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Study concludes permanent loss of peatlands in open-pit oil sands mining adds significantly to carbon burden of oil sands production

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Researchers at the University of Alberta (Canada) have quantified the transformation of the boreal landscape by open-pit oil sands mining in Alberta, Canada to evaluate its effect on carbon storage and sequestration. t of CO 2 lost, as much as 7-y worth of mining and upgrading emissions at 2010 production levels.

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U Calgary study finds oil shale most energy intensive upgraded fuel followed by in-situ-produced bitumen from oil sands

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A team at the University of Calgary (Canada) has compared the energy intensities and lifecycle GHG emissions of unconventional oils (oil sands and oil shale) alongside shale gas, coal, lignite, wood and conventional oil and gas. This is not the same as crude oil occurring naturally in shales, as in the Bakken.

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New study finds GHG emissions from palm oil production significantly underestimated; palm oil biofuels could be more climate-damaging than oil sands fuels

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Mha (20%) of the peatlands of Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo in 2010, surpassing the area of Belgium and causing an annual carbon emission from peat decomposition of 230–310 Mt CO 2 e. Slightly more than half of the GHG emissions for these biofuels in the EPA’s analysis came from land use change. Earlier post.). —Dr.

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CERA: Canadian Oil Sands Poised to Become the Top Source of Crude Imports to the US in 2010; Could Contribute Up To 36% of US Oil and Refined Products Imports by 2030

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Growth of production of Canadian oil sands. The Canadian oil sands are now poised to become the number one source of US crude oil imports in 2010, according to new research from the IHS CERA Canadian Oil Sands Dialogue. The Role of Canadian Oil Sands in US Oil Supply”.

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New petroleum refining lifecycle model finds the variability in GHG emissions from refining different crudes as significant as magnitude expected in upstream operations

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Comparison of GHGenius, JACOBS, TIAX, and the new PRELIM gasoline greenhouse gas (GHG) estimates using base case estimates and variations from the scenario analysis. In the US, GHG emissions from refineries in 2010 represented nearly 12% of US industrial sector emissions or 3% of the total US GHG emissions. Click to enlarge.

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State Department releases Keystone XL Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement

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Incremental well-to-wheels GHG emissions from WCSB Oil Sands Crudes Compared to Well-to-Wheels GHG Emissions from Displacing Reference Crudes Click to enlarge. Domestic production of crude oil has increased significantly, from approximately 5.5 million bpd in 2010 to 6.5 million bpd in 2012 and 7.5 million bpd.

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Coskata Unveils Semi-Commercial Feedstock-Flexible Ethanol Facility; Springboard for Full-Scale Commercial Rollout

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By comparison, the theoretical yield of ethanol from a dry ton of corn is 124.4 The process also uses less than half the water per gallon than required for the production of gasoline from conventional crude, and about one-third to one-quarter of the water per gallon required for the production of gasoline from oil sands oil, Bolson said.