Ethanol Plant Class VI Well Permit and 45Q Tax Credit Qualification
An ethanol client hired Trihydro to lead a US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7 Class VI carbon sequestration project to capture and store carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from their ethanol plant and qualify for the 45Q tax credit.
To take advantage of the 45Q tax credit, the client sought to capture and store CO2 emissions from their dry-mill ethanol plant. Trihydro was selected to lead the project due to our shallow subsurface monitoring and hydrology expertise.
Developing a Monitoring Program
To establish a conceptual model of the natural system and provide a reference point for future comparisons, Trihydro installed 10 shallow subsurface monitoring stations to collect baseline data, including CO2 efflux, soil gas, passive seismic, vegetation, and groundwater data. A telemetry system obtains real-time, continuous monitoring data from each station. By collecting baseline data, Trihydro can mitigate the risk of false positives associated with seasonal variations. This baseline data can prevent costly investigations and potential interruptions to 45Q payments.
Submitting a Class VI Permit Application
In March 2023, Trihydro, in collaboration with partners, submitted a Class VI well permit application to EPA Region 7. Trihydro’s shallow subsurface monitoring system design, analyte selection, and result interpretation have strengthened the Class VI permit application and provided a comprehensive pre-injection dataset. Trihydro continues to perform baseline testing and monitoring and will support the industrial client through the injection and post-injection phases.
