YSM Issue 97.1
FOCUS Environmental Engineering IMAGE COURTESY OF FLICKR The Keystone Pipeline System transports crude oil from the Athabasca oil sands in Alberta, Canada, to various destinations in the United States. percentage difference between estimated carbon emissions and reported values (6,324 percent), while Canadian Natural Resources had the lowest difference (1,922 percent). “The benefit of a total gas-phase organic carbon measurement is that you convert all of the complex mixture of organic carbon compounds to carbon dioxide with a catalyst and just measure the produced carbon dioxide,” Gentner said. This means that instead of individually quantifying each organic carbon compound present in the atmosphere, the researchers were able to directly measure carbon content, streamlining the measurement process. Consequently, IVOCs and SVOCs are just as much a part of the equation as VOCs normally are. However, this conversion makes it difficult to attribute respective measurements to the specific organic carbon compounds. Thus, additional measurements were necessary to conduct the experiments and distinguish between different organic compounds. In addition, based on observations from the aircraft, the researchers determined that non- combustion-related sources largely contribute to the emissions. “[This] is likely contributed to by a range of on-site sources across the lifecycle of oil sands extraction [and] processing,” He said. Supplementary experiments were conducted to determine whether mature fine tailings also contributed to the total organic carbon observed during the flights. Mature fine tailings are structures that are built into the earth and house mining waste from oil sands. This waste consists of a mixture of particles, such as sand, clay, and silt, which are difficult to separate from wastewater and serve as a persistent environmental pollutant. Over time, off- gassing emissions—emissions released under normal environmental conditions— were measured. The magnitude and chemical composition of emissions were determined, and the researchers demonstrated that mature fine tailings contribute to the total organic carbon observed. “The collection of aircraft and laboratory measurements in the study demonstrates the importance of considering life-cycle- wide emissions, spanning from mining through waste management and disposal,” Gentner said. Limitations of Aircraft-Based Emissions Monitoring These new aircraft-based measurements elucidated stark differences between the total reported annual carbon emissions compared to the total annual carbon emission estimates, calling for a need to better monitor the impact of oil production on our climate. However, there are a few limitations to this study. Methane is responsible for approximately ABOUT THE AUTHOR sixteen percent of global emissions, making it the second-largest contributor to climate warming after carbon dioxide. Despite being one of the most abundant greenhouse gases, it was excluded from the study. “Other research by Environment and Climate Change Canada has specifically examined methane [and carbon dioxide] emissions,” He said. Thus, the researchers decided to specifically focus on VOCs, IVOCs, and SVOCs, which methane does not fall under. In addition, it may be difficult to use aircraft-based measurements in other cases beyond Canada’s oil sands due to sensitivity. “Generally speaking, aircraft-based measurements are challenging since you have an array of sensitive instrumentation on the aircraft that you are preparing for each flight,” Gentner said. The researchers were careful to adequately calibrate and monitor each flight to prevent any inaccurate measurements. Improving Reporting of Total Organic Carbon Emissions Ultimately, the findings from this study can help inform future policy. The researchers identified challenges with reporting and monitoring diverse gaseous organic compounds but also highlighted the necessity of obtaining comprehensive emissions data. With these new methods for quantifying total carbon emissions beyond VOCs, policymakers will be able to determine which programs must be implemented. As we seek to mitigate worsening climate change, it is imperative to have accurate measurements of total carbon emissions to create accurate, effective, and crucial environmental policies and regulations across the globe. ■ ABIGAIL JOLTEUS ABIGAIL JOLTEUS is a junior in Berkeley College from Toronto, Canada, and West Palm Beach, Florida. Outside of YSM, she conducts research in the Konnikova Lab. She enjoys poeticizing the mundane, the smell of books, and the sound of rain. She also loves canoeing, swimming, and gardening. THE AUTHOR WOULD LIKE TO THANK Megan He, Lexie Gardner, and Drew Gentner for their time, dedicaton, and expertise. FURTHER READING: Liggio, J., Li, S. M., Hayden, K., Taha, Y. M., Stroud, C., Darlington, A., Drollette, B. D., Gordon, M., Lee, P., Liu, P., Leithead, A., Moussa, S. G., Wang, D., O'Brien, J., Mittermeier, R. L., Brook, J. R., Lu, G., Staebler, R. M., Han, Y.,…Gentner, D. R. (2016). Oil sands operations as a large source of secondary organic aerosols. Nature, 534(7605), 91–94. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature17646 Rios, B., Díaz-Esteban, Y., & Raga, G. B. (2023). Smoke emissions from biomass burning in Central Mexico and their impact on air quality in Mexico City: May 2019 case study. Science of the Total Environment, 904, 166912. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.16691 18 Yale Scientific Magazine March 2024 www.yalescientific.org
Astrochemistry FOCUS Cosmic Time Capsules Carbonic Clues from Ancient Asteroid Molecules www.yalescientific.org By Diya Naik and Max Watzky Art by Cara Chong March 2024 Yale Scientific Magazine 19
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Astrochemistry<br />
FOCUS<br />
Cosmic Time<br />
Capsules<br />
Carbonic Clues from Ancient<br />
Asteroid Molecules<br />
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By Diya Naik and Max Watzky<br />
Art by Cara Chong<br />
March 2024 Yale Scientific Magazine 19
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