Here's how Coskata will make cellulosic ethanol for $1/gallon
The magical cost of $1 per gallon of cellulosic ethanol is certainly a hot calling card these days, and one of the most well-known purveyors of this story is Coskata. Coskata splashed onto the scene in January with the big GM announcement, and has stayed in the news by announcing a partnership with ICM and, later this month, will disclose the location of its 40,000 gallons a year demonstration facility.
Bill Roe, the Coskata CEO, gave C-Net's Michael Kanellos an explanation yesterday of just how his company will be able to make this greener ethanol for that low a price. The short version is that Coskata's plan to license it's technology to bigger companies (companies that already know how to effectively build large ethanol plants), it's ability to use pretty much any carbon-containing item as a source for the fuel and it's mixed approach (one that contains both biological and thermochemical processes) to making ethanol all add up to a plan that, at this point, makes cheap cellulosic ethanol seem reasonable. Read the full details over on C-Net.
[Source: C-Net]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mike Z 12:42PM (4/08/2008)
Overall an excellent business strategy. Too bad not more players (esp companies like Altarnano) are looking to develop IP and let other's worry about building the big iron to produce it.
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TX CHL Instructor 1:17PM (4/08/2008)
If ethanol was free to produce, then it might be a bit more than a mediocre fuel. Fortunately, there is competition for that coming on line that may make $1 ethanol moot. How about $1 GASOLINE made from the same components?
I'm still rooting for EV. Meanwhile, I'm commuting by train to work.
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jpm100 5:13PM (4/08/2008)
"How about $1 GASOLINE made from the same components?"
How about you find a proposed process that doesn't work on sugar and that they are building small scale demonstration plant to prove the concept. And then post it here.
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Mark 5:52PM (4/08/2008)
They can *make* it for $1/gallon, but they'll sell it for $4/gallon just like regular gasoline.
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Kevin 6:42PM (4/08/2008)
If you use coskata process and you use it on say municipal waste or algae I think even below 1 buck a gallon is possible.
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KarenRei 7:23PM (4/08/2008)
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"How about $1 GASOLINE made from the same components?"
How about you find a proposed process that doesn't work on sugar and that they are building small scale demonstration plant to prove the concept. And then post it here.
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Hate to break this to you, but the process has been around for most of the 20th century. It's known as the Fischer-Tropsh process. It powered Germany's tanks and planes in World War II (the syngas source was more convenient, though -- coal).
That's what's ridiculous about this. They're making syngas, and then instead of efficiently making a superior fuel from it, they're inefficiently making an inferior fuel from it.
And don't buy into the price hype. Anyone remember Changing World Technologies' price point for thermal depolymerization? I see no reason not to expect the same story here.
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jpm100 10:46PM (4/08/2008)
Sorry but Fischer-Tropsch makes diesel-like fuel not gasoline from that process and makes it from hydrocarbons currently.
I'm sure the process could be adapted to use some biowastes (cellulose sounds like a leap though), but diesel nature of the product is still an issue.
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John 11:16AM (4/09/2008)
Whatever technology we can use that doesn't use our foodstuffs as an ingredient makes sense to me (so I can stop paying nearly $6 a gallon for milk!) I mean really, who thinks it's a bright idea to produce an inferior fuel with less energy per gallon from stuff we could actually eat instead?
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