Carbon dioxide: Feedstocks
A gas with no feedstock of its own
What this tab covers What it is made from and what it feeds: the raw materials and energy per tonne with their share of cost (linked to the commodity table), who is low-cost and why, and the chemicals made from it.Sold CO2 has no feedstock of its own: it is a by-product of natural gas reforming for ammonia and hydrogen, of fermentation, or of gas processing. That makes its supply hostage to fertiliser and ethanol economics. Gas price spikes that close ammonia plants cut CO2 just as food demand peaks in summer.
Inputs per tonne
| Input | Quantity per tonne | Role | Share of cost | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gas Natural gas | by-product: about 1.2 t CO2 recoverable per t NH3 from gas reforming (indicative) | host process for the main source | not allocated | indicative |
| Mz Maize | about 0.95 t CO2 per t ethanol (stoichiometry) | fermentation source | not allocated | stoichiometry |
| Electricity | about 100-150 kWh per t for compression and liquefaction (indicative) | processing | main cash cost of merchant CO2 (indicative) | indicative |
Who is low-cost, and why
Cash cost of food-grade CO2 from a running ammonia or ethanol plant is low; price is set by scarcity and delivery. When host plants stop, the marginal source is a distant plant or imports, and prices jump.
Raw materials on the commodity table
Gas Natural gasWhat it is made into
| Product | Note |
|---|---|
| Ur Urea | 0.733 t CO2 per t urea |
| MeOH Methanol | CO2 plus hydrogen route for e-methanol |
| PC Polycarbonate | non-phosgene routes use CO2-derived carbonates |