entity of each composition(s), e.g., each composition(s) packaged for transport to a consumer. The decentralized identifier may be unique for one or more environmental attribute(s). The composition passport or digital asset may include one or more digital representation(s) pointing to composition data including environmental attribute(s) or portions of composition data including environmental attribute(s). The digital representation(s) may include at least one interface to a data providing service. It may further include at least one interface to a data consuming service. The digital representation(s) may include an endpoint for data exchange or sharing (resource endpoint) or an endpoint for service interaction (service endpoint) that is uniquely identified via a communication protocol. The digital representation(s) pointing to the composition data or portions thereof may be uniquely associated with the decentralized identifier.

[0061] The composition passport or digital asset may include or be associated with a digital representation of composition data, such as environmental attribute(s). The digital representation may include a representation for accessing composition data, such as environmental attribute(s), or a portion thereof. The digital representation may include a representation of composition data, such as environmental attribute(s). The composition passport or digital asset may include or be associated with data related to composition data, such as environmental attribute(s), authentication information, and a decentralized identifier. Data related to composition data, such as environmental attribute(s), may include a digital representation of composition data, such as environmental attribute(s).

[0062] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present disclosure will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0063] [Figure 1]An example chemical manufacturing network that produces one or more output material(s) from one or more input material(s) is illustrated schematically with a manufacturing operations system that includes an attribute management system. [Figure 2] An example of linking the environmental attributes of input materials to output materials in a chemical manufacturing network is shown schematically. [Figure 3] An example of linking the environmental attributes of input materials and chemical processes to output materials in a chemical manufacturing network is shown schematically. [Figure 4] 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating another example of a method or apparatus for providing environmental attributes associated with output materials to data consumers, i.e., raw material users, via a distributed network. [Figure 5] 1 shows a schematic diagram of an example of a method or apparatus for providing environmental attributes of output materials across a value chain via a distributed network. [Figure 6A] 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of an example of a chemical manufacturing network that produces a composition comprising at least one polymer and / or a composition comprising at least one compound having at least one functional group, the composition being associated with a digital asset. [Figure 6B] 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of an example of a chemical manufacturing network that produces a composition comprising at least one polymer and / or a composition comprising at least one compound having at least one functional group, the composition being associated with a digital asset. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0064] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a chemical manufacturing network 104 that produces one or more output materials, particularly composition(s) comprising at least one polymer (e.g., polymer composition) and / or composition(s) comprising at least one compound having at least one functional group (e.g., functional compound composition) 106, from one or more input raw material(s) 102, along with an operations system 108, such as a manufacturing operations system that includes an attribute management system.

[0065] Different input raw materials 102 may be provided as physical inputs to a chemical manufacturing network 104 to produce one or more output material(s), particularly polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) 106. One or more properties related to environmental impact may be associated with the physical input raw material(s) 102 and the output material(s), particularly polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) 106. The properties related to environmental impact may be digitized in the form of environmental attributes, such as recycled content or bio-based content of the input raw materials. An operational system 108 incorporates such environmental attributes to convert the input raw materials 102 into the output material(s), particularly polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) 106. 6 The system may be configured to track environmental attributes throughout the chemical manufacturing network 104 up to

[0066] The chemical manufacturing network 104 may include multiple process steps that are linked together. The chemical manufacturing network 104 may be an integrated chemical manufacturing network 104 having interrelated manufacturing chains. The chemical manufacturing network 104 may include multiple different manufacturing chains that share at least one intermediate product. The chemical manufacturing network 104 may include multiple stages of a chemical value chain. The chemical manufacturing network 104 may include gas or crude oil production, refining, processing, and / or desulfurization. The chemical manufacturing network 104 may include: steamThe chemical manufacturing network 104 may include a cracker or a syngas plant connected to multiple manufacturing chains that produce products 106 from the effluent of such a plant. The chemical manufacturing network 104 may include multiple manufacturing chains that produce one or more output material(s), particularly polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) 106, from one or more input feedstock(s) 102. The chemical manufacturing network 104 may include multiple tiers of a chemical value chain. The chemical manufacturing network 104 may include a physically interconnected arrangement of manufacturing sites. The manufacturing sites may be located at the same site or at different sites. In the latter case, the manufacturing sites may be connected to each other by dedicated transportation systems such as pipelines, supply chain vehicles such as trucks, supply chain ships, or other freight transport means.

[0067] The chemical manufacturing network 104 processes input raw materials 102 into one or more output material(s), particularly polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) 102. 6 The chemical manufacturing network 104 can convert the input feedstock 102 into one or more output substance(s), particularly polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) 106, through chemical conversion.

[0068] The input feedstock 102 may be fed into the chemical production network 104 at any input port. The input feedstock 102 may be fed into the chemical production network 104 at the beginning of the chemical production network 104. The input feedstock 102 may constitute, for example, a feedstock for a steam cracker and / or a syngas plant. The input feedstock 102 may include non-fossil input feedstocks, such as bio-based or recycled feedstocks, and / or fossil input feedstocks for producing chemical intermediates and chemical output material(s), particularly polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) 106.

