The Process

[Mr. Clean]

Coskata is commercializing a proprietary process and related technologies for the conversion of a wide variety of input materials into ethanol. Coskata has an efficient, affordable, and flexible three-step conversion process:
Incoming material converted to synthesis gas (gasification)
Fermentation of synthesis gas into ethanol (bio-fermentation)
Separation and recovery of ethanol (separations)

During gasification, carbon-based input materials are converted into syngas using well-established gasification technologies. After the chemical bonds are broken using gasification, Coskata's proprietary microorganisms convert the resulting syngas into ethanol by consuming the carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H2) in the gas stream. Once the gas-to-liquid conversion process has occurred, the resulting ethanol is recovered from the solution using well proven distillation methods.
Coskata's proprietary microorganisms eliminate the need for costly enzymatic pretreatments, and the bio-fermentation occurs at low pressures and temperatures, reducing operational costs. In addition, the Coskata process has the potential to yield over 100 gallons of ethanol per ton of dry carbonaceous input material, reducing both operational and capital costs. Coskata's exclusively licensed separation technology has the potential to dramatically improve the separations and recovery component of ethanol production.

[Mr. Clean]

Changing the Game -- Coskata's efficient, affordable and flexible ethanol conversion process has significant advantages over alternative approaches:

Efficient

Microorganisms are specific to ethanol production - Proprietary microorganisms do what syngas conversion via chemical catalysis cannot, which is produce predominately ethanol. Extremely energy efficient, Coskata microorganisms can extract almost the entire energy value available in the incoming syngas stream, producing more than 100 gallons of ethanol per dry ton of input material.
Environmentally superior - The Coskata process reduces carbon dioxide emissions by as much as 80-90% when input materials such as grass, agricultural waste or woodchips are used (Argonne National Laboratory). The Coskata process has no back-end solid waste to dry and handle like enzymatic approaches, and water and wastewater treatment requirements are low due to significant water recycle and energy conservation.
Simple and energy positive design - Coskata's process can produce up to 7.7 times the energy output than the fossil energy input than is used in making the ethanol. Corn-derived ethanol produces approximately 1.3 times the energy required (Argonne National Laboratory).
Affordable

Lowest cost target in the industry - Coskata's process delivers the next-generation of ethanol at the lowest cost target in the industry, which will be competitive with gasoline.
Flexible

Enzyme independent - Not reliant on expensive enzymes or chemicals, Coskata's pre-treatment costs are significantly lower than any non-gasification based technology available today, and do not require a chemical catalyst to produce ethanol
Feedstock independent - Virtually any carbon-containing input materials can be converted to syngas, including energy crops such as switchgrass and miscanthus; wood chips, forestry products, corn stover, bagasse and other typical agricultural wastes; municipal waste and industrial organic waste like petroleum coke.
Geographic flexibility - With feedstock flexibility, Coskata can build plants in almost any country around the globe. Coskata will be able to reduce dependence on foreign oil in regions of the world such as North America, Latin America, Asia, and Australia.

[Mr. Clean]

Gasification
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There are two main approaches to producing ethanol from biomass materials:
Hydrolysis to sugars
Gasification to syngas
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. Coskata's gasification process also allows for greater yields of ethanol per unit of input material because it makes use of all the organic content of the input material to make ethanol, versus enzymatic approaches.

Coskata can use a number of different commercial gasification systems to accommodate the different input material 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.