HYCO1 and Kansas Ethanol Team Up to Establish the World's Biggest Biogenic CO2 Use Facility

US: HYCO1, Inc., a Houston-based technology firm, has declared a 20-year contract to supply Carbon Dioxide to Kansas Ethanol, situated in Lyons, Kansas. This agreement is for the anticipated construction of Green Carbon Synthetics Kansas, LLC, the largest biogenic Carbon Dioxide utilization facility globally. HYCO1 has developed an innovative CO₂ conversion catalyst and a related affordable CO₂ process technology. The company's CUBE™ Technology (Carbon Utilization, Best Efficiency) effectively employs Carbon Dioxide and different methane source feedstocks to generate low-cost, low-carbon chemical grade syngas in a single step. This produced syngas is then used to manufacture downstream products with low carbon intensity (CI).

The technology from HYCO1 not only significantly reduces the carbon score of downstream products by 50% to 100%, but it does also so cost-competitively compared to products derived from fossil feedstock, and without the need for incentives like many other technologies. This technology facilitates the use of green syngas to produce various products such as Hydrogen, Synthetic Base Oils, Low-Carbon Jet Fuels, Green Methanol, among others. The upcoming HYCO1 project, which will be co-located with Kansas Ethanol, plans to utilize their entire 800 tons per day of CO₂ to generate roughly 60 million gallons annually of low-carbon and zero-carbon products.

Kurt Dieker, the Chief Development Officer, and Co-founder of HYCO1, expressed enthusiasm about their ground-breaking, next-gen project and the collaboration with Kansas Ethanol team, known for running one of the country's most sophisticated Ethanol production facilities. Having worked with the Kansas Ethanol team for fifteen years, including his time as Director of Technology Strategy at ICM, Inc., the world's leading Ethanol technology provider, Dieker is very familiar with the team. He went on to say that while there are numerous ways an Ethanol facility can enhance sustainability and margins, from energy efficiency improvements to protein separation, he believes CO₂ utilization is the most valuable addition to an Ethanol production facility. As a Kansas native, Dieker added that he takes great pride in commencing the construction of the first among many HYCO1 Carbon Negative, Planet Positive™ facilities with their flagship project in Kansas.

The HYCO1 project in Lyons is currently in the engineering phase, with pre-construction engineering expected to be completed by 2024. The facility aims to produce around 4,000 barrels per day of novel synthetic Base Lubricating Oils and Low-Carbon Jet Fuel derived from CO₂. Products with superior performance encompass a four-centistoke base oil, utilized in premium synthetic motor oils, and a two-centistoke base oil, currently being assessed by electric vehicle manufacturers due to its excellent heat transfer and lubrication characteristics for batteries and drive systems.

The products generated by the project exhibit more than 80% reduction in carbon footprints compared to conventional fossil-derived products. Interestingly, about half of the weight of these new sustainable products will be made up of biogenic CO₂ that would have otherwise been released into the atmosphere.

Mike Chisam, the chief executive officer of Kansas Ethanol, expressed his views on a recent project. He stated that even though many Ethanol producers are exploring or already implementing underground carbon sequestration to reduce carbon emissions, Kansas Ethanol sees greater potential in carbon utilization. This approach promotes a circular carbon economy and provides us with a competitive edge in the marketplace. By transforming CO₂ into value-added products, can replace fossil-derived items, leading to benefits for not only Kansas Ethanol and the U.S. Ethanol Sector, but also the global environment. Chisam shared his enthusiasm about the upcoming construction of the HYCO1-based Green Carbon Synthetics Kansas, LLC facility adjacent to their existing plant.

The advantages of having facility co-located include the use of Carbon Dioxide, a reduction in natural gas usage through waste heat steam production, and further electricity offsets. These benefits will propel facility to the forefront as a global pioneer in low-carbon Ethanol production, bringing about substantial mutual savings. Chisam additionally highlighted that HYCO1's carbon utilization technology allows us to maintain sustainable production across all product lines, even in the absence of government incentives.

At present, HYCO1 is assessing more potential project locations and partners that can replicate the Green Carbon Synthetics Kansas, LLC initiative. Concurrently, they are also working alongside downstream technology providers to create more low-carbon products.