Press Release

Renewable Fuels Agency - The Indirect Effects of Biofuels: A Call for evidence

5 June 2008

General Motors UK submission

As a vehicle manufacturer we believe that our input into this review is limited.
However, given our partnership with Coskata, a biology- based renewable energy company, we are able to contribute on the future of biofuels and as such we have only provided evidence to question 2.
This sub,ission represents the views of General Motors, incorporating the Cadillac, Corvette, Saab, Hummer, Vauxhall and Chevrolet brands in the UK.
How are GHG-savings of different biofuels affected by displaced agricultural activity and resulting land-use change? How may this be affected in the future by the introduction of advanced technologies, use of marginal land and other improvements in production?

The development of second generation biofuels and the process whereby biofuels can be generated from waste, expel the negative arguments surrounding displacement of land.

GM recently announced its partnership with Coskata, a biology-based renewable energy company, to use the company’s breakthgough technology that affordably and efficiently makes ethanol from practically any renewable source, including rubbish, old tires and plant waste.

The Coskata 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 the Coskata process to utilize nonfood, locally abundant raw materials.

Such advanced biofuel technologies are closer than expected. Coskata will begin producing cellulosic ethanol from a pilot plant in late 2008, and from a full-scale plant capable of 50 million to 100 million gallons annually due to come on-line in 2011.

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

· Process Technology – Coskata’s process varies significantly from the traditional 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 utilise a variety of raw materials to produce ethanol, bringing three distinct advantages:

i) Nonfood resources can be used, mitigating many of the food vs. fuel concerns that have arisen.
ii) The process can be used practically aware, so ethanol can be made locally for local use
iii) As the process can use waste products, there is no displacement of land and therefore no effect from land use changes.

· Efficiency –The Coskata 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 favourably to the 1.3 net energy balance reported for corn based ethanol. Water usage for the process is forecasted to be as low as 1 gallon or less per gallon of ethanol
produced versus 3-6 for the corn process.

Given the efficiencies of this process, each ton of biomass can covert into more than 83 UK gallons of low-cost ethanol.

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