Build a transparent screening case and keep gross product value, operating contribution, cash flow and climate claims distinct.
Value the tonnes that can actually be used or sold
A recovery plant creates value when acceptable product meets a real internal demand or external market. Technical recovery potential is not automatically saleable output. Begin by estimating accepted product, then compare its timing and annual volume with credible offtake. Product qualification, storage and dispatch can constrain the useful quantity even when the gas source is sufficient.
For internal use, the relevant value may be the cost of purchased CO₂ that the recovered product displaces. For external sales, it is the realizable selling value after considering the appropriate commercial boundary. Do not count both a sale and an avoided purchase for the same tonne. Use consistent currency, date and delivery conditions when comparing prices.
Separate production energy from marketable output
An illustrative plant that produces 7,200 tonnes per year at an assumed 150 kWh per tonne consumes 1,080,000 kWh on that stated equipment boundary. At 0.10 currency units per kWh, electricity costs 108,000 currency units. These numbers are a calculation example, not our performance or a quoted tariff.
If all 7,200 tonnes are valued at 100 currency units per tonne, gross value is 720,000 and the difference after electricity alone is 612,000. If only 5,000 tonnes are sold but the plant still produces all 7,200, gross value falls to 500,000 while electricity remains 108,000. The electricity-only difference becomes 392,000. Unsold production still consumed energy.
Compare supplier energy figures on one boundary
A refrigeration-package figure may exclude feed compression, pumps, fans, regeneration or other auxiliaries. Another proposal may include them. Inlet pressure, gas quality, site cooling conditions and load also affect the comparison. Ask each supplier to state the same inlet and outlet boundary and the same operating case.
Power in kilowatts is a rate; energy per tonne links consumption with delivered output over a period. A smaller motor rating does not by itself establish lower energy per tonne. Part-load operation and seasonal conditions can change annual performance, so a useful comparison includes the load pattern the plant is expected to follow.
Move from screening to a complete business case
Electricity is only one operating cost. Depending on the project, include water, heat, refrigerant-related service, consumables, maintenance, labor, analysis, insurance, transport and other applicable expenses. Installed investment can include civil works, utilities, storage, permits and installation beyond the equipment supply. Identify taxes and financing consistently with the financial model being used.
A payback calculation needs an investment boundary and annual net cash flow; an electricity-only contribution is not that cash flow. Test sensitivity to operating hours, demand, product value, utility prices and interruptions. A transparent base case with realistic alternatives is more informative than one attractive payback number built from unstated assumptions.
Keep environmental value on its own evidence basis
Recovering CO₂ for a useful application may change emissions compared with the alternative supply route, but the result depends on the complete accounting boundary. Energy, transport, displaced production and eventual release or retention matter. The IEA distinguishes the potential climate role of CO₂ use from permanent storage; the existence of a commercial product does not establish a removal credit.
Use the website assessment to organize assumptions and identify missing data for our engineering discussion. The next stage can connect the source profile, product destination, equipment boundary and site costs. That turns an early opportunity estimate into a business case that decision-makers can inspect and revise as better evidence becomes available.
Common technical questions
Is the calculator result a profit estimate?
No. An electricity-only contribution excludes other operating costs, installed investment, financing and taxes. Those need a separate complete model.
Why should marketable output and produced output be separate inputs?
Production consumes utilities even if some product is rejected, lost or unsold. Applying energy only to sold tonnes can understate cost unless production is curtailed accordingly.
A small sensitivity table can expose the real constraint
| Illustrative case | Useful product value | Electricity cost | Balance before all other costs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7,200 t/y used or sold at $100/t; 150 kWh/t; $0.10/kWh | $720,000/y | $108,000/y | $612,000/y |
| Same output and power, but only 5,000 t/y have a destination | $500,000/y | $108,000/y | $392,000/y |
| 7,200 t/y useful; tariff rises to $0.15/kWh | $720,000/y | $162,000/y | $558,000/y |
These are arithmetic scenarios, not our performance or price estimates. The second row deliberately assumes all 7,200 tonnes are produced: it shows why unsold output can destroy value. If the plant is curtailed instead, recalculate production, part-load power and fixed costs together. Deduct labor, maintenance, adsorbents, utilities, logistics, testing and other incremental costs before estimating net savings. Simple payback excludes financing and the time value of money; do not label this partial balance as profit or a guaranteed payback.
Technical references
- IEA: Putting CO₂ to Use — Climate benefit depends on the CO₂ source, displaced product, energy and retention; utilization is not equivalent to permanent storage.
Apply this to your project
Open the source assessment tool to record the mass-balance and economic assumptions. For a project-specific design, share the gas analysis and product specification with us.
We publish this guide as YTC. Our editorial policy explains the source checks, AI assistance and how to report a correction. Examples do not establish a plant guarantee.