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3 Responses to “Greenhouse Gas Emissions”

1. tarsandsbiketrip, on September 27th, 2007 at 3:08 pm Said:

   So, production of synthetic oil from tar sands adds 23% to the overall GHG emissions from conventional crude oil.

   Canada’s yearly emissions are around 740 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents per year.
   Of which, 600 million are from energy industry, including 360 from stationary sources and 190 from transportation. The energy industry includes the production of fossil fuels, at 71 million tonnes of CO2 per year.
   Non-energy industrial processes: 52 million tonnes. Agriculture: 62 million. Waste: 25 million (4).

   Details, sources, and actual figures:
   Bitumen Synthetic Oil Conventional Oil
   Extraction 100kg (1), 93.5kg (6) 23.3 (6)
   Refining 7.78kg (5), 39.2kg (6 and 2) 7.78kg (5), 39.2kg (6 and 2)
   Fugitive 15.8 (6) 6.4 kg (2), 2.0kg (6)
   Burning Fuel* 336kg (2 and 3) 336kg (2 and 3)
   Rough Sum Total 472 kg 384 kg

   * Burning Fuel category refers only to the burning of the finished product such as gasoline, outside of the fossil fuels production industry.

   EXTRACTION

   100 kg of CO2 is emitted during the production of one barrel of crude from tar sands (1)

   Emissions for the production of crude:
   5kg CO2/ GJ conventional (6)
   20kg CO2/ GJ synthetic (6)

   These numbers take into account both feedstock recovery (average 92% of emissions) (acquiring bitumen or oil through mining or drilling) as well as flares and leaks (8%)

   Converting to emissions per barrel:
   5kg CO2/ GJ * 42GJ/tonne * 1 tonne/ 1000kg * 0.7kg/L * 159 L/ barrel
   = 23.3 kg/ barrel conventional
   And therefore 93.5 kg CO2/ barrel synthetic

   REFINING

   Energy required for refining is around 0.12 GJ/ GJ for refining crude into various products (6). The exact number depends on the specific gravity, sulfur content, and API value, and may be found by a formula in this reference.
   Assuming Crude oil has an energy intensity of 42 GJ/ tonne (2), this is equivalent to 5 GJ per tonne crude or 0.55 GJ per barrel.
   = 39.6kg CO2 per barrel

   The energy consumed daily by crude distillation is 114,000 Btu/barrel. (5)
   = 0.108 GJ per barrel
   = 7.78 kg CO2 per barrel

   (8.98 barrels per tonne of crude)

   In addition to combustion for crude preheat trains and distillation columns, CO2 is released as a byproduct of the production of hydrogen from natural gas.

   Quantities of fuels combusted in the energy industries.
   For emission calculations there are three principal groups of activities involving fuels in the energy and transformation sector:
   (i) The transformation of primary fuels into secondary fuels by physical or chemical processes not involving combustion of the primary fuel. For example, manufacture of petroleum products from crude oil.
   (ii) The production of heat for sale or for electricity generation.
   (iii) Combustion of fuels to support the main energy extraction or production business of the enterprise. For example, use of refinery gas for heating distillation columns, use of colliery methane at mines for heating purposes.
   Quote from reference (2)

   FUGITIVE EMISSIONS: LEAKS AND FLARING

   0.434 kg CO2/ GJ conventional crude oil from gas leaks and flares, Canada (6)
   = 2.0 kg CO2 per barrel of crude
   3.40 kg CO2 / GJ synthetic crude from gas leaks and flares, Canada (6)
   = 15.8 kg CO2 per barrel of synthetic crude

   2 870 - 13 920 kg CO2 equivalent per PJ of crude from venting, flaring, and fugitive emissions in the USA (section 1.31 of reference 2)
   = 6.4 kg CO2 per barrel

   Crude Oil Transportation and Refining: Crude oil is transported by pipelines
   and tankers to refineries where it is stored in tanks for a period of time. Methane is
   present, in varying degrees, in crude oil, and leaks or venting of vapours during
   transport and storage result in methane emissions, particularly from crude oil
   tankering.
   Refineries process crude oil into a variety of hydrocarbon products such as gasoline
   and kerosene. During the refining process, dissolved gases are separated some of
   which may be leaked or vented during processing. Refinery outputs, referred to as
   “refined products,” generally contain negligible amounts of methane. Consequently,
   methane emissions are not estimated for transporting and distributing refined
   products. Refineries are operated in 102 countries.
   Quote from reference (2)

