Carbon Analysis
In early 2008 ZeaChem obtained a third party validation from C-Lock Technology who performed a carbon life cycle analysis of the ZeaChem process. C-Lock utilizes a patent-pending process to quantify, verify, certify and aggregate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions. The purpose of the analysis was to determine the potential GHG reductions created by substituting ZeaChem ethanol for traditional corn-based ethanol or conventional gasoline.
The ZeaChem process results in a high yield of ethanol per ton of feedstock because the process efficiently utilizes all fractions of the feedstock. The effectiveness of this process results in a fuel that, when substituted for traditional corn-based ethanol or gasoline, will produce substantial verifiable carbon emission reductions.
The C-Lock analysis found that ZeaChem has an advantage over traditional ethanol with its high biorefinery yields and low fossil fuel usage. The ZeaChem process was found to be a highly efficient, low net GHG emissions method of producing ethanol and was found to have an advantage in both net energy value (NEV), and net energy ratio (NER). NEV is the energy content of the ethanol minus the fossil fuel energy input into the process of making the ethanol. NER is the ratio of output energy of ethanol to input energy of fossil fuels.
The analysis was based on a conservative dedicated farm producing 10 BDT/acre/year with N&supth; plant ethanol yield of 135 gal/BDT in comparison with published corn ethanol data from the USDA. As the graph shows, the ZeaChem process has a very high NEV when compared to corn. The analysis also determined that ZeaChem ethanol has about eight times lower fossil fuel CO2 emissions than traditional corn ethanol and about eleven times fewer emissions than conventional gasoline. Likewise, ZeaChem's high yield will provide a competitive advantage with respect to both NEV and CO2 over any cellulosic competitor.
| ZeaChem Ethanol | Traditional Corn Ethanol | Conventional Gasoline | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crop Yield (tons/acre) | 10 | 3.5 | N/A |
| Biorefinery Yield (gallon/ton) | 135 | 93.48 | N/A |
| Net Energy Value (BTU/gal) | 70,032 | 24,770 | N/A |
| Net Energy Ratio |
12.5 | 1.4 | N/A |
| Pounds of CO2e per BTU (lbs/BTU) | 0.00001912 | 0.00016504 | 0.00021838 |
Looking toward the future with a carbon constrained economy ZeaChem has a significant advantage compared to conventional gasoline. Assuming a carbon price of $20/ton, a 100 MM GPY ZeaChem cellulosic ethanol biorefinery stands to generate over $15 million in carbon credits.