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

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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. Shamlou, Elmira & Vidic, Radisav & Khanna, Vikas. Desalination. doi: 10.1016/j.desal.2021.115513.

Water 303
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State Department releases final environmental impact statement on Keystone XL Pipeline Project; analysis of GHG emissions

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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 253
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State Department issues Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement on Keystone XL Pipeline: climate change impacts

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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. The pipeline would primarily transport crude oil from the WCSB and Bakken regions.

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UT Austin team and partners report on extensive measurements of methane emissions during natural gas production

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Estimated inventories of methane emissions from the natural gas production sector, excluding processing and transmission. A team of researchers from UT Austin’s Cockrell School of Engineering and environmental testing firms URS and Aerodyne Research completed measurements at 190 natural gas production sites across the United States.

Austin 218
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SwRI, UTSA researchers show biochar is low-cost, effective method to treat fracking water

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Researchers at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) have determined that biochar, a substance produced from plant matter, is a safe, effective and inexpensive method to treat flowback water following hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. —Maoqi Feng, SwRI.

Water 257
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UT Austin to lead $58M study of methane hydrate in Gulf of Mexico; $41M from DOE

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A research team led by The University of Texas at Austin has been awarded approximately $58 million to analyze methane hydrate deposits under the Gulf of Mexico. Methane hydrate—natural gas trapped in an ice-like cage of water molecules—occurs in both terrestrial and marine environments.

Mexico 294
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DOE to award up to $12.4M to 11 projects focused on shale gas and enhanced oil recovery

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The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy (FE) has selected 11 research projects that will help find ways to extract more energy from unconventional oil and gas resources while reducing environmental risks for awards totalling $12.4 The selections include $10.3 The selections include $10.3

Oil 225