[0069] The chemical manufacturing network 104 may include multiple manufacturing processes. The manufacturing processes included in the chemical manufacturing network 104 may be defined by the system boundary of the chemical manufacturing network 104. The system boundary may be defined by location or control over the manufacturing process. The system boundary may be defined by the location of the chemical manufacturing network 104. The system boundary may be defined by a manufacturing process controlled by one entity or multiple entities jointly. The system boundary may be defined by a value chain with staggered manufacturing processes leading to a final product and that may be individually controlled by multiple entities. The chemical manufacturing network 104 may include waste collection and sorting processes, recycling processes such as pyrolysis, cracking processes such as steam cracking, separation processes that separate intermediates from one process step, and further process steps that convert such intermediates into output material(s), particularly polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) 106, that exit the system boundary of the chemical manufacturing network 104.

[0070] The operational system 108 of the chemical manufacturing network 104 may be configured to monitor and / or control the chemical manufacturing network 104 based on different process operational parameters. One process step that may be monitored and / or controlled may be the supply of input raw materials 102 or the supply of output material(s), particularly polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) 106. Another process step that may be monitored and / or controlled may be the registration of environmental attributes associated with input raw materials 102 entering the system boundary of the chemical manufacturing network 104. Yet another process step that may be monitored and / or controlled may be the association of environmental attributes to output material(s), particularly polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) 106, produced via the chemical manufacturing network 104. Yet another process step that may be monitored and / or controlled may be the management of environmental attributes associated with the input raw materials 102 and output material(s) of the chemical manufacturing network 104, particularly the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) 106.

[0071] The operational system 108 may be configured to register inbound environmental attributes and assign outbound environmental attributes. The operational system 108 may be configured to access data related to input material 102, processes, and / or output material(s), particularly polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) 106, used in the chemical manufacturing network 104. For example, the operational system 108 may be configured to register the recycled or bio-based content of one or more input material(s) 102 used in the chemical manufacturing network 104 as an environmental attribute. The operational system 108 may be configured to assign the environmental attribute to at least one balance account associated with the recycled or bio-based content of the input material 102. The operational system 108 may be configured to assign at least a portion of the environmental attribute from the at least one balance account to at least one output material(s), particularly polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) 106.

[0072] The operational system 108 may be configured to handle environmental attributes related to the input raw materials 102 and output material(s), particularly the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) 106, of the chemical manufacturing network 104. For example, the operational system 108 may be configured to determine environmental attributes associated with the use of the input raw materials 102 that affect the environmental characteristic(s) of the chemical manufacturing network 104 and the output material(s), particularly the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) 106, produced by the chemical manufacturing network 104. More particularly, the operational system 108 may be configured to determine environmental attributes associated with the output material(s), particularly the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) 106. In this manner, the operational system 108 may be configured to store or retrieve environmental attributes from a balance account. The environmental attributes can thus be viewed as credits accumulated in or debited from an account for the input and output material(s), particularly the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s), of the chemical manufacturing network 104. In this manner, the environmental impact of manufacturing can be tracked and / or traced back.

[0073] Multiple value chains may be linked in the chemical manufacturing network 104. Different input materials 102 or chemical processes may be used that affect the environmental characteristics of the output material(s) produced by the chemical manufacturing network 104, particularly the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) 106. Examples of input materials 102 that affect at least one environmental characteristic(s) of the output material(s), particularly the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) 106 produced from such input materials 102, include recycled, renewable, or bio-based input materials 102. 2 Examples of chemical processes that impact environmental characteristic(s) include chemical processes that use environmentally friendly technologies such as carbon capture, carbon utilization, or heat pumps.

[0074] The complexity of chemical processing in continuous or semi-continuous manufacturing and the chemical manufacturing network 104 may hinder traceability of input materials throughout the network. In such scenarios, equivalent environmental attributes indicative of the impact on the environmental properties of the output material(s), particularly the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) 106, produced by the chemical manufacturing network 104, may be assigned in a balance account to one or more output material(s), particularly the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) 106, of the chemical manufacturing network 104. Thus, the environmental attributes may be decoupled from the physical material flows within the chemical manufacturing network 104. The separation may be based on a mass balance model in that the equivalent weight assigned to one or more output material(s), particularly the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s), does not exceed the equivalent weight provided by the input material or process. Once an equivalent amount has been assigned to a virtual account of one type of environmental attribute type, it will not be assigned a second time to another virtual account of that type of environmental attribute. The types of environmental attributes may be recycled, bio-based, renewable, etc. The environmental attributes may be provided in the form of a digital asset or composition passport attached to the physical entity of the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s).

[0075] FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic example of linking environmental attributes associated with input raw materials 102 to output material(s) of a chemical manufacturing network 104, specifically polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) 106.

[0076] As shown in FIG. 1, the chemical manufacturing network 104 and the chemical manufacturing network 102 are operated by a manufacturing operation system 10. 8 The manufacturing operations system 10 may be monitored and / or controlled by the 8may be configured to track environmental attributes from the input raw materials 102 supplied to the chemical manufacturing network 104 to the output material(s) produced by the chemical manufacturing network 104, particularly the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) 106. To perform the tracking, the operations system 108 may be configured to register environmental attributes associated with the input raw materials 102 supplied to the chemical manufacturing network 104 and to link the environmental attributes to the output material(s) produced by the chemical manufacturing network 104, particularly the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) 106.

[0077] An input material 102, such as pyrolysis oil, bio-naphtha, or biogas, may be supplied to a chemical production network 104. The input material 102 may be input to the chemical production network 104 from an input such as a steam cracker or a syngas plant. The input material 102 may be used in the chemical production network 104 to produce one or more output material(s), in particular polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) 106, from the input material 102. The output material(s), in particular polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) 106, may be supplied at an outlet of the chemical production network 104. Further output material(s) may be MDI, TDI, PA6, EPS, PC, polyol, caprolactam, adipic acid, HMD, polyamide.

