A wee dram of... fuel?

(Jaroslaw74)

Academics in Edinburgh have filed a patent for a new type of whisky-based fuel, which can be used in cars without any special adaptations.

While a whisky-powered car might sound like a waste of good Scotch, the fuel is actually produced from by-products of the whisky production process, a £4 billion (€4.89 billion) industry which is particularly strong in Scotland.

Edinburgh Napier University Professor Martin Tangney has spent two years experimenting with leftover liquid and spent grains from Diageo's Glenkinchie Distillery to produce the biofuel, finally perfecting a product which can be used in ordinary cars like regular gas.

The university says his biofuel gives 30 percent more power output than ethanol and can also be used to make other green renewable biochemicals such as acetone.

“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," explained Professor Tangney.

“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.”

Edinburgh Napier University now plans to create a company to commercialize and sell the fuel, in the bid to make it available at gas station pumps.

http://www.napier.ac.uk