TECHNOLOGY FOR CHANGE

Whisky Byproducts Make Powerful Biofuel

Rebecca Kutzer-Rice | Date: 08-27-10 | Comments

In creating a new biofuel, several Scottish scientists are turning to their country's favorite beverage: whisky. The new fuel, which uses whisky byproducts, can be used in normal car engines alone or with a mix of gasoline.

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Whisky Byproducts Make Powerful Biofuel
A team of scientists at Edinburgh Napier University in Scotland has invented a new type of powerful biofuel made from an unlikely substance: whisky.

Setting out to find new sources of biobutanol�a new kind of fuel 30 percent more powerful than ethanol�the scientists looked to whisky. The potential market for a whisky fuel is huge: Worldwide, the production of the popular liquor makes up a $5 billion industry.

The new biofuel uses the two main byproducts of whisky production, pot ale and draff. Pot ale is the fermented liquid left over in the stills. Usually thrown out, the pot ale is sometimes used to feed livestock. Draff, also used as animal feed, is the grain residue. Each year, the malt whisky industry produces massive quantities of these byproducts: 1,600 million liters of pot ale and nearly 200,000 tons of draff.

The lead researcher on the project is Professor Martin Tangney, director of the Biofuel Research Centre at Edinburgh Napier University. "The EU has declared that biofuels should account for 10% of total fuel sales by 2020," he said in statement. "We're committed to finding new, innovative renewable energy sources. While some energy companies are growing crops specifically to generate biofuel, we are investigating excess materials such as whisky byproducts to develop them. This is a more environmentally sustainable option and potentially offers new revenue on the back of one Scotland's biggest industries. We've worked with some of the country's leading whisky producers to develop the process."

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