[0078] When the input raw materials 102 are input, input raw material data 206 may be provided to a computing interface of the operational system 108 via a communications network. A data provider, such as a QR code reader, may be configured to provide the raw material data 206 relating to one or more input raw material(s) 102, and the respective environmental attributes included in the raw material data 206, to a computing interface configured to assign the environmental attributes associated with the input raw materials 102. The raw material data 206 may include an input raw material identifier and the environmental attributes associated with the input raw material 102. The input raw material identifier may be associated with the physical entity of the input raw material 102 input into the chemical manufacturing network 104. The raw material data may be provided at or after the delivery of the one or more input raw material(s) at an inlet of the chemical manufacturing network 104.

[0079] The input feedstock identifiers may be linked to environmental attribute(s) associated with each input feedstock(s) 102, the quantity of the input feedstock 102, and a certificate verifying the environmental attributes. The quantity of the input feedstock may be a measured amount of the input feedstock 102 provided to a plant or reservoir of the chemical manufacturing network 104 to produce one or more output substance(s) from the input feedstock(s) 102, particularly polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) 106. The input feedstock identifiers associated with each input feedstock 102, the environmental attribute(s) associated with each input feedstock(s) 102, and the quantity of the input feedstock(s) 102 provided to the chemical manufacturing network 104 may be provided to the operational system 108. Such data may be provided via a communication network at the time of input to the chemical manufacturing network 104, or the data may have been transferred from a computing system to the operational system 108.

[0080] The inbound allocator 208 may be configured to assign one or more environmental attribute(s) to at least one balance account 210, 212 associated with each environmental attribute. For example, one balance account 210 may be related to environmental attributes from recycled materials, and another balance account 212 may be related to environmental attributes from bio-based materials. A balance account may be associated with each environmental attribute type, such as bio-based or recycled. Based on such association, a balance account associated with the environmental attribute type of each input material 102 may be selected. The environmental attribute may be assigned to the selected balance account. For example, a recycled material account 210 may be selected, and the environmental attribute may be assigned to such account 210.

[0081] To make the allocation, one or more environmental attribute(s) can be converted into balance units, and the balance units can be assigned to the balance account 210. The conversion can be based on a conversion factor, such as mass, weight, carbon atoms, hydrogen atoms, methane equivalents, or other suitable measure that quantifies the environmental burden of the environmental attribute. The conversion factor can therefore take into account differences between producing chemical products from conventional and unconventional input feedstock(s) or from a mixture of conventional and unconventional input feedstocks. The conversion factor can relate to differences in the chemical and / or physical properties of the conventional and unconventional input feedstock(s).

[0082] The use of the balance account 210 ensures that the environmental attributes of the raw material input 102 are used only once for allocation to the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) 106. In this way, double counting of inputs or outputs is avoided, ensuring that benign environmental impacts can be tracked and allocated to the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) 106.

[0083] The identifier provider 214 may be configured to provide composition identifiers associated with the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) 106 produced by the chemical manufacturing network 104 and supplied at an outlet from the chemical manufacturing network 104.

[0084] The outbound assigner 216 may be configured to assign at least one environmental attribute from at least one balance account 210 associated with each environmental attribute to a composition identifier ID2. One or more environmental attribute(s) may be assigned to at least one composition identifier ID2. The assignment may include de-assigning one or more environmental attributes from the balance account 210 associated with each environmental attribute type. The assignment may include converting one or more balance units into one or more environmental attribute(s).

[0085] The step of assigning at least one environmental attribute associated with the input raw material(s) to the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) 106 may include linking the composition identifier ID2 to the environmental attribute. The composition identifier ID2 may be associated with the physical entity of the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s). In this manner, a virtual identifier of the raw material can be uniquely linked to the physical raw material. Such linking may include physical or virtual linking of an identifier uniquely associated with the physical raw material. For physical linking, a tag or code can be physically attached to the raw material, for example, by printing a QR code on the packaging. For virtual linking, a different identifier associated with the physical raw material can be linked. For example, an order number, a batch number, a lot number, or a combination thereof can be linked.

[0086] The outbound assigner 216 may be configured to provide environmental attributes associated with the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) to a data consumer, such as a system associated with a consumer of the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s). The outbound assigner 216 may be configured to provide environmental attributes associated with the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) to a distributed network 218, as described in the example of Figure 4. The environmental attributes may be provided in the form of a digital asset or composition passport associated with the physical entity of the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) via the ID-based schema described above.

[0087] FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic example of relating input raw material 102 and environmental attributes of a chemical process to one or more polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) 106 of a chemical manufacturing network 102.

[0088] 1 and 2, the chemical manufacturing network 102 and the operation of the chemical manufacturing network 102 may be monitored and / or controlled by an operational system 108. An input feedstock 102, such as pyrolysis oil, bio-naphtha, or biogas, may be provided to the chemical manufacturing network 104. The input feedstock 102 may be used in the chemical manufacturing network 104 to produce one or more polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) 106 from the input feedstock 102.

