Yes, municipal solid waste (a.k.a. garbage) can be used in our process. In fact, municipal solid waste is a particularly advantageous feedstock, since it can generally be procured for low or negative cost. 

There are several fundamental differences between Coskata’s process and typical corn ethanol production:

• Process Technology – Coskata’s process varies significantly from the traditional corn-based ethanol process. Corn ethanol is produced via the fermentation of sugars. Corn kernels are broken down into sugars through milling and hydrolysis operations. Coskata’s ethanol is produced via the fermentation of synthetic gas, or 'syngas' mainly made up of Carbon Monoxide and Hydrogen. A wide assortment of raw materials can be broken down into syngas using a process called gasification.
• Feedstock flexible – Our process can utilize a wide variety of raw materials to produce ethanol, bringing two distinct advantages:
  • Nonfood resources can be used, mitigating many of the food vs. fuel concerns that have arisen.
  • Ethanol production can take place in geographical areas where corn is not available, resulting in a many fold increase in the potential biofuel volumes that can be produced.
• Efficiency – Our process is designed to capture efficiencies wherever possible, requiring comparatively little fossil energy input. A life cycle analysis performed by Argonne National Laboratory has determined that the Coskata process yields up to a 7.7 net energy balance which compares favorably to the 1.3 net energy balance reported for corn based ethanol. Low water usage in the process, compared to alternative production processes, will also be a major benefit.

We have a fantastic team built here at Coskata with very few openings at the time. We will post openings in the Careers section of the website.

Given the distance between agricultural centers and urban centers, transportation usually makes up a significant portion of the overall cost of ethanol. However, Coskata’s versatile process can break this transportation barrier by using more regionally available feedstocks. This also gives us the opportunity to develop ethanol in areas of the world where it was not previously viable.

Our process has several cost advantages over other next generation ethanol production methods including:

• Yield: Our process can produce over 100 gallons of ethanol per dry ton of feedstock which not only reduces our feedstock cost, but also reduces nearly all other costs on a per gallon basis.
• Produces only fuel grade ethanol, not a mixed-alcohol that needs to be separated.
• Simple design: Our process does not require extensive pretreatment processes or inputs like enzymes or chemical catalysts. We also do not have the back end solids handling and drying of lignin that other processes have.

Coskata is a beach as well as a wildlife refuge near Nantucket. Coskata founders were awed by the beauty and natural wonder of the Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge during a visit to Nantucket Island.

The complex ecosystem spans more than 1,117 acres, and is home to rare habitats, plants and birds. The Refuge is not only an inspiration for the preservation of our natural world, but a model for Coskata's ethanol conversion technology. This biological conversion process can use a multitude of input materials for efficient conversion into ethanol.

Net energy balance refers to the amount of fossil fuel input required to produce a given amount of liquid fuel energy output. It is an important metric as it correlates with the green house gas emissions (GHG) associated with that process, along with the efficient use of fossil resources. To determine net energy balance, the fossil energy inputs for the entire supply chain are taken into account, from growing, harvesting and transporting the feedstock, to producing and distributing the fuel into people’s gas tanks. One such study by Argonne National Laboratory has determined that Coskata’s ethanol production process can reach a net energy balance of 7.7 and reduce lifecycle GHG emissions by up to 80-90% versus conventional gasoline.

Coskata’s truly flexible process can utilize virtually any carbon-containing feedstock. This includes cellulose-based energy crops such as switchgrass, wood chips, agricultural residues (bagasse, corn stover, etc.) as well as waste streams such as old tires and municipal solid waste. Feedstock flexibility allows Coskata technology to thrive in any geographic location and fuel local economies across the world.