Estimating greenhouse gas emissions resulting from alternative transportation fuels using total fuel cycle

Conference · Tue Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1996

OSTI ID:617982

Senthil, V ^[1]

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1. Department of Energy, Washington, DC (United States)

This paper describes the impacts of alternative transportation fuels on environment in reference to the Section 503 of the Energy policy Act of 1992 (EPACT). Section 503 (a)(4) and (b)(3) of the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EPACT) requires EIA to provide estimates of GHG emissions resulting from alternative transportation fuels (ATFs). The purpose of this paper is to describe efforts by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) to provide estimates of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for the total fuel cycle - production, distribution and vehicle stages - for alternative transportation fuels (ATFs). This paper will discuss the GHG estimates for the following ATFs: compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), methanol from natural gas and ethanol from corn. This paper also discusses some of EIA`s major conclusions obtained from greenhouse gas analysis. One principal finding is that there are minimal reductions in weighted GHG emissions from ATFs for an entire fuel cycle if water vapor is taken into account. Also, across the entire fuel cycle, CNG produces the lowest carbon dioxide emissions followed by LPG and ethanol from corn. CNG produces the largest; ethanol from corn produces the largest nitrous oxide emissions.

• OSTI ID: 617982
• Report Number(s): CONF-9609223--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

03 NATURAL GAS
10 SYNTHETIC FUELS
CARBON DIOXIDE
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
ETHANOL
FUEL SUBSTITUTION
GREENHOUSE GASES
METHANOL
NATURAL GAS
NITROUS OXIDE
PROCESSING
VEHICLES