Carbon Removal is Required for Net-Zero, BECCS is the Scalable Solution
As the urgency to address climate change intensifies, it has become clear that reducing carbon emissions alone will not be enough to achieve global net-zero goals. Carbon removal must complement emissions reductions, and among the available approaches, Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) stands out as arguably one of the only pathways capable of delivering durable, high-quality removal at truly meaningful scale.
The IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report underscores this point: mitigation pathways that limit warming to 1.5-2°C rely on dozens to hundreds of gigatonnes (billions of tonnes) of carbon removal from BECCS. Across scenarios that keep warming to 2°C or lower, the median model deploys around 328 GtCO₂ of BECCS, compared with about 29 GtCO₂ from DAC between 2020 and 2100, highlighting BECCS’s unique role in delivering large-scale, sustained removal.
By pairing biogenic CO₂ streams with permanent geological storage, BECCS provides reliable, gigaton-scale carbon removal that can help bridge the gap between today’s climate efforts and the net-zero future that must be secured.
Ethanol BECCS: Unlocking Multi-Megatonne Carbon Removal
Across the broader BECCS landscape, many types of industrial facilities generate biogenic CO₂ waste streams that can be captured and permanently stored underground, creating a system that is net-negative, removing more CO₂ than it produces.
A wide range of industrial facilities emitting biogenic CO₂ can incorporate BECCS, including combined heat and power (CHP), waste-to-energy (WtE), pulp and paper, and biogas facilities. Each of these industrial pathways has been explored extensively in our BECCS Technology overview, demonstrating the diversity of opportunities for large-scale carbon removal.
In addition to these options, ethanol BECCS stands out as one of the most powerful and scalable near-term pathways, with significant potential for deployment across multiple regions of the world. Its unique process characteristics make it especially well-suited for resource effective, high-purity carbon capture.
Here’s how it works: Instead of burning biomass in combustion processes and capturing the resulting CO₂, as can be done in CHP, waste-to-energy, or pulp and paper facilities, ethanol BECCS captures CO₂ directly from fermentation. In ethanol production, biomass such as corn or other starch-rich feedstocks is broken down by yeast in a controlled fermentation process to produce liquid fuels. As the sugars ferment, a nearly pure stream of biogenic CO₂ is naturally released, creating an ideal capture point for BECCS.
In a typical ethanol facility suited for BECCS, non-food-grade corn from nearby counties is fermented to produce ethanol, which is blended into gasoline to displace fossil fuels. As the fermentation happens, biogenic CO₂ is produced in a steady, high-purity flow. That CO₂ is captured at the source, compressed, and injected into geologic formations, more than 1000 meters below the surface, where it stays permanently stored. This simple, reliable setup allows ethanol BECCS to remove carbon from the atmosphere while helping deliver cleaner, renewable fuels.
One example of a BECCS-enabled ethanol facility is the facility in Richardton, North Dakota. This facility is a large-scale renewable fuel operation that produces roughly 65 million gallons of ethanol each year, and was acquired by Gevo from the former owner Red Trail Energy in January 2025 to accelerate the development of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) from ethanol.
Its low-carbon ethanol is distributed across the U.S. and Canada, including major clean-fuel markets such as Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and Alberta. The facility also generates more than 200,000 tonnes of valuable co-products annually, including distillers grains and vegetable oil.
The Richardton BECCS Facility: Fully Operational, Delivering BECCS Carbon Removal Today
Biorecro identified the Richardton, North Dakota site as being one of the best in the world for BECCS already back in 2007. 18 years of meetings, site visits, and reconnections later, Biorecro is now working to develop and commercialize BECCS at this site as a full-scale carbon removal showcase facility.
Since 2022, the Richardton BECCS Facility has stored 165,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year, making it one of the first BECCS and large-scale carbon removal projects to become operational worldwide.
As the commercial credit partner, Biorecro is helping advance the Richardton BECCS Facility toward market readiness, supporting efforts to scale up carbon removal operations and enable continued on-site CO₂ storage and broader expansion of BECCS at this and future locations.
