Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Current Oil Sands Technologies: Surface Mining and In Situ Applications

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• 作者：Joule A. Bergerson ; Oyeshola Kofoworola ; Alex D. Charpentier ; Sylvia Sleep ; Heather L. MacLean
• 刊名：Environmental Science & Technology (ES&T)
• 出版年：2012
• 出版时间：July 17, 2012
• 年：2012
• 卷：46
• 期：14
• 页码：7865-7874
• 全文大小：296K
• 年卷期：v.46,no.14(July 17, 2012)
• ISSN：1520-5851

文摘

Life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with two major recovery and extraction processes currently utilized in Alberta鈥檚 oil sands, surface mining and in situ, are quantified. Process modules are developed and integrated into a life cycle model-GHOST (GreenHouse gas emissions of current Oil Sands Technologies) developed in prior work. Recovery and extraction of bitumen through surface mining and in situ processes result in 3鈥? and 9鈥?6 g CO₂eq/MJ bitumen, respectively; upgrading emissions are an additional 6鈥?7 g CO₂eq/MJ synthetic crude oil (SCO) (all results are on a HHV basis). Although a high degree of variability exists in well-to-wheel emissions due to differences in technologies employed, operating conditions, and product characteristics, the surface mining dilbit and the in situ SCO pathways have the lowest and highest emissions, 88 and 120 g CO₂eq/MJ reformulated gasoline. Through the use of improved data obtained from operating oil sands projects, we present ranges of emissions that overlap with emissions in literature for conventional crude oil. An increased focus is recommended in policy discussions on understanding interproject variability of emissions of both oil sands and conventional crudes, as this has not been adequately represented in previous studies.