EPICC

A large percent of the population have negative views about the production of oil shale because of the refining process and the amount of greenhouse gases released.  Adam Brandt and Hiren Mulchandani, Stanford University, might have the answer for this problem -- EPICC (Electricity Production with In Situ Carbon Capture).  EPICC is a proposed new technology that combines production of electricity with capture of carbon dioxide, producing electricity with in situ carbon capture in a self-fueled method. 

EPICC reduces CO2 emissions by:
1. Utilizing waste heat to retort shale
2. Retoring shale beyond the point of HC production, converting much of the organic carbon in oil shale to char which is left in the subsurface
3. Using the produced HC gas to generate, which provides transportation services with no tailpipe emissions

From the research, the resulting life cycle of GHG emissions from EPICC is ~110 g of CO2 per km; this is ~0.5 times those of conventional fuel cycles and ~.33 time those from other proposed in situ oil shale conversion processes. 

Some of the potential negatives of EPICC are: uncertain operation of subsurface fuel cells, potential geophysical impacts without pressure management, and economic concerns associated with the value of stranded energy left in the formation, and the long time period of retorting.

There are ~3 trillion bbl (discovered) of oil trapped within shale oil formations around the world.  The United States has potentially 1 trillion barrels of oil; the world's largest deposit is in the Green River Formation right here in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming.  With this new proposed technology, the petroleum industry can better control the amount of greenhouse gases produced and help unlock resources in oil shale formations with better environmental controls.

Related Links:
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-04/acs-ute042011.php
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1021/ef101714x
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110420112104.htm