Life Cycle Associates is pleased to provide on ARB’s presentations and concept paper for the LCFS... more Life Cycle Associates is pleased to provide on ARB’s presentations and concept paper for the LCFS March 11 LCFS workshop. The ARB has performed extensive analyses with both CA_GREET and GTAP and the work has come a long way over the past six years. ARB has presented some information that should be addressed; so, I am providing these comments with the aim of improving the efficiency, transparency, and accuracy of the LCFS GHG analysis. Biofuel Bins ARB proposes to establish bins for Tier 1 biofuels. The stated objective is to reduce staff time on fuels that are well known and be able to focus more time on emerging fuels. ARB proposed several options. Initial Suggestion: Establish bins for biofuels with declining bin size from 10 to 3 g CO2e/MJ Alternatives: Establish look up table or formula to establish carbon intensities (CI) with a full range of Method 1 pathways. ARB’s efforts to streamline the pathway process are commendable. However, the proposed approaches have some issues dis...
Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per res... more Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to
In 1982, the California Energy Commission embarked upon its first heavy-duty methanol demonstrati... more In 1982, the California Energy Commission embarked upon its first heavy-duty methanol demonstration project. The Methanol-Fueled Transit Bus Demonstration Project continued for 8 years. The goal of this demonstration project was to demonstrate the viability of methanol as a fuel for transit applications. This Phase II report concludes the project, summarizing the final results of the demonstration effort. The introduction provides a brief description of the coaches; Section 2 summarizes the revenue service demostration; Section 3 details the vehicle maintenance and durability results; Section 4, the cost analysis, includes maintenance, fuel, and capital and operating costs, Section 5 summarizes the results of emissions tests conducted in 1985, 1988, and 1989, and, Section 6 summarizes the study's results.
In the past two years, the Federal and California State governments have announced initiatives to... more In the past two years, the Federal and California State governments have announced initiatives to invest in the development of hydrogen fueling infrastructure for hydrogen vehicles. Industry and government are now working together to determine cost-effective strategies for accomplishing this task. Key concerns are 1) high hydrogen cost, 2) equipment under-utilization while vehicle demand is low, and 3) high fuel
This report was prepared as the result of work sponsored by the California Energy Commission. It ... more This report was prepared as the result of work sponsored by the California Energy Commission. It does not necessarily represent the views of the Energy Commission, its employees or the State of California. The Energy Commission, the State of California, its employees, contractors and subcontractors make no warrant, express or implied, and assume no legal liability for the information in this report; nor does any party represent that the uses of this information will not infringe upon privately owned rights. This report has not been approved or disapproved by the California Energy Commission nor has the California Energy Commission passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of the
made an analysis, verified, or rendered an independent judgment of the validity of the informatio... more made an analysis, verified, or rendered an independent judgment of the validity of the information provided by others. While it is believed that the information contained herein will be reliable under the conditions and subject to the limitations set forth herein, Jacobs Consultancy does not guarantee the accuracy thereof. Use of this report or any information contained therein shall constitute a release and contract to defend and indemnify Jacobs Consultancy from and against any liability (including but not limited to liability for special, indirect or consequential damages) in connection with such use. Such release from and indemnification against liability shall apply in contract, tort (including negligence of such party, whether active, passive, joint or concurrent), strict liability or other theory of legal liability, provided, however, such release limitation and indemnity provisions shall be effective to, and only to, the maximum extent, scope, or amount allowed by law. This ...
Thyroid stimulating hormone and insulin-like growth factor 1 receptors (TSHRs and IGF1Rs, respect... more Thyroid stimulating hormone and insulin-like growth factor 1 receptors (TSHRs and IGF1Rs, respectively) interact leading to additive or synergistic stimulation of cellular responses. Recent findings provide evidence that the interaction between TSHRs and IGF1Rs is similar to that described for other G protein-coupled receptors and receptor tyrosine kinases. These types of interactions occur at or proximal to the receptors and are designated "receptor cross-talk." Herein, we describe our studies in human thyrocytes, human retro-orbital fibroblasts from Graves' orbitopathy patients and a model cell line that support the concept of TSHR/IGF1R cross-talk. We also discuss how receptor cross-talk is involved in stimulation by a monoclonal TSHR-stimulating antibody and how targeting both receptors may lead to novel treatments of Graves' orbitopathy.