Following the Carbon Molecule: From Biomass Sourcing to Fermentation and Capture
For the Richardton BECCS Facility, 75% of the biomass comes directly from long-standing contracts with local farmers, while the remaining 25% is sourced through reputable aggregators who also work with farmers in the area. This gives exceptionally strong visibility into where the project’s feedstock is produced.
All feedstocks are grown on land in a region known for farming for more than a century. Because many of these farms are family-owned, the farmers have a strong, long-term commitment to responsible land management, as their land is both their livelihood and their home.
Once sourced from these farmers, the biomass is transported within the local vicinity to the facility, where it is processed for ethanol production. While the facility is often described as an ethanol or biofuel plant, it also produces important food and feed co-products. For every tonne of ethanol made, the facility generates roughly one tonne of these co-products, along with one tonne of CO₂ from fermentation. That CO₂ is then captured and stored underground as part of the project’s BECCS carbon-removal process.
This one-to-one production of biofuel and feed is possible because different parts of the corn plant are used for different purposes. The sugars are fermented to make ethanol, while components like proteins are turned into other valuable products. One example is high-protein, nutrient-rich material used in many everyday items, including products as common as pet food.
Carbon Locked Away with Millennia-Scale Durability
Focusing on the BECCS carbon removal portion of the ethanol production process, the facility captures the high-purity CO₂ generated during fermentation. The fermentation exhaust first passes through a water scrubber that cleans the gas and removes impurities.
The CO₂ is then compressed to 325 psi, dehydrated, and chilled in a refrigeration unit until it becomes a liquid at -23°C (-10°F). This liquid CO₂ is pumped through an onsite flowline to an injection well, where it is permanently stored in the Broom Creek Formation, a deep saline reservoir located more than a mile beneath the facility.
This storage is enabled by a Class VI injection well, the first in the nation permitted under state authority, authorized by the North Dakota Industrial Commission for permanent underground CO₂ storage. A risk assessment following ISO 31000 guidelines found that potential issues, such as CO₂ movement or seismic activity, are unlikely. The project also maintains comprehensive plans for emergency response and long-term site management, and has secured financial assurance to cover all future monitoring and any required corrective actions.
Under baseline, business-as-usual operations, the facility would release its fermentation CO₂ directly to the atmosphere, as permitted by its Federal Title V operating permit. By capturing this CO₂ and storing it deep underground, the site shifts from a standard ethanol production facility to a large-scale climate mitigation tool, permanently removing carbon.
Carbon Removal Credits Issued Under Biorecro’s Partner Puro.Earth
Carbon removal credits from this project are certified and issued under the Puro Standard using its Geologically Stored Carbon methodology, ensuring that each tonne represents verified, permanent CO₂ removal. The facility and its carbon removal performance have also been independently audited by 350Solutions.
To guarantee ongoing integrity, the project operates under a comprehensive Testing and Monitoring Plan approved by the North Dakota Industrial Commission. This includes continuous monitoring of CO₂ as it enters the well, regular checks to confirm well integrity, and routine analysis to verify the quality and stability of the stored CO₂. In addition, the Verity tracking platform provides transparent, field-level traceability for the biomass supply chain.
Together, these measures give buyers confidence that every credit reflects real, measurable, sustainable, and durable carbon removal.
More Than Carbon Removal: Real Co-Benefits Delivered
On its own, the Richardton BECCS Facility is certified for UN SDG 13 (Climate Action) as part of its Puro certification. Looking more holistically beyond the project boundaries, this project also supports UN SDGs 2 (No Hunger), 3 (Good Health and Well Being), 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), 8 (Good Jobs and Economic Growth), 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), 12 (Responsible Consumption), and 15 (Life on Land).
Through voluntary carbon market premiums, farmers are rewarded for adopting regenerative practices, such as reduced tillage, cover cropping, and optimized fertilizer use, that improve soil health, water retention, and biodiversity.
The Verity platform further supports this transition by tracking environmental attributes from field to fuel, while agronomists help farmers identify practices tailored to their land. These improvements not only support healthier ecosystems but also contribute to long-term agricultural resilience, reinforcing SDGs related to sustainable land use and responsible production.
