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Oil sands GHG lifecycle study using operating data finds lower emitting oil sands cases outperform higher emitting conventional crude cases; a call for more sophisticated tools and reporting

Green Car Congress

Well-to-wheel (WTW) greenhouse gas emissions for in situ SAGD and surface mining pathways generated employing GHOST/TIAX/ GHGenius combination and comparison with SAGD, mining and conventional crude oil literature pathways (all results are on a HHV basis). 74% of WTW emissions in our oil sands pathways. Click to enlarge.

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Understanding the variability of GHG life cycle studies of oil sands production

Green Car Congress

In a paper published in the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology , Stanford University assistant professor Adam Brandt reviews a number of recent life cycle assessment (LCA) studies calculating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from oil sands extraction, upgrading, and refining pathways—the results of which vary considerably.

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US State Department Issues Permit for Alberta Clipper Pipeline for Oil Sands Crude Delivery to US

Green Car Congress

The US State Department has issued a Presidential Permit to Enbridge Energy, Limited Partnership to enable construction of the Alberta Clipper pipeline for the transport of crude oil from the Canadian oil sands to US refineries. This week, the RFA happened to issue two pieces, each touching on the impact of oil sands production.

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Two Lifecycle Studies Find Greater Range in GHG Emissions from both Conventional and Oil Sands Derived Crude Than Previously Shown; Oils Sands Emissions Comparable to Conventional Oil Production in Some Cases

Green Car Congress

Two new lifecycle studies have found that direct greenhouse emissions from producing, transporting and refining oil-sands derived crude, while greater on average than those from conventional crudes, can also overlap the conventional crude range, depending upon a number of factors.

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Study finds plausibly high volumes of Canadian oil sands crudes in US refineries in 2025 would lead to modest increases in refinery CO2 emissions

Green Car Congress

An analysis of the US refining sector, based on linear programming (LP) modeling, finds that refining plausibly high volumes of Canadian oil sands crudes in US refineries in 2025 would lead to a modest increase in refinery CO 2 emissions (ranging between 5.4% to 9.3%) from a 2010 baseline, depending upon the supply scenario.

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New Toyota Highlander turbocharged engine offers more torque and fewer emissions

Green Car Congress

The new engine, standard across all gasoline grades, is also more environmentally conscious, with more than a 50% reduction in NO x and NMOG compared to the outgoing V6 engine. The 2023 Highlander turbo models offer a choice of FWD or two different available AWD systems. This results in a significant 17% increase over the previous 3.5-liter

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MIT/RAND Study Concludes Three Types of Alternative Jet Fuel May Be Available in Commercial Quantities Over the Next Decade

Green Car Congress

The focus of the work was on alternative jet fuels that could be available commercially in the next decade using primarily North American resources. Canadian oil sands and Venezuelan VHOs have the largest potential of several hundred thousand barrels per day of jet fuel, but their use would result in increased GHG emissions.

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