Corn stover (cobs, stalks, and leaves) can be used as a cellulosic feedstock for ethanol or as a ... more Corn stover (cobs, stalks, and leaves) can be used as a cellulosic feedstock for ethanol or as a replacement for corn and hay or corn silage in animal feed. Corn stover is an important part of the life cycle of corn, either as fuel or as animal feed, but most LCA models treat them separately from grain ethanol. Life cycle greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) for corn-based biofuel pathways were estimated in order to explore the life cycle boundary impacts of using treated corn stover (TSF) as cattle feed. Depending on the life cycle modeling boundaries, the treatment of these emissions credits and debits results in significantly different GHG estimates. Our estimate for the carbon intensity of corn grain ethanol alone is 62 g/MJ. However, corn grain ethanol combined with TSF or corn stover ethanol reduces the composite numbers to 56 and 52 g/MJ respectively, both considerably lower than corn ethanol alone. As cellulosic ethanol from stover and TSF become more common, the current LCA proc...
Energy Commission and do not necessarily represent those of the State of California. Neither the ... more Energy Commission and do not necessarily represent those of the State of California. Neither the State of California, the Energy Commission, nor any of their employees, contractors, or subcontractors, makes any warranty, expressed or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, product, or process enclosed, or
This report was prepared as the result of work sponsored by the California Energy Commission. It ... more This report was prepared as the result of work sponsored by the California Energy Commission. It does not necessarily represent the views of the Energy Commission, its employees or the State of California. The Energy Commission, the State of California, its employees, contractors and subcontractors make no warrant, express or implied, and assume no legal liability for the information in this report; nor does any party represent that the uses of this information will not infringe upon privately owned rights. This report has not been approved or disapproved by the California Energy Commission nor has the California Energy Commission passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of the information in this report. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Life cycle assessments (LCA) have examined the energy inputs and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions a... more Life cycle assessments (LCA) have examined the energy inputs and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with transportation fuels since the 1980s. Estimates of the carbon dioxide (CO₂ ) release from land use change (LUC) associated with biofuel crop production have only recently been incorporated into policy and the broader scientific literature. Agro-economic modeling systems were improved and configured to assess the effect of changes in the agricultural policies, e.g., biofuel production, on land use change and GHG emissions. Those models are used by regulators to assess the impacts of biofuel policies on global agriculture. The objective of this study is to provide an assessment of the key factors going into LUC analysis and how those factors affect the prediction of land use change. The four leading models used in biofuels policy were reviewed and key inputs for LUC were compared. The four models are: (1) Forest and Agricultural Sector Optimization Model (FASOM); (2) Food an...
In previous work conducted for DOE, TIAX assessed the well-to-wheel energy use, greenhouse gas em... more In previous work conducted for DOE, TIAX assessed the well-to-wheel energy use, greenhouse gas emissions and ownership costs of various fuel choices for fuel cell vehicles at a future point in time assuming both high utilization (i.e. capacity factors) and high manufacturing production volumes for equipment. However, alternative fuels require significant up-front investment during a transition period, representing a risk to both vehicle manufacturer and fuel provider. The financial risks involved in each of the fuel options vary, and the risk may shift from one player in the value chain to another. Dealing with this risk represents a formidable barrier to the use of alternative fuels, especially hydrogen, for fuel cell vehicles. In the current phase of work, the DOE has commissioned TIAX to assess the relative risks of various hydrogen transition options.
Approach • Define a representative test cycle consisting of both startup and normal operating con... more Approach • Define a representative test cycle consisting of both startup and normal operating conditions • Use the established test cycle to quantify emissions from a POx reformer before and after anode gas burner (AGB) treatment • Measure emissions with continuous emissions monitoring (CEM) measurements supplemented with laboratory analyses of speciated hydrocarbons and particulate matter (PM) • Use reasonable approximations and estimates to convert emissions data from a grams/unit fuel basis to a predicted grams/mile basis
The continuing failure of many urban areas to meet air quality standards for ozone, inhalable par... more The continuing failure of many urban areas to meet air quality standards for ozone, inhalable particulate, and some toxic hydrocarbons is generating increased interest in substituting methanol for gasoline and diesel fuel. "Conventional" hydrocarbon reduction strategies do not appear capable of providing the required emission inventory reductions. A new photochemical modeling study of the Los Angeles air basin shows that methanol substitution in motor vehicles would provide important reductions in peak one-hour ozone levels, and even larger benefits in such basin-wide ozone measures as total hours above episode levels. The results indicate that the emissions from methanol-fueled vehicles have substantially less photochemical reactivity-in the range of 25% to 50% of the emissions of gasoline vehicles. When combined with available methanol cost projections, the results indicate that methanol can be a cost-effective ozone control strategy. However, this cost-effectiveness depends strongly on methanol costs and oil prices and on whether the higher costs of methanol are allocated to any of the other benefits such as reductions in ambient benzene.
