January 14th, 2008 · No Comments

By Tom Kessler

Will Americans soon have a chance to buy an environmentally sound form of ethanol at a highly affordable price? General Motors says yes, announcing Sunday that it is backing a company with new technology that “makes ethanol from practically any renewable source, including garbage, old tires and plant waste.”

Coskata Inc., of Warrenville, Ill., uses a “proprietary process that leverages patented microorganisms and bioreactor designs to produce ethanol for less than $1 a gallon, about half of today’s cost of producing gasoline.”

Coskata’s process addresses issues frequently raised about grain-based ethanol production. It says its production process uses less than a gallon of water to make a gallon of ethanol, compared to three gallons or more for other processes. And the company says it can use its technology practically anywhere in the world where a carbon-based feedstock is available, eliminating the environmental impact of transportation.

GM has placed a big bet on biofuels, which many people see as leading the next-generation of more fuel efficient vehicles. However, there have been lingering concerns about the long-term loss of biodiversity and overuse of pesticides to grow the necessary corn crops.

The Detroit automaker already is the largest producer of flex-fuel cars and trucks that can run on E85 – a blend of ethanol and gasoline – with more than 3.5 million flex-fuel vehicles on the road globally. GM plans to have half of its new vehicles flex-fuel capable by 2012.

GM says it will begin testing the first ethanol from Coskata’s pilot plant in the fourth quarter of 2008 at its Milford Proving Grounds.
“We will have our first commercial-scale plant making 50 to 100 million gallons of ethanol running in 2011, and that includes the two years it will take to build the plant,” said Coskata President Bill Roe.

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