Opportunities for Oxyfiring to Reduce Upstream Life-Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Transportation Fuels

With the recent passage of the European Union's and California's low-carbon fuel standards and the potential for US climate-change legislation, the transportation fuel sector is under pressure reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Oxyfiring is a promising technology for reducing the CO2 footprint from this industrial sector, but it requires a significant amount of energy to generate oxygen. This study examines the potential for oxyfiring to reduce well-to-pump, life-cycle GHG emissions from the refining of conventional crude oil and the in-situ extraction and upgrading of oil sands. It will evaluate the importance of the potential reductions in the context of a vehicle's life-cycle GHG emissions. Specifically, the study considers the additional GHG emissions associated with the power required for air separation and CO2 handling; the fuel savings from oxyfiring compared to air firing; and the upstream GHG emissions associated with the additional fuel requirements.