[0089] Once the input raw materials 102 are added, input raw material data 208 may be provided to a computing interface of the operational system 108 via a communications network. A data provider, such as a QR code reader, may be configured to provide raw material data 206 relating to one or more input raw material(s) 102 and their respective environmental attributes to a computing interface configured to assign the environmental attributes associated with the input raw materials 102. The raw material data 206 may include an input raw material identifier and an environmental attribute associated with the input raw material 102. The input raw material identifier may be associated with the physical entity of the input raw material 102 added to the chemical manufacturing network 104. The input raw material identifier may be linked to the carbon footprint of the input raw material 102 as an environmental attribute. The raw material data may be provided at or after the delivery of one or more input raw material(s) at an input of the chemical manufacturing network 104.

[0090] The inbound allocator 208 may be configured to obtain one or more environmental attribute(s) and provide such attributes to a carbon footprint (CF) generator 304. The process data provider 302 may be configured to collect process data associated with a chemical process of the input raw material(s) 102 that produces the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) 106. The process data provider 302 may be configured to collect energy data associated with the energy consumption of the chemical process. The process data provider 302 may be configured to provide the process data and the energy data to the CF generator 304.

[0091] The CF generator 304 may be configured to determine a carbon footprint of the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) produced by the chemical manufacturing network 104. The carbon footprint of the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) may be determined based on process data, energy data, and the carbon footprint of the input raw material(s) 102 used to produce the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) 106.

[0092] The identifier provider 214 may be configured to provide composition identifiers associated with the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) produced by the chemical manufacturing network 104 and delivered at an outlet from the chemical manufacturing network 104.

[0093] The outbound provider 216 may be configured to assign the determined carbon footprint to a composition identifier ID2. One or more environmental attribute(s) may be assigned to at least one composition identifier ID2, as described in the context of FIG.

[0094] The outbound assigner 216 may be configured to provide environmental attributes, particularly carbon footprints, associated with the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) to a data consumer, such as a system associated with a consumer of the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s). The outbound assigner 216 may be configured to provide the environmental attributes associated with the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) to a distributed network 218, as described in the example of Figure 4. The environmental attributes may be provided in the form of a digital asset or composition passport associated with the physical entity of the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) via the ID-based schema described above.

[0095] FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic diagram of an example method or apparatus for providing environmental attributes associated with polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) to consumers of said composition(s) via a distributed network 218 using a data consumption service 220.

[0096] The polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) 106 produced by the chemical manufacturing network 104 may be provided in association with a digital asset such as those described in the context of Figures 2 and 3. The digital asset may include a composition identifier. The digital asset may include one or more environmental attribute(s), such as a product's carbon footprint, recycled content, or bio-based content. The digital asset may relate to one or more environmental attribute(s), such as a product's carbon footprint, recycled content, or bio-based content. The digital asset may include a digital representation of one or more environmental attribute(s), such as a product's carbon footprint, recycled content, or bio-based content.

[0097] The digital asset may further include or be associated with authentication and / or authorization information tied to the composition identifier. The authentication and / or authorization information may be provided for authentication and / or authorization of the data providing service 402 and / or the data consuming service 220. The composition identifier may include or be associated with a decentralized identifier uniquely associated with the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s). The decentralized identifier may be connected to a digital representation of the environmental attribute. The digital representation may include a representation for accessing the environmental attribute or a portion thereof. The decentralized identifier may include one or more universally unique identifiers (UUID(s)) or digital identifier(s) (DID(s)). The decentralized identifier may include any unique identifier uniquely associated with the data owner and / or the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s). The data owner may be the manufacturer of the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s). Access to the raw material composition data can be controlled by the data owner through the unique association of a distributed identifier with the data owner and / or the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s).

[0098] Digital assets including digital representations of one or more environmental attribute(s), such as product carbon footprint, recycled content, or bio-based content, may be stored in a distributed database 404. The one or more environmental attribute(s), such as product carbon footprint, recycled content, or bio-based content, may be stored in a database 406 associated with a data owner, such as a manufacturer of the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) 106.

[0099] The polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) 106 may be physically delivered to a consumer of the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s). The polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) may be connected to a QR code that has a composition identifier encoded therein. A consumer of the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) can read the QR code via a QR code reader 410. The composition identifier may be provided to a database 408 associated with a user of the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) 106. In other embodiments, a consumer of the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) can obtain the composition identifier via the distributed database 404.

[0100] The data owner in this example may be the manufacturer of the polymer composition and / or functional compound composition(s). The data owner may include any entity that generates data. The data generating node may be coupled to the data owner or to an entity that owns or manufactures the physical product from which or to which the data is generated. The data may be generated by a third party entity on behalf of an entity that owns the physical product from which or to which the data is generated.

[0101] The data consumption service may include computer-executable instructions to access and / or process data, such as composition data, associated with the data owner. The data providing service 402 may include computer-executable instructions to provide and / or process data, such as composition data, associated with the data owner for access and / or processing by the data consumption service 220.

[0102] Based on the received composition identifier ID2, a request to access environmental attributes associated with the composition identifier may be issued by the data consuming service 220, as indicated by arrow 412. The composition identifier may be associated with or provided to a data providing service 402 of the manufacturer of the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) 106. Authentication and / or authorization information may also be provided.

[0103] The request may be authenticated and / or authorized to access the environmental attributes associated with the composition identifier ID2. Based on successful authorization and / or authentication, knowledge Besshi ID2 Access to the environmental attributes associated with the

[0104] The composition identifier may be provided to a data providing service 402 for access, as indicated by arrow 412. The data providing service 402 can retrieve environmental attributes associated with the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) using the received composition identifier, as indicated by arrows 416, 418. The environmental attributes associated with the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) 106 provided to the data providing service 402 may be provided to a data consuming service 220, as indicated by arrow 414. The environmental attributes associated with the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) 106 may be stored in a database 407 associated with a consumer of the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) 106, as indicated by arrow 418.

