article thumbnail

IHS CERA meta-analysis finds lifecycle GHG emissions for fuel produced solely from oil sands crude average 11% higher than from average crude refined in the US; high variability

Green Car Congress

Average values for WTW GHG emissions for oil sands and other crudes, tight boundary. When the oil sands products refined in the United States are considered—a mixture of oil sands and lower-carbon blending components—the GHG emissions are, on average, 9% higher than the average crude processed in the US.

Oil-Sands 388
article thumbnail

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

Mha (20%) of the peatlands of Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo in 2010, surpassing the area of Belgium and causing an annual carbon emission from peat decomposition of 230–310 Mt CO 2 e. Slightly more than half of the GHG emissions for these biofuels in the EPA’s analysis came from land use change. Earlier post.). —Dr.

Oil-Sands 314
article thumbnail

Statoil Canada oil sands SAGD project produces first oil

Green Car Congress

Statoil Canada has produced first oil from its SAGD (steam-assisted gravity drainage) Leismer Demonstration Project (LDP) in the Canadian oil sands after initiating steam injection in September 2010, one month ahead of schedule.

Oil-Sands 210
article thumbnail

Canada introduces new integrated plan for oil sands monitoring

Green Car Congress

Summary of the current oil sands developments (mining and in-situ) and associated land use. Canada’s Environment Minister Peter Kent released an integrated monitoring plan for the oil sands region. fail in its goal of generating the data necessary to provide assurance that the oil sands are.

Oil-Sands 199
article thumbnail

Enbridge to twin southern section of its Athabasca oil sands pipeline for about $1.2B

Green Car Congress

will twin the southern section of its Athabasca Pipeline from the Kirby Lake, Alberta terminal to the Hardisty, Alberta crude oil hub at an estimated cost of approximately C$1.2 billion project, originally proposed in 2005, was seen as a way to diversify markets for oil sands crude, with exports targeted for Asia and California.

Oil-Sands 220
article thumbnail

Ionic Liquids Process Recovers Bitumen from Utah Oil Sands With Little Water Use

Green Car Congress

A team at Penn State University has demonstrated that a previously developed method employing ionic liquids (ILs) together with a nonpolar solvent such as toluene can effect a separation of bitumen from oil sands in the Western US at ambient temperatures (~25 °C), although with greater difficulty than Canadian oil sands.

Oil-Sands 210
article thumbnail

Alberta conditionally approves Totals new Joslyn oil sands mine

Green Car Congress

A Joint Review Panel of the Government of Alberta’s Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB) has conditionally approved Total’s Joslyn oil sands mine. It consists of an oil sands surface mine and ore preparation and bitumen extraction facilities. Earlier post.). Initial operations are planned for 2017.

Oil-Sands 186