Calculating the carbon footpri̇nt: The case of aluminum company

With the industrial revolution, the demand for natural resources has increased day by day. The problem of climate change, one of today's biggest global problems, has emerged due to the unconscious use of resources and the failure to take adequate measures for the environment, consciously or unconsciously. The main cause of climate change is greenhouse gas emissions. Global warming occurs because the temperature of the earth's surface begins to rise above the average value due to greenhouse gas emissions. The problem of climate change also occurs due to global warming. Many studies have been carried out at the international level to control global warming by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In order to prevent the climate crisis from escalating, 196 countries signed the Paris Climate Agreement in 2016, and our country became a party to the agreement in 2021, which it signed in 2016. In this context, our country's goal is to manage the climate crisis to become carbon neutral in 2053. In 2019, European Union (EU) member countries started the Green Deal process within the scope of combating the climate crisis and continue their work with the target of a carbon neutral continent by 2050. With the Border Carbon Regulation Mechanism (SKDM), which is a part of the green agreement process, it is aimed to create an emission trading system and to take the necessary precautions to measure and reduce the emissions of sectors that carry out carbon-intensive production. In this context, initially; Facilities operating in the production of aluminum, iron and steel, fertilizer, cement, electricity and hydrogen were included in the process. However, in line with the EU's 2050 climate target, the sectors will be expanded in the coming years. The main goal of SKDM is to prevent emission leaks. Within the scope of SKDM, it is aimed to tax products produced outside the European Union, taking into account their emissions. If sufficient precautions are not taken in the sectors within the scope of SKDM; It is obvious that great risks await the sectors. Therefore, it is of great importance for the sectors within the scope of SKDM to prepare the greenhouse gas inventory as soon as possible, measure their greenhouse gas emissions and take the necessary measures. Many calculation methodologies are available for measuring greenhouse gas emissions. ISO 14064-1 standard is also used in calculating and reporting greenhouse gas emissions. Direct greenhouse gas emissions and energy-related greenhouse gas emissions of an aluminum facility selected within the scope of the current thesis study were calculated according to the ISO 14064-1 standard. In the calculations made; direct emissions were found to be ≈ 24,000 tons of CO2e and energy indirect emissions were found to be ≈ 14,239 tons of CO2e. In the study, the greenhouse gas calculation of the aluminum production facility was carried out and shed light on the determination of greenhouse gas emission reduction strategies.