[0105] Environmental attributes can be uniquely associated with the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) via a production identifier or a distributed identifier. The environmental attributes may be transferred between manufacturers of the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) and consumers of the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) via the distributed network. In this manner, environmental attributes can be uniquely associated with and shared with the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) without the direct involvement of a central intermediary between value chain players. This allows for transparency of environmental attributes throughout the value chain and for the tracking of benign environmental impacts of the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) produced by the chemical manufacturing network 104 throughout the value chain.

[0106] FIG. 5 illustrates a schematic of one example of a method or apparatus for providing environmental attributes associated with polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) across the value chain via a distributed network.

[0107] In the example of Figure 5, a fully connected value chain is shown that includes a chemical manufacturing network 202. In this example, input raw material suppliers, polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) producers, consumers of said compositions, and end product manufacturers may be connected in a distributed network as described in the context of Figure 4. Environmental attributes may be provided via an ID-based schema as described in the context of Figures 2-4 in the form of digital assets or composition passports associated with the physical entities of the input raw materials, polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s), any intermediate products, or end products.

[0108] An input feedstock supplier may provide an input feedstock, such as biogas or pyrolysis oil. The environmental attributes of the input feedstock may be provided via a data providing service 402 connected to the distributed network, as described in the context of FIG. 4. A polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) manufacturer may produce their respective composition(s) from input feedstock(s) provided to the chemical manufacturing network 202. The composition(s) manufacturer may access the environmental attributes associated with the input feedstock via a data consuming service 402 connected to the distributed network, as described in the context of FIG. 4. The composition(s) manufacturer may manage the environmental attributes via the manufacturing operations system 108, as described in the context of FIGS. 1-3. The composition(s) manufacturer may assign environmental attributes associated with the input feedstock or environmental attributes associated with the chemical manufacturing network 202, such as a carbon footprint, to the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s), as described in the context of FIGS. 1-3. Composition(s) manufacturers can provide the environmental attributes associated with each manufactured composition via a distributed network-connected data providing service 402, as described in the context of Figure 4. Composition(s) consumers or end product manufacturers can access the environmental attributes associated with each composition(s) via a distributed network-connected data consuming service 220, as described in the context of Figure 4.

[0109] Each data owner in this example may be an input material producer, an output material producer, an output material user, or an end product manufacturer. A data owner may include any entity that generates data. A data generating node may be associated with a data owner or an entity that owns or produces the physical product from which the data is generated. Data may be generated by a third party entity on behalf of the entity that owns the physical product from which the data is generated.

[0110] The data consumption service 220 may include computer-executable instructions to access and / or process data, such as composition data, associated with a data owner. The data providing service 402 may include computer-executable instructions to provide and / or process data, such as composition data, associated with a data owner for access and / or processing by the data consumption service 220.

[0111] In the example of Figure 5, the decentralized identifier may be associated with the final product. Such a decentralized identifier may be provided to value chain participants. Through the decentralized identifier unique to the final product, data associated with the final product manufactured from the polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s) may be collected throughout the manufacturing chain and assigned to the decentralized identifier unique to the final product. For example, one or more environmental attribute(s) associated with the final product may be derived from environmental attributes associated with each composition(s), input raw materials, or any other product entity present in the final product's value chain.

[0112] In this manner, the environmental attributes of the raw material inputs, polymer composition(s) and / or functional compound composition(s), and any products manufactured from said composition(s) can be traced through the value chain to the final product. Tracking the environmental attributes of raw materials in this manner allows supply chain participants to control the flow of information while making it transparent throughout the value chain. Additionally, the environmental attributes can be handled by manufacturing operations systems according to the needs of individual participants, as described in the context of Figures 1-3. In essence, such tracking allows tracking of benign environmental impacts by individual supply chain participants, making benign environmental impacts transparent and attributable to individual supply chain participants.

[0113] Figure 6A illustrates a schematic diagram of an example of a chemical manufacturing network that produces a composition including at least one polymer (denoted polymer composition) 618 associated with a composition passport or digital asset. The example in Figure 6A is illustrative only and should not be considered limiting of the present invention.

[0114] In the example of Figure 6A, fossil, bio, and recycled feedstocks may be fed into a chemical manufacturing network (see, e.g., Figures 1-5) that produces, for example, polyamide 6 polymer 616. Polyamide 6 polymer 616 may be used to produce polymer composition 618, which may include at least one additional compound, such as the additives described above, apart from polyamide 6 polymer 616. Polymer composition 618 may be prepared from polyamide 6 polymer 616 and the additional compound via compounding methods known in the art.

[0115] Chemical manufacturing network 202 includes a syngas plant and a steam cracker. The syngas plant may be fed a mixed feedstock including fossil feedstock, biofeedstock, and recycled feedstock. The biofeedstock may include biomethane. The recycled feedstock may include pyrolysis oil produced from used tires. The fossil feedstock may include naphtha produced from natural gas and / or crude oil. The steam cracker may be fed a fossil feedstock. The steam cracker may be fed a mixed feedstock, such as a syngas plant. The steam cracker may be fed a product produced from a syngas plant, or vice versa.

