article thumbnail

As states continue to use less coal for electricity, driving electric vehicles becomes even cleaner

Green Car Congress

These results indicate that coal and oil are the energy sources leading to most emissions, and that hydro, wind, and nuclear are the energy sources leading to least emissions. On the two extremes, coal and oil result in about 176 times the emissions from hydro. North Dakota. North Dakota. North Dakota.

Coal 334
article thumbnail

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

Green Car Congress

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.

Water 303
article thumbnail

Flaring practices allow more methane into the atmosphere than thought; simple fixes can have big impact

Green Car Congress

Oil and gas producers rely on flaring to limit the venting of natural gas from their facilities. New research led by the University of Michigan shows that in the real world, this practice is far less effective than estimated, releasing five times more methane in the US than previously thought.

article thumbnail

Study finds air pollution and GHG costs of crude-by-rail nearly 2x pipeline costs; much larger than spill and accidents costs

Green Car Congress

Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh have found that the air pollution and greenhouse gas costs of shipping crude by rail are nearly twice as large as those for oil pipelines. Movements of petroleum products, particularly crude oil, have received enormous media attention.

Pollution 230
article thumbnail

DOE awards $19M to 13 initiatives in fossil-fuel areas to produce rare earth elements and critical minerals

Green Car Congress

Illinois Basin (Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana and Tennessee): Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois aims to lead a project to evaluate the domestic occurrence of strategic elements in coal, coal-based resources and waste streams from coal use. DOE Funding: $1,499,987. DOE Funding: $1,500,000. DOE Funding: $1,499,817.

article thumbnail

Argonne analysis shows greenhouse gas emissions similar for shale, conventional oil

Green Car Congress

Shale oil production generates greenhouse gas emissions at levels similar to conventional crude oil production, according to a pair of new studies released by the US Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory. These are shale formations with low permeability and must be hydraulically fractured to produce oil and gas.

Oil 150
article thumbnail

DOE awards $97M to 33 bioenergy research and development projects

Green Car Congress

University of Alabama. University of North Dakota. North Carolina State University. Oregon State University. University of Cincinnati. University of Maryland - College Park. Princeton University. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Utah State University.

Waste 186