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US DOI finalizes plan for oil shale and oil sands research, demonstration and development

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Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar last week announced the Department of the Interior’s final plan for encouraging research, development and demonstration (RD&D) of oil shale and oil sands resources on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming. Earlier post.).

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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. Converting from units of carbon to CO 2 equivalents, this is between 41.8 million metric tons of stored carbon.

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U. Calgary analysis of energy balances and emissions of SAGD oil sands production finds need for improved processes; some operations not thermally efficient or net generators of energy

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Plot of cumulative steam-to-oil ratio (cSOR) vs. ratio of energy produced in form of chemical energy contained in bitumen if combusted to energy injected in form of steam (75% efficient steam generation). One of the key challenges in producing bitumen and heavy oil is their high, variable viscosity. From Gates and Larter (2013).

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Algae harvesting company OriginOil’s second CLEAN-FRAC licensing agreement targets Canadian oil sands market; urban algae demo project in Paris

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the developer of a process for harvesting algae and cleaning up oil & gas water, announced that its second original equipment manufacturer’s (OEM) agreement will target oil service companies in the Canadian oil sands market. LH was an early private investor in Athabasca Oil Corporation. OriginOil, Inc.,

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Sustainable Development Canada Awards C$6M to Project to Reduce Water and Energy Consumption for Oil Sands Processing; Three Other Projects Supported to Reduce Energy and Environmental Impact of Oil Sands

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million) to the Petroleum Technology Research Centre ( PTRC ) in Regina, Saskatchewan and StatoilHydro Canada for a project to reduce water use and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions for in situ oil sands recovery by steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD). Water use and CO 2 emissions are major challenges for the oil sand industry.

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SDTC awards C$1.5M to support Molten Salt Catalyzed Gasification for hydrogen production; targeting reduced GHG footprint for oil sands synthetic crude

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Hydrogen is necessary in the upgrading of oil sands bitumen into synthetic crude, but it is a costly and carbon-intensive part of the process, given current hydrogen production technologies. MSG converts natural gas into hydrogen with a 23% reduction in GHG emissions compared to steam methane reforming. will receive a $C1.5-million

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New fast hydrothermal process converts 65% of wet algae feedstock sample to biocrude in one minute

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Phillip Savage at the University of Michigan has found that with appropriate parameters, hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) can convert 65% of wet algae (a Nannochloropsis species) into biocrude in one minute. milliliters of wet algae, capped it and plunged it into 1,100-degree Fahrenheit sand. Credit: Savage Lab. Click to enlarge.

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