[0116] Ammonia, nitric acid, hydroxylamine, and other intermediates can be produced from fossil, bio, and recycled feedstocks (see C1 value chain 620). Nitric acid, hydroxylamine, and other intermediates can be produced from caprolactam 614 and other products, such as intermediate feedstocks or output materials. Benzene 608, cyclohexane 610, and other C3 and C4 intermediate products can be produced from fossil feedstocks (see C6 value chain 622). Intermediate products, such as anolone 612 from the C6 value chain 622, can be combined with intermediate products from the C1 value chain 620 to produce further intermediate products, such as caprolactam 614. Caprolactam 614 can be used to produce different polyamide polymers 616, as listed above.

[0117] In the example of FIG. 6A , the biomethane content of biomethane and / or pyrolysis oil content of pyrolysis oil as non-fossil input feedstocks can be tracked. As described in the context of FIG. 2 , the biomethane content and / or pyrolysis oil content at the beginning of a production chain for a composition including at least one polymer, such as polyamide 6 616, can be registered via operational system 108. Here, the pyrolysis oil content can be assigned to a balance account 210 associated with metadata, such as metadata indicating that the balance account is assigned to recycled feedstock. The biomethane content can be assigned to a balance account 212 associated with metadata, such as metadata indicating that the balance account is assigned to biologically derived feedstock. The environmental attributes of the biomethane content and / or pyrolysis oil content are therefore decoupled from the mass flow of chemical processes in chemical manufacturing network 202, as shown in FIG. 6A .

[0118] For the purpose of attributing the biomethane content and / or pyrolysis oil content used in the production of a polymer composition, such as a polymer composition comprising polyamide 6 610, the biomethane content and / or pyrolysis oil content may be determined. The biomethane content and / or pyrolysis oil content attributable to the polymer composition production may be based on a conservation of mass attributable to the produced polymer composition. For example, only half of the biomethane content and / or pyrolysis oil content may be attributable to the polymer composition, while the other half may be attributable to other output products resulting from the mixed feedstock as input. The environmental attributes biomethane content and / or pyrolysis oil content may be attributable to the polymer composition to the extent described above.

[0119] Registration of the biomethane content and / or pyrolysis oil content of the input feedstock and linking the registered environmental attributes to the produced polymer composition 618 may be performed as described with respect to FIG. 2. In the system shown in FIG. 2, the environmental attributes associated with the production of the polymer composition 618 may be linked to the produced polymer composition by associating a decentralized ID with the polymer composition and assigning the environmental attributes to the decentralized ID. Linking the ID and the environmental attributes allows the environmental attributes to be uniquely linked to the produced polymer composition. The polymer composition may be delivered to a consumer of the polymer composition, such as a manufacturer that uses the received polymer composition to produce further products. Packaging, such as a bag, containing the polymer composition may include a QR code. The decentralized ID may be included in or encoded in the QR code. In this manner, the consumer of the polymer composition can access the environmental attributes associated with the polymer composition via the ID-based protocol described in the context of FIGS. 4 and 5.

[0120] As in this example, the registration of carbon footprint data associated with input materials and manufacturing processes and the attribution of said carbon footprints to manufactured polymer compositions may be based on the methodology shown in Figure 3 for carbon footprinting.

[0121] Figure 6B schematically illustrates a further example of a chemical manufacturing network that produces a composition including at least one compound having at least one functional group (denoted functional group compound composition) 624, 626, 632 associated with a composition passport or digital asset. The example in Figure 6B is illustrative and should not be considered limiting of the present invention.

[0122] In the example of Figure 6B, fossil, bio, and recycled feedstocks may be fed into a chemical manufacturing network (see, e.g., Figures 1-5) that produces a functional compound composition comprising, by way of example, MDI (methylene diphenyl diisocyanate) 624, TDI (toluene diisocyanate) 626, and polyol 632. The functional compound composition may include at least one additional compound, such as the additives described above, apart from MDI 624 and / or TDI 626 or polyol 632. For example, a functional compound composition comprising MDI 624 and / or TDI 626 may be used to produce a polyurethane polymer by mixing the composition with a composition comprising polyol(s) 632, such that the isocyanate groups in the MDI / TDI react with the hydroxyl groups in the polyol(s) to form urethane bonds.

[0123] Chemical manufacturing network 202 includes a syngas plant and a steam cracker. The syngas plant may be fed a mixed feedstock including fossil feedstock, biofeedstock, and recycled feedstock. The biofeedstock may include biomethane. The recycled feedstock may include pyrolysis oil produced from used tires. The fossil feedstock may include naphtha produced from natural gas and / or crude oil. The steam cracker may be fed a fossil feedstock. The steam cracker may be fed a mixed feedstock, such as a syngas plant. The steam cracker may be fed by products produced from the syngas plant, or vice versa.

[0124] Ammonia, nitric acid, and other intermediates can be produced from fossil, bio, and recycled feedstocks (see C1 value chain 620). Other products, such as intermediates or output materials, can be produced from nitric acid 604. C2, C3, C4, and intermediate products can be produced from fossil feedstocks (see C4 / C6 value chain 634). These intermediate products can be used to produce compounds containing at least one isocyanate group, such as MDI 624 and TDI 626, and / or compounds containing at least one hydroxyl group, such as polyol 632. Polyol 632 can include the polyol compounds listed above. MDI 624 and / or TDI 626 can be used to produce isocyanate composition(s) 638. Polyol 632 can be used to produce polyol composition 636.

