Biofuel from whisky leftovers could power cars soon
25 Sep 2012
In a first of its kind project from Tullibardine distillery in Perthshire, Scotland, could see leftovers from whisky production power vehicles.
The distillery, in Blackford, near Auchterarder, has teamed up with a newly set up company founded by researchers at Napier University, Edinburgh.
The idea is to let bacteria feed on byproducts such as draff and pot ales in the early stages of whisky production. This would produce butanol which could be used to fuel vehicles.
Byproducts account for over 90 per cent of the output of any distillery. They have a high sugar content and are currently used in fertiliser and cattle feed.
Napier University's Biofuel Research Centre (BfRC) has already shown that the right bacteria feeding on the by-products could produce butanol - a direct replacement for vehicle fuel.
The spin-out company, Celtic Renewables, and independent malt whisky producer
Tullibardine has signed "a memorandum of understanding" under which they would apply the process to thousands of tonnes of the distillery's leftovers.