The project also drives economic benefits in rural communities, supporting SDG 8. Nearly all biomass suppliers live within 75 miles of the facility, meaning revenue flows directly back into local farms. Regenerative practices and incentives for keeping land in agriculture help maintain productive farmland and prevent conversion to development. The Richardton BECCS Facility itself provides roughly 50 local jobs, which is significant for a town of just over 600 residents, further strengthening regional economic stability.
In addition, the project advances SDGs 9 and 12 by enabling innovation in low-carbon fuels. Ethanol produced with BECCS already reduces emissions today as part of the on-road fuel mix, and Gevo’s patented technology to convert ethanol into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) helps chart a pathway toward lower-carbon aviation. By pairing carbon-removal infrastructure with renewable fuel production, the project supports more responsible consumption, accelerates the shift away from fossil fuels, and demonstrates how industrial innovation can deliver climate benefits alongside community and environmental value.
BECCS at Richardton: The On-the-Ground Reality
As with any biomass-based carbon removal approach, the sustainability and sourcing of feedstocks receive close attention, and rightly so. Every pathway, from biochar to BECCS, must demonstrate that it meets rigorous environmental standards. Ethanol BECCS is no exception, though it has attracted particular debate due to misunderstandings and broad generalizations that don’t reflect project-level realities.
To cut through the noise, this section looks directly at the on-the-ground sustainability of the Richardton BECCS Facility: how biomass is sourced, how land is managed, and how the project delivers real, measurable impact.
Biomass Feedstock Sourcing and Sustainability
The biomass used in this BECCS project meets Puro.Earth’s Biomass Sourcing Criteria, which ensure that carbon removal credits come from sustainable, responsibly sourced feedstocks. Although Puro’s carbon crediting boundary begins at the measured volume of CO₂ at the Class VI injection well, this section is shared as additional upstream information about ethanol production for full transparency.
Puro’s sourcing rules prohibit the use of biomass grown on land that was a highly biodiverse or high-carbon stock area after January 1, 2008. All growers must be legally operating in North Dakota and provide safe working conditions. As part of due diligence, auditors reviewed a 2005 Phase I Environmental Assessment, completed before the ethanol facility was built, confirming that corn production was already established in the area and that no land-use conversion occurred for this project.
The feedstock itself is non-food-grade #2 yellow dent corn, a type not sold for human consumption. It is sourced from local farmers and contains the typical components of a corn kernel: protein, carbohydrates, oil, and fiber. The facility purchases about 23 million bushels each year, representing a significant economic contribution to the surrounding farming community.
Most of this corn (about 98%) travels an average of 75 miles by truck from nearby farms. Only a small share (around 2%) arrives by rail from farther distances, approximately 278 miles, and this has occurred only twice in the past decade, both during drought years when local supply was temporarily insufficient.
Food vs. Fuel and Land Use Change
The agricultural lands supplying the Richardton BECCS Facility have been in continuous farming use for decades, many as multi-generational family operations. The ethanol plant was built to use corn already grown locally, meaning feedstock production predates the facility. A 2005 Phase I Environmental Assessment confirmed that the project area was existing farmland, not ecologically sensitive or newly converted land.
For every tonne of ethanol produced, the plant also generates a tonne of high-value feed co-products. Ethanol uses the corn’s sugars, while proteins and other components become feed ingredients and pet-food products used daily across the US. This approach adds value to the same acre of farmland without displacing food production.
Modern data also shows that the U.S. is at low risk for indirect land-use change (iLUC) for ethanol production. Argonne National Lab’s latest modeling assigns U.S. corn ethanol an iLUC value of 5.7 gCO₂e/MJ, far lower than older estimates and lower than many other biofuel feedstocks. Over the past three decades, U.S. cropland has declined, corn acreage has remained stable, and rising yields allow more grain to be grown on less land.