[0125] In the example of FIG. 6B , the biomethane content of biomethane and / or the pyrolysis oil content of pyrolysis oil as non-fossil input feedstocks can be tracked. As described in the context of FIG. 2 , the biomethane content and / or pyrolysis oil content at the beginning of a production chain of functional compound composition(s), such as isocyanate composition(s) 638 and / or polyol composition 636, can be registered via operational system 108 (not shown) of chemical manufacturing network 202. Here, the pyrolysis oil content can be assigned to balance account 210 associated with metadata, such as metadata indicating that the balance account is assigned to recycled feedstock. The biomethane content can be assigned to balance account 212 associated with metadata, such as metadata indicating that the balance account is assigned to biologically derived feedstock. The environmental attributes of the biomethane content and / or pyrolysis oil content are therefore decoupled from the mass flow of chemical processing in chemical manufacturing network 202, as shown in FIG. 6B .

[0126] The biomethane content and / or pyrolysis oil content may be determined to attribute the biomethane content and / or pyrolysis oil content used in the production of functional compound compositions, such as the isocyanate composition(s) 638 and / or the polyol composition 636. The biomethane content and / or pyrolysis oil content attributed to the functional compound composition production may be based on a conservation of mass attributed to the produced functional compound composition. For example, only half of the biomethane content and / or pyrolysis oil content may be attributed to the functional compound composition, while the other half may be attributed to other output products resulting from the mixed feedstock as input. The environmental attributes biomethane content and / or pyrolysis oil content may be attributed to the functional compound composition to the extent described above.

[0127] Registration of the biomethane content and / or pyrolysis oil content of the input feedstock and linking the registered environmental attributes to the produced functional group compound composition may be performed as described with respect to FIG. 2. In the system shown in FIG. 2, the environmental attributes associated with the production of the functional group compound composition can be linked to the produced functional group compound composition by associating a distributed ID with the functional group compound composition and assigning the environmental attributes to the distributed ID. Linking the ID and the environmental attributes allows the environmental attributes to be uniquely linked to the produced functional group compound composition. The functional group compound composition may be delivered to a consumer of the functional group compound composition, such as a manufacturer who uses the received functional group compound composition to produce a further product, e.g., polyurethane. Packaging, such as a bag, containing the functional group compound composition may include a QR code. The distributed ID may be included in or encoded in the QR code. In this manner, the consumer of the functional group compound composition can access the environmental attributes associated with the functional group compound composition via the ID-based protocol described in the context of FIGS. 4 and 5.

[0128] As in this example, the registration of carbon footprint data associated with input raw materials and manufacturing processes and the linking of said carbon footprints to manufactured functional compound compositions may be based on the method shown in Figure 3 for carbon footprints.

[0129] Although the disclosure has been described in connection with preferred embodiments and examples, other variations can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claims, from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the claims.

[0130] Any steps presented herein may be performed in any order, and the methods disclosed herein are not limited to any particular order of these steps. Also, different steps need not be performed at any particular location or on any particular computing node of the distributed system; i.e., each step may be performed on a different computing node using different equipment / data processing.

[0131] As used herein, "determine" also includes "initiating or causing a determination," "generate" also includes "initiating and / or causing generation," and "provide" also includes "initiating or causing determination, generation, selection, transmission, and / or reception." "Initiating or causing an action" may include any processing signal that causes a computing node or device to perform the respective action.

[0132] In the claims as well as the description, the term "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. A single element or other device may fulfill the functions of several entities or items recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage in implementations.

Claims

1. 1. A system for producing compositions comprising at least one polymer and / or at least one compound having at least one functional group, with each composition having an associated digital asset, the system comprising: a chemical manufacturing network configured to produce said compositions comprising at least one polymer and / or configured to produce said compositions comprising at least one compound having at least one functional group, wherein each composition is produced from one or more raw material input(s) via one or more chemical process(es) of said chemical manufacturing network, and wherein environmental attribute(s) are associated with said one or more raw material input(s) and / or said one or more chemical process(es); - the digital assets, - providing a distributed identifier associated with each composition produced; - A manufacturing operations device configured to generate the distributed identifier by linking it to the environmental attribute(s) of the one or more input raw material(s) and / or the one or more chemical process(es).

2. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the composition comprising the at least one polymer and associated with the digital asset is selected from compositions comprising at least one polymer selected from thermosets, thermoplastics, elastomers, thermoplastic elastomers, as well as copolymers and blends thereof, in particular polyamide (PA), polyurethane (PU), low density polyethylene (LDPE), high density polyethylene (HDPE), polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyvinyl acetate (PVA), polystyrene (PS), polyacrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polystyrene acrylonitrile (SAN), polyacrylate styrene acrylonitrile (ASA), polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), polymethyl methacrylate (PMA), poly(methyl methacrylate ... methacrylate) (PMMA), polybutadiene (BR, PBD), poly(cis-1,4-isoprene), poly(trans-1,4-isoprene), polyoxymethylene (POM), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT), polyester (PES), polyethersulfone (PESU), polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (P3HB), poly-4-hydroxybutyrate (P4HB), polyhydroxyvalerate (PHV), polyhydroxyhexanoate (PHH), polyhydroxyoctanoate (PHO), polylactide (PLA), polysulfone (PSU), polyphenylsulfone (PPSU), as well as compositions comprising at least one polymer selected from the group consisting of copolymers and mixtures thereof, The at least one compound having at least one functional group is selected from at least one compound containing at least two alcohol groups, in particular polyols, polyether polyols, polyester polyols and mixtures thereof, and / or at least one compound containing at least two isocyanate groups, in particular aliphatic, cycloaliphatic and aromatic compounds containing at least two, preferably two or three, isocyanate groups.

3. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the digital assets of the composition comprising at least one polymer and / or the composition comprising at least one compound having at least one functional group include mass-balanced environmental attributes related to input raw material(s).

4. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein one or more environmental attribute(s) associated with the composition comprising at least one polymer and / or the composition comprising at least one compound having at least one functional group are provided from at least one balance account configured to store environmental attribute(s) associated with the input raw material(s).

5. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more environmental attribute(s) is / are associated with at least one characteristic related to the environmental impact of the one or more input raw materials(s) and / or the chemical process(es).

6. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the manufacturing operations device is configured to collect environmental attributes associated with the manufactured composition(s) before, during, and / or after production of the composition(s) by the chemical manufacturing network.

7. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the environmental attribute(s) associated with the composition comprising at least one polymer and / or the composition comprising at least one compound having at least one functional group and produced via multiple chemical processes from one or more input raw material(s) input into the chemical manufacturing network include environmental attribute(s) associated with the input raw material(s), the chemical process(es), and / or the chemical manufacturing network(s).

8. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the environmental attribute(s) associated with the input raw material(s) are provided before, during, and / or after production of the composition(s) by the chemical manufacturing network, and the environmental attribute(s) associated with the input raw material(s) are assigned to at least one balance account before, during, and / or after production of the composition(s) by the chemical manufacturing network.

9. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the environmental attribute(s) associated with the manufactured composition(s) are related to environmental feature(s) generated from process data associated with the chemical process of the input raw material(s) and / or energy data associated with the energy consumption of the chemical process, and wherein the environmental attribute(s) associated with the manufactured composition(s) are generated before, during, and / or after production of the composition(s) by the chemical manufacturing network.

10. 1. A method for producing compositions comprising at least one polymer and / or at least one compound having at least one functional group, with each composition having an associated digital asset, the method comprising: - producing said composition comprising said at least one polymer and / or said composition comprising said at least one compound having at least one functional group, each composition being produced from one or more raw material input(s) via one or more chemical process(es) of a chemical production network, wherein environmental attribute(s) are associated with said one or more raw material input(s) and / or said one or more chemical process(es); - the digital assets, - providing a distributed identifier associated with each composition produced; generating the decentralized identifier by linking the one or more environmental attribute(s) associated with the one or more input raw material(s) and / or the one or more chemical process(es); - providing each produced composition in association with said digital asset.

11. 1. A method of generating digital assets associated with compositions comprising at least one polymer and / or compositions comprising at least one compound having at least one functional group, each composition being produced from one or more raw material input(s) via one or more chemical process(es) in a chemical manufacturing network, wherein environmental attribute(s) are associated with the one or more raw material input(s) and / or the one or more chemical process(es), the method comprising: - providing a distributed identifier associated with each composition produced; - linking the distributed identifier to the environmental attribute(s) of the one or more input raw material(s) and / or the one or more chemical process(es) used to produce each composition; and providing said digital asset in association with each composition produced, wherein said environmental attributes associated with each composition are made accessible to consumers of each composition produced via said digital asset.

12. A method of using digital assets in the manufacture of a product made from respective compositions associated with digital assets, or a method of using compositions associated with said digital assets to manufacture a product from respective compositions and derive digital assets associated with said product from the digital assets associated with said respective compositions, comprising: the digital asset is associated with the composition comprising at least one polymer and / or the composition comprising at least one compound having at least one functional group; each composition is produced from one or more raw material input(s) via one or more chemical process(es) in a chemical manufacturing network, and environmental attribute(s) are associated with the one or more raw material input(s) and / or the one or more chemical process(es); The method includes generating the digital asset, the generating the digital asset comprising: - providing a distributed identifier associated with each composition produced; - linking the distributed identifier to the environmental attribute(s) of the one or more input raw material(s) and / or the one or more chemical process(es) used to produce each composition; - providing said digital asset in association with each composition produced, wherein said environmental attributes associated with each composition are made accessible to consumers of each composition produced via said digital asset.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the composition comprises the at least one polymer, and the composition associated with the digital asset is selected from compositions comprising at least one polymer selected from thermosets, thermoplastics, elastomers, thermoplastic elastomers, as well as copolymers and mixtures thereof, in particular polyamide (PA), polyurethane (PU), low density polyethylene (LDPE), high density polyethylene (HDPE), polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyvinyl acetate (PVA), polystyrene (PS), polyacrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polystyrene acrylonitrile (SAN), polyacrylate styrene acrylonitrile (ASA), polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon (registered trademark)), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), polymethyl methacrylate (PMA), poly( at least one polymer selected from the group consisting of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), polybutadiene (BR, PBD), poly(cis-1,4-isoprene), poly(trans-1,4-isoprene), polyoxymethylene (POM), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT), polyester (PES), polyethersulfone (PESU), polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (P3HB), poly-4-hydroxybutyrate (P4HB), polyhydroxyvalerate (PHV), polyhydroxyhexanoate (PHH), polyhydroxyoctanoate (PHO), polylactide (PLA), polysulfone (PSU), polyphenylsulfone (PPSU), as well as compositions comprising copolymers and mixtures thereof; The at least one compound having at least one functional group is selected from at least one compound containing at least two alcohol groups, in particular polyols, polyether polyols, polyester polyols and mixtures thereof, and / or at least one compound containing at least two isocyanate groups, in particular aliphatic, cycloaliphatic and aromatic compounds containing at least two, preferably two or three, isocyanate groups.

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