(186a) Ethanol Production From the Biological Fermentation of Synthesis Gas

This presentation will illustrate the process of ethanol creation via the biological fermentation of synthesis gas. The unique capabilities of Coskata's syngas-to-ethanol platform which hold potential for providing industry value will be highlighted, and up-to-date data on commercialization progress for the technology will be provided. The Coskata syngas-to-ethanol process will be introduced under the assumption that synthesis gas is provided via established plasma gasification technologies, which heats feedstock into a gas, breaking it down into carbon monoxide and hydrogen. The next step explained will involve the conversion of synthesis gas into ethanol via biological fermentation with the use of proprietary anaerobic microorganisms within a patented bioreactor design. The techniques implemented in the bioreactor design for the optimization of process efficiency, which include ensuring the microbes are fully exposed to all of the incoming syngas stream in order to obtain a yield over 100 gallons of ethanol per ton of carbonaceous feedstock; the ability to separate the water circulated in the process from the fuel, leaving behind 99.7 percent ethanol, and the potential for utilizing the water contained in the original feedstock for recirculation through the system will all be highlighted. The well-to-wheel analysis of the process by Argonne National Laboratory will be cited, which verifies that the ethanol produced is environmentally superior to that of conventional gasoline, as it reduces carbon dioxide emissions by as much as 96 percent. The presentation will also illustrate the energy balance of the process, as the energy produced by the ethanol is 7.7 times the fossil fuel energy required to create the ethanol. The presentation will highlight the unique ability of the syngas-to-ethanol process to enable one of the lowest production costs in the industry for ethanol, bypassing the need for expensive pre-treatments and catalytic approaches which can make conventional cellulosic ethanol technologies cost prohibitive. The presentation will also cover the greater potential for syngas-to-ethanol to make a positive impact on the ethanol industry and beyond with the economic and environmental advantages of a feedstock flexible process. These include growing the economy and ensuring energy security by offsetting national dependency on petroleum, helping to localize ethanol production and creating new jobs, and utilizing a wide variety of feedstocks including municipal waste and trash, agricultural waste, bagasse and other biomass to eliminate food-for-fuel concerns. The presentation will illustrate that the unlocking of feedstock flexible ethanol production can be very economically competitive against gasoline, helping to move ethanol past the point of a transitional fuel and into the realm of a truly renewable biofuel, and that it can significantly reduce the industry's risk of exposure to the commodity (feedstock) pricing fluctuations which have been demonstrated with corn ethanol. Finally, the presentation will cite Coskata's commercialization roadmap starting with the company's completed pilot and semi-scale facility near Pittsburgh, PA, and the engineering and design of 55 Million gallon commercial facilities.