Comparison, Oil-Sands and Resource

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

JULY 7, 2012

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.

Oil-Sands

Oil-Sands Oil Gas-Electric Emissions

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

Green Car Congress

MARCH 13, 2012

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. Oil sands mining and reclamation cause massive loss of peatland and stored carbon. —Rooney et al.

Oil-Sands

Oil-Sands Oil Carbon Conversion

Studies find oil sands-derived crude oil no more corrosive in pipelines than other crudes

Green Car Congress

NOVEMBER 21, 2012

Both scientific research and industrial experience have found that bitumen-derived crude oil (i.e., crude from the oil sands) is no more corrosive in transmission pipelines than other crudes, according to Natural Resources Canada (NRC). In the absence of water, the crude oil is noncorrosive. —ASTM G205.

Oil-Sands

Oil-Sands Oil Water Canada

New study suggests reported PAH emissions in oil sands region greatly underestimated

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 4, 2014

Results from a new modeling assessment of contamination in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region (AOSR) suggest that officially reported emissions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in that region have been greatly underestimated. —Parajulee and Wania. Average emissions densities from Shen et al. Source: Parajulee and Wania.

Oil-Sands

Oil-Sands Oil Emissions Pollution

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

Green Car Congress

JULY 10, 2015

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.

Oil-Sands

Oil-Sands Oil Energy Fuel

New lifecycle analysis of WTW GHG emissions of diesel and gasoline refined in US from Canadian oil sands crude

Green Car Congress

JUNE 26, 2015

In a new, comprehensive study, a team from Argonne National Laboratory, Stanford University and UC Davis ITS has estimated the well-to-wheels (WTW) GHG emissions of US production of gasoline and diesel sourced from Canadian oil sands. g CO 2 e/MJ for US conventional crude oil recovery. This range can be compared to ∼4.4

Oil-Sands

Oil-Sands Oil Gasoline Emissions

Researcher urges more effort on assessment of land and water impacts of oil sands production; reference point for other unconventional fuels

Green Car Congress

MARCH 18, 2012

Bitumen production from the Canadian oil sands provides a point of reference that could be used to observe and better manage the land and water impacts of a rapid transition to unconventional fuels, suggests Dr. Sarah Jordaan of the Energy Technology Innovation Policy Research Group, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University.

Oil-Sands

Oil-Sands Water Oil Fuel

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

Green Car Congress

APRIL 27, 2012

The majority (62%) of the plantations were located on the island of Sumatra, and more than two-thirds (69%) of all industrial plantations were developed for oil palm cultivation, with the remainder mostly being Acacia plantations for paper pulp production. Earlier post.). —Dr.

Oil-Sands

Oil-Sands Oil Emissions Climate

Pitt engineers using membrane distillation to recycle water used in fracking and drilling

Green Car Congress

JUNE 8, 2022

Engineers at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering are using membrane distillation technology to enable drillers to filter and reuse the produced water in the oil and gas industry, in agriculture, and other beneficial uses. The method is already being tested in Texas, North Dakota, and most recently in New Stanton, Pa.

Water

Water North Dakota Oil-Sands Engine

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

Green Car Congress

MAY 21, 2010

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”.

Oil-Sands

Oil-Sands Oil 2010 Production

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

Green Car Congress

AUGUST 21, 2009

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.

Oil-Sands

Oil-Sands Oil Wisconsin United States

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

JULY 24, 2009

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.

Oil-Sands

Oil-Sands Oil Emissions Range

Ecofys report concludes current European regulations underestimating GHG reductions

Green Car Congress

NOVEMBER 13, 2014

The study was commissioned by the European Oilseed Alliance (EOA), the European Biodiesel Board (EBB) and the European Vegetable Oil and Proteinmeal Industry (FEDIOL). Even for conventional oil production fields, because larger existing fields get depleted, the extraction efforts increase while smaller fields are taken in operation.

Oil-Sands

Oil-Sands Oil 2014 Fuel

State Department issues Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement on Keystone XL Pipeline: climate change impacts

Green Car Congress

MARCH 2, 2013

Comparison of proposed Keystone XL route to previously proposed project segment. The US Department of State (DOS) has released its Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) in response to TransCanada’s May 2012 application for the Keystone XL pipeline that would run from Canada’s oils sands in Alberta to Nebraska.

Climate Change

Climate Change Oil-Sands Nebraska Climate

State Department releases final environmental impact statement on Keystone XL Pipeline Project; analysis of GHG emissions

Green Car Congress

AUGUST 26, 2011

Comparison of the percent differential for WTW (well-to-wheel) GHGs from gasoline produced from WCSB oil sands using different production processes relative to gasoline produced from reference crudes. The proposed Project is not likely to impact the amount of crude oil produced from the oil sands.

Oil-Sands

Oil-Sands Emissions Oil Oklahoma

Marathon Oil splitting in two

Green Car Congress

JANUARY 15, 2011

The Board of Directors of Marathon Oil Corporation has approved moving forward with plans to spin off Marathon’s downstream business, creating two independent energy companies. Marathon Oil Corporation (MRO) will be a global upstream company based in Houston, Texas. Superior transparency and improved investor focus.

Oil

Oil Oil-Sands Houston Corporation

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

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 9, 2012

Comparison of GHGenius, JACOBS, TIAX, and the new PRELIM gasoline greenhouse gas (GHG) estimates using base case estimates and variations from the scenario analysis. The configurations are differentiated by the presence of gas oil hydrocracking; fluid catalytic cracking (FCC); delayed coking; and residual hydrocracking.

