Using Chemical and Isotopic Analyses to Improve Life-Cycle Assessments of the Natural Gas Consumed in California
Developing novel methods to estimate emissions from imported natural gas
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Recipient
Berkeley, CA
Recipient Location
9th
Senate District
14th
Assembly District
$549,978
Amount Spent
Completed
Project Status
Project Result
This project ended in 2023, and the final report is under review. The researchers analyzed enough samples to define unique isotopic signatures of the fossil gas delivered to California through the major pipelines supplying the state. This analysis, used in tandem with results obtained from surveys quantifying fossil gas leakage from out-of-state gas fields being done through CEC agreement PIR-17-11, can help support quantification of the full greenhouse gas emissions associated with domestic and imported fossil gas used in California.
The Issue
California Assembly Bill 1496 (AB 1496) states there is an urgent need for better information on the life-cycle emissions resulting from importing gas into California and for improving the monitoring and measurement of methane emissions from major sources in California. The isotopic fingerprinting of gas from different sources presents a promising approach for identifying specific sources of gas used in the state and helping to calculate their associated emissions. Specifically, the project found that abundance of “heavy” hydrogen isotopes in methane can be used to distinguish gas sources, but that processing of fossil gas shifts these ratios.
Project Innovation
This project investigated the chemical and isotopic content of fossil gas used in California pipelines from both in-state and out-of-state sources. The researchers collected samples and measured the concentrations of methane, ethane, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, and other constituents in the collected samples; they also performed isotopic analyses to investigate the possible utility of isotopic fingerprinting as a means of distinguishing between geographic sources of fossil gas used in California.
Project Goals
Project Benefits
This project explored the use of isotopic analysis as a means of identifying the origin of fossil gas consumed in California. Results could contribute to a breakthrough methodology for estimating total life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions for fossil gas used in California, providing support to the California Air Resources Board.
Environmental Sustainability
To improve life cycle analysis of fossil gas consumed in California, this project investigated the chemical and isotopic content of fossil gas from both in-state and out-of-state sources. Results show that the use of isotopic fingerprinting can identify these sources of fossil gas consumed in California. This study also supports the quantification of greenhouse gas emissions associated with domestic and imported fossil gas used in California.
Key Project Members
Mark Conrad
Match Partners
The Regents of the University of California, on behalf of the Berkeley Campus
