GREENVILLE, Ohio - The battle has begun between an area business and its surrounding community over a controversial carbon dioxide proposal.

Residents of Greenville and surrounding towns in Darke County gathered Monday night at the All Seasons Place to protest a proposal from an ethanol plant to inject carbon dioxide waste 3,500 feet below the surface. The plant is located within the Greenville Industrial Park.

The process, known as sequestration, is designed to dispose of the waste in a way that does not harm communities or individuals. Sequestration is fairly untested, and many residents are fearful of what might happen if there were problems with the injection.

According to reports, the sequestration would involve "capturing carbon dioxide gas from an industrial source, compressing it into a semi-liquid state called a supercritical fluid, and injecting it at least 2,500 feet below the Earth's surface into a permeable, porous layer of rock."

A town hall will be held on Tuesday, July 28 to further educate residents interested in learning more about the process and the proposal.