Life Cycle Associates is pleased to provide on ARB’s presentations and concept paper for the LCFS... more Life Cycle Associates is pleased to provide on ARB’s presentations and concept paper for the LCFS March 11 LCFS workshop. The ARB has performed extensive analyses with both CA_GREET and GTAP and the work has come a long way over the past six years. ARB has presented some information that should be addressed; so, I am providing these comments with the aim of improving the efficiency, transparency, and accuracy of the LCFS GHG analysis. Biofuel Bins ARB proposes to establish bins for Tier 1 biofuels. The stated objective is to reduce staff time on fuels that are well known and be able to focus more time on emerging fuels. ARB proposed several options. Initial Suggestion: Establish bins for biofuels with declining bin size from 10 to 3 g CO2e/MJ Alternatives: Establish look up table or formula to establish carbon intensities (CI) with a full range of Method 1 pathways. ARB’s efforts to streamline the pathway process are commendable. However, the proposed approaches have some issues dis...
Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per res... more Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to
In 1982, the California Energy Commission embarked upon its first heavy-duty methanol demonstrati... more In 1982, the California Energy Commission embarked upon its first heavy-duty methanol demonstration project. The Methanol-Fueled Transit Bus Demonstration Project continued for 8 years. The goal of this demonstration project was to demonstrate the viability of methanol as a fuel for transit applications. This Phase II report concludes the project, summarizing the final results of the demonstration effort. The introduction provides a brief description of the coaches; Section 2 summarizes the revenue service demostration; Section 3 details the vehicle maintenance and durability results; Section 4, the cost analysis, includes maintenance, fuel, and capital and operating costs, Section 5 summarizes the results of emissions tests conducted in 1985, 1988, and 1989, and, Section 6 summarizes the study's results.
In the past two years, the Federal and California State governments have announced initiatives to... more In the past two years, the Federal and California State governments have announced initiatives to invest in the development of hydrogen fueling infrastructure for hydrogen vehicles. Industry and government are now working together to determine cost-effective strategies for accomplishing this task. Key concerns are 1) high hydrogen cost, 2) equipment under-utilization while vehicle demand is low, and 3) high fuel
This report was prepared as the result of work sponsored by the California Energy Commission. It ... more This report was prepared as the result of work sponsored by the California Energy Commission. It does not necessarily represent the views of the Energy Commission, its employees or the State of California. The Energy Commission, the State of California, its employees, contractors and subcontractors make no warrant, express or implied, and assume no legal liability for the information in this report; nor does any party represent that the uses of this information will not infringe upon privately owned rights. This report has not been approved or disapproved by the California Energy Commission nor has the California Energy Commission passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of the
made an analysis, verified, or rendered an independent judgment of the validity of the informatio... more made an analysis, verified, or rendered an independent judgment of the validity of the information provided by others. While it is believed that the information contained herein will be reliable under the conditions and subject to the limitations set forth herein, Jacobs Consultancy does not guarantee the accuracy thereof. Use of this report or any information contained therein shall constitute a release and contract to defend and indemnify Jacobs Consultancy from and against any liability (including but not limited to liability for special, indirect or consequential damages) in connection with such use. Such release from and indemnification against liability shall apply in contract, tort (including negligence of such party, whether active, passive, joint or concurrent), strict liability or other theory of legal liability, provided, however, such release limitation and indemnity provisions shall be effective to, and only to, the maximum extent, scope, or amount allowed by law. This ...
Thyroid stimulating hormone and insulin-like growth factor 1 receptors (TSHRs and IGF1Rs, respect... more Thyroid stimulating hormone and insulin-like growth factor 1 receptors (TSHRs and IGF1Rs, respectively) interact leading to additive or synergistic stimulation of cellular responses. Recent findings provide evidence that the interaction between TSHRs and IGF1Rs is similar to that described for other G protein-coupled receptors and receptor tyrosine kinases. These types of interactions occur at or proximal to the receptors and are designated "receptor cross-talk." Herein, we describe our studies in human thyrocytes, human retro-orbital fibroblasts from Graves' orbitopathy patients and a model cell line that support the concept of TSHR/IGF1R cross-talk. We also discuss how receptor cross-talk is involved in stimulation by a monoclonal TSHR-stimulating antibody and how targeting both receptors may lead to novel treatments of Graves' orbitopathy.