Baseline and Additionality
In the baseline scenario, the Richardton site operates as a standard ethanol facility that is able, under its Federal Title V permit issued by the North Dakota Division of Air Quality, to vent all CO₂ generated during production directly to the atmosphere. There are no current or pending state or federal regulations compelling the facility to capture, reduce, or otherwise mitigate these emissions. In other words, the site would continue releasing its full CO₂ output under business-as-usual conditions, with no regulatory or operational drivers to change this trajectory. This is the current status of most other ethanol plants as well as other biomass facilities globally, including pulp, CHP and biogas plants.
By implementing CO₂ capture and geological storage, the project enables the site to permanently remove 165,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year that would otherwise be emitted. This captured volume represents fully additional carbon removal, as it occurs only because of the capture-and-storage system and not because of any legal requirement or pre-existing facility plan. For carbon removal buyers, the 165,000 tonnes therefore directly quantifies the project’s additional climate benefit, the measurable difference between ongoing atmospheric emissions in the baseline scenario and the permanent storage achieved through the project’s intervention with carbon capture and storage.
Financial Additionality
Capturing and storing the CO₂ emissions from the ethanol plant is not required by any current or pending state or federal regulations. It demonstrates clear financial additionality, as the initial investment into the site, and ongoing operational costs for capture and storage of carbon are not economically viable without revenue from voluntary carbon credits.
Although the site is eligible for 45Q tax credits, these credits do not cover the full cost of the project. Operational pre-Inflation Reduction Act, the site is eligible for $50 per tonne under 45Q, and expiring in 2034, which contributes to pay basic operating expenses but does not cover the full investment, certification, monitoring, and other requirements needed to make the project commercially viable.
Because 45Q is a tax credit rather than a direct payment, the project must also find a third-party taxpayer to buy the credits in order to receive cash. This process involves discounts and transaction costs, meaning the project receives less value than the face amount of the credit. As a result, 45Q alone is not enough to make the project financially viable and does not replace the need for revenue from carbon credit buyers.
Permanence & Leakage
The storage well at the site has a particularly strong and secure geological structure. The primary storage zone is enclosed by 300 feet of sandstone capped above and below by impermeable rock layers, creating a natural seal. The only penetrations through this caprock are the project’s own injection and monitoring wells, and there is no faulting or seismic activity in the area that would pose a risk. As such, the CO₂ remains safely stored 5,000 feet below the surface.
Because of the strength of the Broom Creek formation and the rigorous engineering of the well, the risk of any CO₂ “reversal” (leakage) is extremely low. In the highly unlikely event that a reversal does occur, it would be addressed in accordance with the Class VI well permit, as well as the certification body Puro’s General Rules, ensuring the environmental integrity of the carbon removal credits.
Enabling the Next Generation of Carbon Removal
As one of the world’s first commercially operating BECCS ethanol facilities, the Richardton BECCS Facility demonstrates momentum and impact that extends well beyond the 435,000 tonnes of CO₂ already removed from the atmosphere to-date. It serves as an industry blueprint for the vast carbon-removal potential of the broader U.S. ethanol sector, which emits roughly 44 million tonnes of CO₂ each year, representing an enormous, largely untapped opportunity to help society meet global climate goals.
Fully operational since June 2022, the site currently stores around 165,000 tonnes of CO₂ each year, with the storage well having the ability to scale to more than 1,000,000 tonnes annually. Demonstrating the commercial viability of this BECCS project through voluntary carbon removal credits is a key step toward unlocking that full 1-million-tonne capacity and enabling further expansion to additional capture and storage sites.
Make A Lasting Impact: Purchase Permanent Carbon Removal Today
The Richardton BECCS Facility shows what’s possible when innovation and climate ambition come together: real CO₂ removed and stored, with the capacity to grow exponentially. But scaling this impact requires carbon removal buyers who are willing to lead.
Your purchase of permanent carbon removal credits helps unlock a massive climate mitigation opportunity, transforming an entire industry into a powerful engine for climate progress. Every tonne you support brings us closer to a durable, gigaton-scale carbon removal.
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Demonstrate your organization’s commitment to climate action today by purchasing permanent carbon removal from the Richardton BECCS Facility.
