Cars may soon be fuelled on whisky after a university programme developed a “super biofuel” made from the by-products of the spirit's distillation process.
Edinburgh Napier University has announced it has filed a patent for the new biofuel which, according to its scientists, could help the EU meet its target of 10% of renewables in all transport fuel by 2020 and can be used in ordinary cars without any special adaptions.
The innovative fuel process has been developed over the last two years by Napier’s Biofuel Research Centre.
As part of their research, the centre was provided with samples of whisky distilling by-products from Diageo’s Glenkinchie Distillery.
The £260,000 research project was funded by Scottish Enterprise’s ‘Proof of Concept’ programme.
The Edinburgh Napier team focused on the £4bn whisky industry as a ripe resource for developing biobutanol – the next generation of biofuel which gives 30% more output power than ethanol.
It uses the two main by-products of the whisky production process – ‘pot ale’, the liquid from the copper stills, and ‘draff’, the spent grains, as the basis for producing the butanol that can then be used as fuel.
With 1,600 million litres of pot ale and 187,000 tonnes of draff produced by the malt whisky industry annually, there is real potential for bio-fuel to be available at local garage forecourts alongside traditional fuels.
Unlike ethanol, the nature of the innovative bio-fuel means that ordinary cars could use the more powerful fuel instead of traditional petrol.
The product can also be used to make other green renewable bio-chemicals, such as acetone.
The University now plans to create a spin-out company to take the new fuel to market and leverage the commercial opportunity, in the bid to make it available at petrol pumps.
Professor Martin Tangney, Director of the Biofuel Research Centre at Edinburgh Napier University, is leading the ground-breaking research.
He said: “The EU has declared that biofuels should account for 10% of total fuel sales by 2020. 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 by-products 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.”
Lena Wilson, chief executive, Scottish Enterprise, said: "This pioneering research is testament to Scotland's world-class science base and demonstrates how Scottish Enterprise helps to transform cutting-edge knowledge into successful new high-growth sustainable businesses for Scotland.
“The Scottish Enterprise Proof of Concept Programme is successful precisely because of its high caliber projects. By proactively taking innovative ideas from the laboratory to the global market place, Scotland can continue to compete at the highest level and successfully boost its economic recovery."
Jim Mather, Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism said: "This is an innovative development, and I am delighted to see Edinburgh Napier University once again display its expertise in this field by bringing this biofuel to market.
"I support the development and use of sustainable biofuels. This innovative use of waste products demonstrates a new sustainable option for the biofuel industry, while also supporting the economic and environmental objectives of the Scottish Government's new Zero Waste Plan.
"In these challenging economic times we need to play to our strengths and take advantage of the low carbon opportunities of the future.
"It's exactly this type of innovation that will help sustain economic recovery and deliver future sustainable economic growth.”
Susan Morrison, Director and General Manager at The Scotch Whisky Experience said: “Working in a tourism role to represent the Whisky Industry we are delighted that the green agenda is moving forward at such a pace, both through the Green Tourism Scheme and innovations such as this new whisky bio-fuel.”
And WWF Scotland's Director, Dr Richard Dixon, said: "Scotch whisky is world renowned and one of Scotland's biggest exports, so it is great to see plans that could not only help power the cars on our roads and reduce fossil-fuel emissions but also help reduce the environmental impacts of the industry itself.
“The production of some biofuels can cause massive environmental damage to forests and wildlife. So, whisky powered-cars could help Scotland avoid having to use those forest-trashing biofuels.
"Last year the whisky industry published plans to help lower its impacts and it is clear that this scheme could assist them in doing just that. Since the whisky industry relies on Scotland's clean environment for its main ingredients it would be great if the industry could help Scotland reduce its emissions from road transport."
The technology for developing bio-fuel from whisky was inspired from a 100 year old process, created by Chaim Weizmann, a Jewish refugee chemist in Manchester who studied the butanol fermentation initially as part of a programme to produce rubber synthetically.
The process was then used in explosives manufacture and helped win both WWI and WWII.
D.B, Argyll around 1 year, 5 months ago