Corn stover (cobs, stalks, and leaves) can be used as a cellulosic feedstock for ethanol or as a ... more Corn stover (cobs, stalks, and leaves) can be used as a cellulosic feedstock for ethanol or as a replacement for corn and hay or corn silage in animal feed. Corn stover is an important part of the life cycle of corn, either as fuel or as animal feed, but most LCA models treat them separately from grain ethanol. Life cycle greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) for corn-based biofuel pathways were estimated in order to explore the life cycle boundary impacts of using treated corn stover (TSF) as cattle feed. Depending on the life cycle modeling boundaries, the treatment of these emissions credits and debits results in significantly different GHG estimates. Our estimate for the carbon intensity of corn grain ethanol alone is 62 g/MJ. However, corn grain ethanol combined with TSF or corn stover ethanol reduces the composite numbers to 56 and 52 g/MJ respectively, both considerably lower than corn ethanol alone. As cellulosic ethanol from stover and TSF become more common, the current LCA proc...
Energy Commission and do not necessarily represent those of the State of California. Neither the ... more Energy Commission and do not necessarily represent those of the State of California. Neither the State of California, the Energy Commission, nor any of their employees, contractors, or subcontractors, makes any warranty, expressed or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, product, or process enclosed, or
This report was prepared as the result of work sponsored by the California Energy Commission. It ... more This report was prepared as the result of work sponsored by the California Energy Commission. It does not necessarily represent the views of the Energy Commission, its employees or the State of California. The Energy Commission, the State of California, its employees, contractors and subcontractors make no warrant, express or implied, and assume no legal liability for the information in this report; nor does any party represent that the uses of this information will not infringe upon privately owned rights. This report has not been approved or disapproved by the California Energy Commission nor has the California Energy Commission passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of the information in this report. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Life cycle assessments (LCA) have examined the energy inputs and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions a... more Life cycle assessments (LCA) have examined the energy inputs and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with transportation fuels since the 1980s. Estimates of the carbon dioxide (CO₂ ) release from land use change (LUC) associated with biofuel crop production have only recently been incorporated into policy and the broader scientific literature. Agro-economic modeling systems were improved and configured to assess the effect of changes in the agricultural policies, e.g., biofuel production, on land use change and GHG emissions. Those models are used by regulators to assess the impacts of biofuel policies on global agriculture. The objective of this study is to provide an assessment of the key factors going into LUC analysis and how those factors affect the prediction of land use change. The four leading models used in biofuels policy were reviewed and key inputs for LUC were compared. The four models are: (1) Forest and Agricultural Sector Optimization Model (FASOM); (2) Food an...
In previous work conducted for DOE, TIAX assessed the well-to-wheel energy use, greenhouse gas em... more In previous work conducted for DOE, TIAX assessed the well-to-wheel energy use, greenhouse gas emissions and ownership costs of various fuel choices for fuel cell vehicles at a future point in time assuming both high utilization (i.e. capacity factors) and high manufacturing production volumes for equipment. However, alternative fuels require significant up-front investment during a transition period, representing a risk to both vehicle manufacturer and fuel provider. The financial risks involved in each of the fuel options vary, and the risk may shift from one player in the value chain to another. Dealing with this risk represents a formidable barrier to the use of alternative fuels, especially hydrogen, for fuel cell vehicles. In the current phase of work, the DOE has commissioned TIAX to assess the relative risks of various hydrogen transition options.
Approach • Define a representative test cycle consisting of both startup and normal operating con... more Approach • Define a representative test cycle consisting of both startup and normal operating conditions • Use the established test cycle to quantify emissions from a POx reformer before and after anode gas burner (AGB) treatment • Measure emissions with continuous emissions monitoring (CEM) measurements supplemented with laboratory analyses of speciated hydrocarbons and particulate matter (PM) • Use reasonable approximations and estimates to convert emissions data from a grams/unit fuel basis to a predicted grams/mile basis
The continuing failure of many urban areas to meet air quality standards for ozone, inhalable par... more The continuing failure of many urban areas to meet air quality standards for ozone, inhalable particulate, and some toxic hydrocarbons is generating increased interest in substituting methanol for gasoline and diesel fuel. "Conventional" hydrocarbon reduction strategies do not appear capable of providing the required emission inventory reductions. A new photochemical modeling study of the Los Angeles air basin shows that methanol substitution in motor vehicles would provide important reductions in peak one-hour ozone levels, and even larger benefits in such basin-wide ozone measures as total hours above episode levels. The results indicate that the emissions from methanol-fueled vehicles have substantially less photochemical reactivity-in the range of 25% to 50% of the emissions of gasoline vehicles. When combined with available methanol cost projections, the results indicate that methanol can be a cost-effective ozone control strategy. However, this cost-effectiveness depends strongly on methanol costs and oil prices and on whether the higher costs of methanol are allocated to any of the other benefits such as reductions in ambient benzene.
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