Oil-Sands

Oil-Sands Emissions Oil Hydrogen

UC Davis ITS researchers take a detailed look at water consumption and withdrawal requirements for ethanol

Green Car Congress

APRIL 28, 2011

Comparison with fossil fuels. Water is required for crude oil recovery by water flooding, enhanced oil recovery via steam injection, and steam extraction of bitumen from oil sands and during refining of crude oil to produce gasoline. —Mishra and Yeh. and from 0.29 L/VKT, respectively. and from 0.29

Water

Water Davis Oil-Sands Nebraska

Wanxiang and GreatPoint Energy close $1.25B deal for 1 Tcf/year coal-to-natural-gas plant in Xinjiang; Sinopec to purchase output, building pipeline to east

Green Car Congress

MAY 21, 2012

By comparison, syngas resulting from conventional gasification cannot be converted to pipeline quality natural gas without further processing. Inherent in the technology is the ability to capture nearly all emissions, including carbon dioxide, which can be sequestered and used for oil production through Enhanced Oil Recovery.

Coal

Coal Gas Purchase Energy

State Department releases Keystone XL Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 1, 2014

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 That portion of the pipeline has already been built. million bpd in 2010 to 6.5

Oil-Sands

Oil-Sands Nebraska Oil Montana

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

Green Car Congress

OCTOBER 15, 2009

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.

Commercial

Commercial Oil-Sands Water Gasoline

Researchers exploring development of biofilms for remediation of oilsands tailings

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 26, 2011

Researchers at the Universities of Calgary and Alberta are collaborating on a project for the microbial remediation of oil sands tailings—the waste byproducts of oil sands surface mining that are collected in large manufactured settling basins called tailing ponds. —Golby et al. m below the surface.

Oil-Sands

Oil-Sands Oil Environment Water

Increase in US rig count will not cap oil prices

Green Car Congress

JUNE 23, 2016

The impact of rising oil prices on North American light tight oil (LTO) production is said to be a “Catch 22”, the title of Joseph Heller’s popular 1961 novel set in WWII. Too many analysts continue to believe drilling and service has the same problem with rising oil prices. by David Yager for Oilprice.com.

Oil Prices

Oil Prices Oil Price Oil-Sands

Study finds well-to-wheels GHG emissions of GTL diesel lower than that of petroleum diesel when co-product displacement is considered

Green Car Congress

SEPTEMBER 25, 2011

The study also highlights the potential for blending GTL diesel in refineries with heavy crudes that require severe hydrotreating, such as Venezuelan heavy crude oil or bitumen derived from Canadian oil sands and/or in jurisdictions with tight aromatic specifications for diesel, such as California. GTL Lubricant Base Oils.

Diesel

Diesel Emissions Oil-Sands Production

USGS CARA Concludes 13% of Worlds Undiscovered Oil, 30% of Undiscovered Gas in the Arctic

Green Car Congress

MAY 29, 2009

Map of the assessment units (AUs) of the CARA is color-coded for mean estimated undiscovered oil. The US Geological Survey (USGS) has completed a geologically-based assessment of the oil and gas resource potential of the Arctic, the Circum-Arctic Resource Appraisal (CARA). Black lines indicate AU boundaries.

Oil

Oil Gas Oil-Sands Alaska

Argonne releases GREET 2014 lifecycle analysis software; unified graphical toolbox and database

Green Car Congress

OCTOBER 8, 2014

Users can add/modify resources, technologies, processes, pathways and vehicles using intuitive editors. Each individual natural resource used and emissions can be traced in the pathway. The results of different vehicles can be viewed side by side for comparison. User-added data. Preferred units.

2014

2014 Oil-Sands Emissions Carbon

Peabody Energy and GreatPoint Energy To Partner on Coal-to-Gas and Coal-to-Hydrogen Facilities with Carbon Capture and Storage

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 19, 2010

Peabody Energy and GreatPoint Energy signed an agreement to pursue development of coal-to-gas and coal-to-hydrogen projects in the United States and around the world with carbon capture and storage (CCS) that would achieve near-zero carbon emissions, while increasing the production of stranded oil via enhanced oil recovery.

Coal

Coal Carbon Gas Energy

EV Driven

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

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

Studies find oil sands-derived crude oil no more corrosive in pipelines than other crudes

New study suggests reported PAH emissions in oil sands region greatly underestimated

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

New lifecycle analysis of WTW GHG emissions of diesel and gasoline refined in US from Canadian oil sands crude

Researcher urges more effort on assessment of land and water impacts of oil sands production; reference point for other unconventional fuels

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

Pitt engineers using membrane distillation to recycle water used in fracking and drilling

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

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

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

Ecofys report concludes current European regulations underestimating GHG reductions

State Department issues Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement on Keystone XL Pipeline: climate change impacts

State Department releases final environmental impact statement on Keystone XL Pipeline Project; analysis of GHG emissions

Marathon Oil splitting in two

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

UC Davis ITS researchers take a detailed look at water consumption and withdrawal requirements for ethanol

Wanxiang and GreatPoint Energy close $1.25B deal for 1 Tcf/year coal-to-natural-gas plant in Xinjiang; Sinopec to purchase output, building pipeline to east

State Department releases Keystone XL Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement

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

Researchers exploring development of biofilms for remediation of oilsands tailings

Increase in US rig count will not cap oil prices

Study finds well-to-wheels GHG emissions of GTL diesel lower than that of petroleum diesel when co-product displacement is considered

USGS CARA Concludes 13% of Worlds Undiscovered Oil, 30% of Undiscovered Gas in the Arctic

Argonne releases GREET 2014 lifecycle analysis software; unified graphical toolbox and database

Peabody Energy and GreatPoint Energy To Partner on Coal-to-Gas and Coal-to-Hydrogen Facilities with Carbon Capture and Storage

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