Ethanol is the single-largest by-product source of carbon dioxide (CO2) supplying the merchant CO2 industry in the US. The technology for purification, liquefaction, and supplying a viable liquid and dry ice is well known with this source type; and many such sources are relatively untapped domestically.
As of late, Continental Carbonic has committed to produce CO2 from Pennsylvania Grain Processors plant in Clearfield, Pennsylvania, a source I always felt was viable; with plans to be operational in 2017. This plant has a second owner/operator now able to make money from CO2 sales. On the other hand, there have been many growing pains and upsets in the US ethanol industry, including shortages of grain, therefore sometimes challenging adequate CO2 supplied already dedicated to regional markets. Of course, there is always the possibility of shortages of raw gas, when relying on by-product plants and their form of feedstock. However, from a long-term perspective, ethanol has been reliable and available to supply a large segment of the US’ raw CO2 feedstock.
The merchant carbon dioxide industry in the US is highly driven and supplied by the ethanol industry by-product from fermentation, at times approaching 40% of this greater market supply. During the mid to later 1990s and into the 2000s, there was a period of rapid growth of CO2 sourcing from fermentation; up to a decade of rapid growth. The primary market for the ethanol has been the gasoline market, as a fuel additive, from 5 to 15% of some domestic gasoline content is ethanol. The ethanol added to gasoline was initially considered to be a replacement of the oxygenate MTBE, which was discontinued due to reported health risks from leaking storage tanks.
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