ROMA – Have you ever tried to put whiskey instead of gasoline? Don’t do this, although after reading what happened in Scotland you may fall into temptation. The Speyside plant of the famous Glenfiddich refinery has converted waste from the processing of the king of spirits into biogas, and the resulting fuel is currently capable of driving three Iveco semi-trailer tractors. The three vehicles specifically make their way up and down from the Dufftown plant to the bottling and packaging sites, covering four plants in central and western Scotland that belong to the William Grant & Sons company that controls Glenfiddich. No modifications to the engines, which thanks to this stratagem will reduce their carbon footprint by 250 tons of CO2 per year.
But how is this possible? It all starts with discarded malted barley grains, grains that are usually pelleted and sold as livestock feed. Through an anaerobic digester, these wastes are mixed with some bacteria to produce biogas, which in turn is converted into fuel. Anaerobic digestion is in practice the degradation of an organic substance by microorganisms in conditions of anaerobiosis. A small revolution, because compared to diesel engines and other fossil fuels, biogas reduces emissions by 95% and particulate matter by 99%.
According to the director of the distillery Stuart Watts, the experiment will extend to the other 20 Iveco in the Glenfiddich fleet, and then also involve several distilleries in the country. “The thought process behind this project was figuring out what could be done to improve the situation for all of us.” (fp)
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