University of Abertay Dundee: From beer and whisky to biofuel?

I like beer. Whiskey? Sometimes, but beer is always good. It would be even better if the leftover grains could be turned into biofuels in a cost-effective and efficient manner. Any distilling process leaves behind by-products, including the distillation of corn into ethanol. Currently, much of this leftover material is used for animal feed, and is not worth a great deal.

According to Professor Graeme Walker from the University of Abertay Dundee, "Our research will be looking at the far more complicated process of turning waste products from industry into bioethanol as an example of a second-generation biofuel. These products are currently disposed of or processed for animal feed and turning them into fuel would be an attractive use of the resource. At the moment many technical challenges remain to converting waste biomass into fuel. We will focus on finding more efficient and cost effective processes."

Just so long as they don't mess with my beer, everything will work out alright.

[Source: University of Abertay Dundee]