Supply Challenges in the Biofuels Industry

The biofuels industry is the most significant sector of the US carbon dioxide (CO2) supply chain, as a function of the number of operating CO2 plants using this by-product feedstock. On a plant percentage basis versus other source types, ethanol (biofuels) represent over 40% of this grand total; therefore, ethanol is absolutely vital to the health of the merchant CO2 sector.

Over the years, there have been shortages of CO2 product from certain ethanol sources, caused by a shortage of corn, which was often driven by drought, and the lack of sufficient corn planted due to flooding…