EMEA News
Whisky-Based Biofuel "Currently Being Trialled in the Shipping Industry"
Scotland-based Celtic Renewables Ltd. (Celtic Renewables) says it has developed a commercial-scale method for producing biofuel from a whiskey fermentation byproduct, which is currently being trialled for use in the shipping industry, Reuters reports.
"In the production of whisky less than ten percent of what comes out in the distillery is actually the primary product. The bulk of the remainder are these unwanted residues - pot ale and barley," said Professor Martin Tangney, founder of Celtic Renewables.
"What we can do is combine these two together, create a brand new raw material, apply a different fermentation technology and convert the residual good material in here into high-value products and in particular this - biobutanol, which is an advanced biofuel which is an exact replacement for petrol or diesel."
Celtic Renewables is said to have developed its biobutanol production process in Belgium, but has recently been awarded £11 million ($16.7 million) by the British government for a facility in central Scotland, which Tangney believes could allow the company to produce at least 1 million litres of biofuel per year.
"Butanol, which is our fuel, is an advanced fuel that's a four carbon alcohol, so inherently it has more energy, it has almost the same amount of energy as petrol, whereas bioethanol has only got 70 percent of it," explained Tangney.
"You can store it and pipe it and use the existing infrastructure to distribute this, and in fact you do not need to modify an engine.
"So this is a genuine like-for-like substitution for oil or diesel - and moreover the fuel is not restricted to automobiles. It's currently being trialled in shipping industry and is a very good base unit for jet fuel."
Tangney is careful to note that oil companies have no need to feel threatened by the biofuel, rather, butanol could be integrated into the existing structure.
The consumer sees no difference in their day-to-day activity but they are in fact helping the planet and reducing the amount of oil we consume by putting this into our cars," he said..
Celtic Renewables asserts that it could become a multi-million dollar market leader in the biofuel industry with its product.
In August, it was reported that researchers at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) found an as yet untapped source of North Atlantic Ocean-based algae that would be an "ideal source" for biofuel.
