Dimitri Saad

All Publications

• Carbon Intensity of United States Natural Gas Supply. Environmental science & technology Zhang, Z., Rutherford, J., Littlefield, J., Ramadan, F., Ali Saafi, M., Ren, B., Jabbar, M. Y., Saad, D. M., Burdeau, P. M., Masnadi, M. S., Brandt, A. 2026

  Abstract

  Understanding greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from natural gas systems is essential for transitioning to a low-carbon economy. This work estimates well-through-transmission GHG emissions of the US natural gas from one million wells covering 91% production in 2023. A high-resolution US oil and gas production area map is developed to harmonize spatial and tabular data from the oil and natural gas (O&NG) supply chain. We systematically integrate latest aerial campaign measurement into natural gas life cycle GHG emission estimates, capturing methane fugitives with better characterization of superemitter events. More than ten public and commercial data sets are integrated with an engineering-based unit process life cycle assessment (LCA) model. The estimated total GHG emissions from the US gas sector are 719 MMT CO2eq, more than twice the estimates of the US Environmental Protection Agency. The average well-through-transmission carbon intensity (CI) for US natural gas is 15.99 [15.14, 16.90] gCO2eq/MJ, with an upstream (exploration through processing) CI of 12.27 [11.84, 12.68] gCO2eq/MJ and a midstream (transmission) CI of 3.72 [3.30, 4.22] gCO2eq/MJ (bracketed values indicate uncertainty ranges). Methane fugitive and venting account for 61% and 21% of the upstream CI, an order of magnitude higher than flaring contributions (2.1%). Reducing methane fugitive and venting loss rates by 75% would reduce the upstream CI by half.

  View details for DOI 10.1021/acs.est.5c14196

  View details for PubMedID 41685834

• Appliance decarbonization and its impacts on California's energy transition APPLIED ENERGY Sodwatana, M., Saad, D. M., Ahumada-Paras, M., Brandt, A. R. 2025; 390

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.apenergy.2025.125769

  View details for Web of Science ID 001464631000001

• Energy storage in combined gas-electric energy transitions models: The case of California APPLIED ENERGY Saad, D. M., Sodwatana, M., Sherwin, E. D., Brandt, A. R. 2025; 385

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.apenergy.2025.125480

  View details for Web of Science ID 001428491900001

• The value of enhanced geothermal systems for the energy transition in California SUSTAINABLE ENERGY & FUELS Aljubran, M. J., Saad, D. M., Sodwatana, M., Brandt, A. R., Horne, R. N. 2025

  View details for DOI 10.1039/d4se01520g

  View details for Web of Science ID 001411134200001

• Life Cycle Economic and Environmental Assessment of Producing Synthetic Jet Fuel Using CO2/Biomass Feedstocks. Environmental science & technology Saad, D. M., Terlouw, T., Sacchi, R., Bauer, C. 2024

  Abstract

  The aviation industry is responsible for over 2% of global CO2 emissions. Synthetic jet fuels generated from biogenic feedstocks could help reduce life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compared to petroleum-based fuels. This study assesses three processes for producing synthetic jet fuel via the synthesis of methanol using water and atmospheric CO2 or biomass. A life cycle assessment and cost analysis are conducted to determine GHG emissions, energy demand, land occupation, water depletion, and the cost of producing synthetic jet fuel in Switzerland. The results reveal that the pathway that directly hydrogenates CO2 to methanol exhibits the largest reductions in terms of GHG emission (almost 50%) compared to conventional jet fuel and the lowest production cost (7.86 EUR kgJF-1); however, its production cost is currently around 7 times higher than the petroleum-based counterpart. Electrical energy was found to be crucial in capturing CO2 and converting water into hydrogen, with the sourcing and processing of the feedstocks contributing to 79% of the electric energy demand. Furthermore, significant variations in synthetic jet fuel cost and GHG emissions were shown when the electricity source varies, such as utilizing grid electricity pertaining to different countries with distinct electricity mixes. Thus, upscaling synthetic jet fuels requires energy-efficient supply chains, sufficient feedstock, large amounts of additional (very) low-carbon energy capacity, suitable climate policy, and comprehensive environmental analyses.

  View details for DOI 10.1021/acs.est.4c01578

  View details for PubMedID 38753974

• The need for speed - optimal CO2 hydrogenation processes selection via mixed integer linear programming COMPUTERS & CHEMICAL ENGINEERING Saad, D. M., Alnouri, S. Y. 2022; 164

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.compchemeng.2022.107852

  View details for Web of Science ID 000812979900005