There are two main approaches to producing ethanol from biomass materials:

• Hydrolysis to sugars, followed by fermentation of the sugars to ethanol
• Gasification to syngas, followed by syngas to ethanol

The first approach is largely enzyme-based, although other methods include acid hydrolysis and ammonia or steam explosion. Coskata's technology falls under the second approach, which converts syngas to ethanol via biofermentation.

Coskata's gasification front-end allows for the conversion of virtually any carbon-based input material into syngas.

• Biomass
• Municipal and industrial wastes
• Agricultural waste
• Forest products
• Energy crops
• Bagasse
• Organic waste products

Source flexibility makes ethanol production a possibility in almost any geography, without tapping into food supply or agricultural land like corn-derived ethanol. A gasification process also allows for greater yields of ethanol per unit of input material because it utilizes all the organic content to make ethanol, versus other approaches.

Coskata can use a number of different commercial gasification systems to accommodate the different input materials listed above. To learn more about one of the types of gasification systems the Coskata process is compatible with, click on the video and web links below.

 

Alter NRG is the owner of Westinghouse Plasma Technology Click HERE to see a video of their process.