Photo: Murdo Macleod
Whisky. Is there anything it can't do? Here's what the Scots are going to do with the byproducts of whisky-making process:
It is the spirit that powers the Scottish economy, and now whisky is to be used to create electricity for homes in a new bioenergy venture involving some of Scotland's best-known distilleries.
Contracts have recently been awarded for the construction of a biomass combined heat and power plant at Rothes in Speyside that by 2013 will use the by-products of the whisky-making process for energy production.
Vast amounts of "draff", the spent grains used in the distilling process, and pot ale, a residue from the copper stills, are produced by the whisky industry each year and are usually transported off-site. The Rothes project, a joint venture between Helius Energy and the Combination of Rothes Distillers (CoRD) will burn the draff with woodchips to generate enough electricity to supply 9,000 homes. It will be supplied by Aalborg Energie Technick, a danish engineering company. The pot ale will be made into a concentrated organic fertiliser and an animal feed for use by local farmers.
Sure gives a new spin on "drunk with power," doesn't it? Link via GOOD
i wonder if we could do the same with the leftovers from beer breweries? i mean, we've got hundreds of them all over the US (not to mention all of the distilleries we've got that pump out millions of gallons of crap liquor every day).
methinks some US scientists and energy-types need to look into this!