Celtic Renewables, an Edinburgh-based green energy company, has developed a method for creating fuel from the by-products of whiskey making. Yep, they’re the waste products of the process not the actual whiskey, called biobutanol. The first test drive for whiskey-powered cars has just been completed.
The waste products from the process include Draff or barley kernels and Pot Ale. Pot Ale is a yeasty liquid that has been left over from fermentation. This biofuel can be a sustainable replacement for use in petrol and diesel engines. There are even some car engines that can use the fuel without needing to convert.
Source: Celtic Renewables
According to Prof Martin Tangney, the founder and president of Celtic Renewables, the residue doesn’t have any value whatsoever in the whiskey industry.
Celtic Renewables founder and president Prof Martin Tangney said the residue was of no value whatsoever to the whisky industry.”What we developed was a process to combine the liquid with the solid, and used an entirely different traditional fermentation process called ABE, and it makes the chemical called biobutanol.” He added. “And that is a direct replacement, here and now, for petrol”.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=WbxfGWjA-NE
Source: YouTube, Celtic Renewables
Celtic Renewables recently received £9 million ($11,683,530) government grant to build a commercial demonstrator plant in Grangemouth, near Falkirk, which will be fully operational by 2019. They believe that whiskey biofuel as a great potential worldwide and can create an industry in Scotland that is worth £100 million ($129.82 Million). They are also planning to target other whiskey producing countries like Japan, India, and the US.
“This is the first time in history that a car has ever been driven with a biofuel produced from whisky production residues. It is fitting to do this historic drive in Scotland, which is famous not just for its world-renowned whisky but also for being a powerhouse for renewable energy.” Prof Martin Tangney said
Source: Celtic Renewables
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