Scotland creates new industry for whiskey-based biofuel for cars

The whiskey industry could soon have a new product that has nothing to do with giving drinkers their desired buzz, but rather provide clean fuel for vehicles.

Scientists from the Edinburgh Napier University in Scotland filed a patent on Tuesday for a new biofuel derived from the byproducts of whiskey distillation that can be used in ordinary vehicles minus the usual modification to become biofuel-ready.

The new biofuel, a result of a two-year research project by the university’s Biofuel Research Center, uses two main byproducts in the whiskey production process – pot ale, the liquid that comes from the whiskey production copper stills and draff, the spent grains – to create butanol that can be used as fuel.

Biobutanol is believed to be the next-generation biofuel, with scientists claiming they can give 30 percent more output power than ethanol. It can also be used to make other green renewable biochemicals such as acetone.

“The most likely form of distribution of the biofuel would be a blend of perhaps 5 percent or 10 percent of the biofuel with petrol or diesel, but 5 percent or 10 percent means less oil, which would make a big, big difference,” said Martin Tangney, director of the research center and leader of the project.

“The new biofuel is made from biological material which has been already generated. Theoretically it could be used entirely on its own but you would have to find a company to distribute it,” he said.

The university plans to create a spinoff company to leverage the commercial opportunity of the new biobutanol in a bid to make it available at petrol pumps.

The £4 billion ($6.2 billion) whiskey industry is one of Scotland’s biggest markets, and with 1.6 billion liters of pot ale and 187,000 metric tons of draff produced by the industry annually, there is enormous potential for biofuel to be available at petrol pumps alongside traditional fuels, the researchers said.

Lena Wilson, chief executive of Scottish Enterprise, Scotland’s main economic, enterprise and investment agency, has pledged support for the project.

“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,” Ms. Wilson said. The £260,000 biofuel research project was funded under the Scottish Enterprise’s proof of concept program.

The European Union said biofuels should account for 10 percent of total fuel sales in the bloc by 2020. At the same time, the new biofuel could help Scotland achieve its own renewable energy target.