Current:Home > InvestScottish Scientists Develop Whisky Biofuel -Quantum Capital Pro
Scottish Scientists Develop Whisky Biofuel
TrendPulse Quantitative Think Tank Center View
Date:2025-04-09 15:14:24
by Kirsty Scott, Guardian
It gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "one for the road". Whisky, the spirit that powers the Scottish economy, is being used to develop a new biofuel which could be available at petrol pumps in a few years.
Using samples from the Glenkinchie Distillery in East Lothian, researchers at Edinburgh Napier University have developed a method of producing biofuel from two main by-products of the whisky distilling process – "pot ale", the liquid from the copper stills, and "draff", the spent grains.
Copious quantities of both waste products are produced by the £4bn whisky industry each year, and the scientists say there is real potential for the biofuel, to be available at local garage forecourts alongside traditional fuels. It can be used in conventional cars without adapting their engines. The team also said it could be used to fuel planes and as the basis for chemicals such as acetone, an important solvent.
The new method developed by the team produces butanol, which gives 30% more power output than the traditional biofuel ethanol. It is based on a 100-year-old process that was originally developed to produce butanol and acetone by fermenting sugar. The team has adapted this to use whiskey by-products as a starting point and has filed for a patent to cover the new method. It plans to create a spin-out company to commercialise the invention.
Professor Martin Tangney, who directed the project said that using waste products was more environmentally sustainable than growing crops specifically to generate biofuel. He added that it could contribute significantly to targets set by the EU for biofuels to account for 10% of total fuel sales by 2020.
"What people need to do is stop thinking ‘either or’; people need to stop thinking like for like substitution for oil. That’s not going to happen. Different things will be needed in different countries. Electric cars will play some role in the market, taking cars off the road could be one of the most important things we ever do."
Dr Richard Dixon, of WWF Scotland, welcomed the project.
"The production of some biofuels can cause massive environmental damage to forests and wildlife," he said. "So whisky powered-cars could help Scotland avoid having to use those forest-trashing biofuels."
veryGood! (54)
Related
- Global Warming Set the Stage for Los Angeles Fires
- Climate Resolution Voted Down in El Paso After Fossil Fuel Interests and Other Opponents Pour More Than $1 Million into Opposition
- Save 44% On the Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara and Everyone Will Wonder if You Got Lash Extensions
- As EPA Proposes Tougher Rules on Emissions, Report Names Pennsylvania as One of America’s Top Polluters
- McConnell absent from Senate on Thursday as he recovers from fall in Capitol
- 4 reasons why now is a good time to buy an electric vehicle
- Promising to Prevent Floods at Treasure Island, Builders Downplay Risk of Sea Rise
- Western Firms Certified as Socially Responsible Trade in Myanmar Teak Linked to the Military Regime
- Jamie Foxx reps say actor was hit in face by a glass at birthday dinner, needed stitches
- Illinois Launches Long-Awaited Job-Training Programs in the Clean Energy and Construction Sectors
Ranking
- Nearly half of US teens are online ‘constantly,’ Pew report finds
- How Auditing Giant KPMG Became a Global Sustainability Leader While Serving Companies Accused of Forest Destruction
- Karlie Kloss Gives Birth, Welcomes Baby No. 2 With Husband Joshua Kushner
- You Need to See Robert De Niro and Tiffany Chen’s Baby Girl Gia Make Her TV Debut
- The Daily Money: Spending more on holiday travel?
- Global Warming Could Drive Pulses of Ice Sheet Retreat Reaching 2,000 Feet Per Day
- Republicans Propose Nationwide Offshore Wind Ban, Citing Unsubstantiated Links to Whale Deaths
- Barbenheimer opening weekend raked in $235.5 million together — but Barbie box office numbers beat Oppenheimer
Recommendation
At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
Selena Gomez Confirms Her Relationship Status With One Single TikTok
Summer of '69: When Charles Manson Scared the Hell Out of Hollywood
Body cam video shows police in Ohio release K-9 dog onto Black man as he appeared to be surrendering
This was the average Social Security benefit in 2004, and here's what it is now
Young dolphin that had just learned to live without its mother found dead on New Hampshire shore
Have a Hassle-Free Beach Day With This Sand-Resistant Turkish Beach Towel That Has 5,000+ 5-Star Reviews
Former gynecologist Robert Hadden to be sentenced to 20 years in prison for sexual abuse of patients, judge says