Glenfiddich uses own whisky waste to fuel trucks:
Scotch whisky maker Glenfiddich has announced that it will convert its delivery trucks to run on low-emission biogas made from waste products from its own whisky distilling process.
The company said it has installed fuelling stations at its Dufftown distillery in north-eastern Scotland which use technology developed by its parent company William Grant and Sons. It will convert its production waste and residues into an Ultra-Low Carbon Fuel (ULCF) gas that produces minimal carbon dioxide and other harmful emissions.
Glenfiddich said the transition to using fuel made from the distillery’s waste product is part of a “closed-loop” sustainability initiative. Stuart Watts, distillery director at William Grant, said traditionally Glenfiddich has sold off spent grains left over from the malting process to be used for a high-protein cattle feed.
However, through anaerobic digestion – where bacteria break down organic matter, producing biogas – the distillery can also use the liquid waste from the process to make fuel and eventually recycle all of its waste products this way.
[...] Last year, the Government announced a £10m fund to assist UK distilleries with transitions to low-carbon fuels, such as hydrogen and biomass.
(Score: 4, Informative) by looorg on Monday August 09 2021, @07:43PM (6 children)
It's nice that it's Whiskey but this is quite common these days. To find alternative uses for what was previously "waste" products. After all things you can repurpose and use or sell is just another revenue stream instead of having to get rid of it as waste or trash.
There was (or is) a fairly interesting edu-tainment style documentary on the BBC called "Inside the factory" that shows part of the more modern factory setting. Highly recommended really, once you just get past all the presenters wanting to be "funny" or acting more stupid then they hopefully are.
https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/19291/inside-the-factory [tvmaze.com]
(Score: 2, Funny) by fustakrakich on Monday August 09 2021, @09:12PM (4 children)
They're going to slap a fuel tax on it.
If you take a walk, I'll tax your feet
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 09 2021, @10:38PM (3 children)
Reminds me an alcohol tax story-- 30+ years ago a friend worked at a large brewery in USA. At that time Canadian beer was generally higher quality. He claimed the difference was that in USA his company was taxed on the beer they bottled/canned & sold. In Canada, the competition was taxed on the beer they made, whether it was saleable or not.
Summary:
* The US operation made a very marginal product (for very little cost) and dumped any batch that didn't quite meet their quality standard. The location was on a short river that headed into Lake Ontario.
* The Canadians were forced to make a higher quality original product because it all had to be saleable, they were going to get taxed even if they were unable to sell it.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 09 2021, @11:01PM (2 children)
Hope you remember the name of the brewery. Dumping like that is illegal and whistleblowers can get a percentage of the dumping fine.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 09 2021, @11:11PM
did you miss the 30+ years ago part?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 10 2021, @05:28AM
Dumping? Who said anything about dumping. The Canadians picked up the sub-par product, urinated in it and sold it as real Canadian beer.
(Score: 3, Funny) by driverless on Tuesday August 10 2021, @06:57AM
They can also use their whiskey to deal with upcoming global water shortages. By employing a simple device known as a Scotsman it's possible to convert arbitrary quantities of whiskey into water to relieve water shortages.
(Score: 4, Funny) by turgid on Monday August 09 2021, @08:02PM (4 children)
I wasn't aware such a thing existed. Certainly not in this house.
I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent [wikipedia.org].
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 09 2021, @08:59PM (3 children)
Yes...
The grain is converted to sugars to make the beer... Then that is distilled down.
The fiber waste is let behind. Like most if it really. Dried fiber waste can used as feed for cattle, pigs, sheep and chickens to name few.
There is also liquid waste since distilling does not get all the alcohol out. That waste water needs to go some where too.
Most likely they a doing a second beer from these to wastes. Allowing the yeast to do their job again. Remember Alcohol is a waste product of the yeast . Most yeasts cannot go much beyond 10-12% by volume. That when they have polluted their environment, and start to die off.
1st fermentation 10% usable product. 90% waste. Then do a 2nd or 3 or fourth fremenation until the sugars is to low for the yeast to start again.
Now: Low carbon -- not really. Just low lose carbon - the black in oil. Also called COKE find carbon power, used in Charcoal barques, Tar-Black was use causemedics. or Tar / Tarmac used for roads and roofs. Would better if the local gas fire plant would take the fuel and use it there. Better effiency of the burn, plus they are more likely to help carbon capture. Trucks just make electric.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 09 2021, @10:27PM (2 children)
Nice detailed reply...but...
WOOOSH!! -- note that turgid mentioned "his house".
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 10 2021, @12:50AM (1 child)
A house is distillery. Maybe needs to learn terms first
(Score: 4, Funny) by c0lo on Tuesday August 10 2021, @01:23AM
In Scotland, most likely a house is a distillery too. How else do you think they learn how to make a good Scotch?
https://www.youtube.com/@ProfSteveKeen https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 09 2021, @09:24PM (2 children)
I learned a helluva lot of practical thermodynamics and chemistry from watching one of my grandpa's making runs of moonshine.
Everything on the farm had a use. And moonshine was quite an important part of farm operations.
First, consider Cash is scarce. It doesn't grow on trees. If we can plant and harvest, we can get what we need. Both corn and sugar are readily available via planting or barter without getting anyone else involved.
We nearly always had excess corn. Had to. Almost everything on the farm ate it in one way or another. Cows, pigs, chickens, goats, horses. But it wouldn't keep from one year to the next. Mold, rot, mice. It was a disaster if you did not have more than enough. You lost animals.
So grow plenty of corn and feed the excess to the still.
We got a plethora of useful stuff back from the still.
Moonshine. It was highly condensed in volume, and was a barter item used as a currency to obtain whatever else we needed. It would keep, for all practical purposes, forever.
But most of what it made was useless for drinking.
It was used for veterinary use. Animals get hurt all the time and need to be properly cleaned to avoid infections. And there's the male piglets that need to be shucked. If you don't do that, you will regret it. Horny pigs are dangerous on a farm, and make tough rubbery bacon.
Knowing farm operations, all the local law would not touch a farmer's still and that made the federal revenuers mad as hell. On top of that, the local farmers had farm equipment and pigs. Revenue agents could be made to disappear without leaving a trace.
We did not have many social problems back then. The farmers were experts in fixing most anything. Our Sheriff would file the appropriate paperwork and peace would continue.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 10 2021, @05:36AM (1 child)
Sounds like a wonderful world to live in, right out of a horror movie.
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Tuesday August 10 2021, @03:00PM
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 5, Touché) by Megahard on Monday August 09 2021, @11:31PM (1 child)
So previous use of whiskey waste was Duff beer?
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 10 2021, @01:12AM
Or Bud/Miller lite.