   BURNING REFINED FUEL

   One barrel of crude is 159 L and crude has density of around 0.70 kg/L
   Crude oil has an energy intensity of 42 GJ/ tonne (2)
   Carbon dioxide production for most transportation fuels is close to 72 kg /GJ (3)
   Therefore, per barrel, crude produces
   159L x 0.7kg/L x 1tonne/ 1000kg x 42 GJ/ tonne fuel x 72 kg CO2/ GJ

   = 336 kg of CO2 per barrel of crude when burned as fuel

   50% of synthetic crude from Fort McMurray is made into gasoline, according to the interpreter at the Oil Sands Discover Center, so the majority of crude is certainly used for fuel stock. Only 2% of petroleum in the US is made into fertilizers (7) and 3% is made into polymers (8).

   (1) Source: The Pembina Institute estimates in their report Carbon Neutral by 2020.
   (2) Source: Table 1-3, page 30, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [IPCC]. (2005), Revised 1996 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, Reference Manual (Volume 3), Geneva, Switzerland: World Meteorological Organization. Retrieved January 22, 2006 from: http://www.ipcc-nggip.iges.or.jp/public/gl/invs1.htm
   (3) Source: pp. 1.70-1.75, and table 1-1, Energy section, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [IPCC]. (2005), Revised 1996 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, Reference Manual (Volume 3), Geneva, Switzerland: World Meteorological Organization. Retrieved January 22, 2006 from: http://www.ipcc-nggip.iges.or.jp/public/gl/invs1.htm
   (4) Source: Executive Summary of: Environment Canada. (2005). Canada’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory, 1990 – 2003: Canada’s Official Greenhouse Gas Inventory Submission to the UNFCCC. Ottawa: Environment Canada.
   (5) Page 7. Joan L. Pellegrino and Tracy M. Carole. (2004) Impacts of condition assessment on energy use: selected applications in chemicals processing and petroleum refining. Washington DC: US Department of Energy. Retrieved September 27, 2007 from: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/industry/petroleum_refining/pdfs/condition_assessment.pdf
   (6) S&T Consultants Incorporated (2007), Crude Oil Production Update for GHGenius. Ottawa: Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved September 27, 2007 from:
   http://www.ghgenius.ca/reports/2007CrudeOilUpdateReport.pdf
   (7) Rodale Book of Composting (1992) by Deborah L Martin
   (8) Polymers, the Environment, and Sustainable Development (2003) Edited by Ian Hamerton

   For further enjoyment see:

   Allocating the CO2 emissions of an oil refinery with Aumann–Shapley prices
   Axel Pierru
   Center for Economics and Management, IFP (IFP School), 228–232 Avenue Napoléon Bonaparte, 92852 Rueil Malmaison Cedex, France
   Energy Economics, Volume 29, Issue 3, May 2007, Pages 563-577 Copyright © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

   KEY GHG DATA
   Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data for 1990 – 2003 submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, 2006.
   Darcy Says:
   August 31st, 2007 at 9:58 am
   Why don’t you do a tour of the coal mining areas of China? The oilsands contribute very little to Global pollution and shutting down Canadian industries would make no difference, all it would do is destroy the economy. How much of the stuff you are using is made in China, the world’s biggest polluter?
   Actually, Darcy, I believe the USA is the world’s biggest polluter (greenhouse gas for sure. Do you have a source or a specific type of pollution in mind?). But you have a point. Other parts of the world likely have less regulation on environmental damage and pollution. Also we are lucky that in Canada we have a political environment that allows groups like the Sierra Club to exist and influence policy in the interest of the people.

2. Tim Dunn, on December 11th, 2007 at 12:15 pm Said:

   Thanks for the GHG calculations by tarsandsbiketrip. I have compared the GHG emissions from biofuels like Methylester biodiesel and US ethanol to synthetic oil from tar sands. Guess what. They are about equal. These biofuels have huge land use and agricultural GHG emissions. For example, encouraging sustainable forestry practices in Indonesia over palm oil plantations provides much greater GHG reductions than any biodiesel produced. They are ripping out the forests because palm oil pays better.

   Advanced bio-conservation, land management combined with energy efficiency and CO2 sequestration is the only way you can significantly reduce GHG. Complaining about tar sands, coal, and petro use just diverts the focus. Major reductions in US and China per capita energy use must come first. US and China should be forced to pay for the pollution. The money collected should go to the countries that are suffering the effects of global warming now.

3. Coach handbag, on April 8th, 2010 at 11:34 pm Said:

   Wonderful, it is a honor to read your article here, i like you post very much, thank you for taking your time to this!

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