3 Scottish firms team up to turn whisky into biofuel
Biomass represents an untapped market for the energy transition, and three Scottish companies have teamed up to turn one of the nation's major exports - whisky - into a renewable energy source.
Ardnamurchan Distillery, Woodlands Renewables and Scotland’s first biorefinery, Celtic Renewables, are set to bring a potentially revolutionary biofuel technology to the market.
Read more: Biomass and its role in the energy transition
The plant will use Celtic's processes to convert around 50,000 tonnes of biological material into renewable chemicals, green biofuel, and other commodities essential in the energy transition.
It has already brought in over £43 million (€51.1 million) in funding since its inception and will supposedly be able to produce one million litres of sustainable biochemicals annually.
In addition, five other large-scale biofuel refineries are planned for launch globally over the next five years.
"Biofuel" simply refers to any fuel generated from plant material or animal waste. It is estimated to be able to save as much as 130 million tonnes of CO2 by 2030. But it is, as of yet, a relatively undervalued market.
Because feedstock for biofuels can be replenished readily, it is considered to be a form of renewable energy. However, critics of the tech often remain sceptical about scale-up opportunities and the scope for expansion as well as the costs associated with the development and potentially taking away arable land from food production.
Some plant material, such as wood, has long been used as a biofuel and generated heat, which can be used as an energy source.
The partnership was influenced by Ardnamurchan Estates investor Donald Houston, who owns stakes in each company.
"Celtic Renewables needs a byproduct of whisky distilling called pot ale to assist in its testing process before starting full production of its biochemicals and biofuel", he said. The Whiskey by-product for the project is supplied by Ardnamurchan distillery.
“The pot ale is piped over the hill from the distillery to the neighbouring Woodland Renewables, a local business set up to repurpose the distillery’s by-products whilst adding value to the local economy".
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He added that the whisky byproduct is combined in draff - another distillery by-product - and turned into an animal feed at the Woodlands Renewables plant and used to feed local livestock, with some of the pot ale stock being supplied to Celtic.
“Since their launch, sustainability has been a major component of Ardnamurchan Distillery’s overall strategy. Looking at new ways to improve their sustainability and circular economy, this innovative technology developed by Celtic Renewables fits perfectly with the distillery’s objective", he concluded.
The Ardnamurchan Distillery is designed to be as sustainable as possible, with all energy coming from local renewable sources, primarily hydropower and biomass. Products co-developed by the other partners will be supplied to Woodland Renewables.
The biomass could be entirely self-sufficient, as some of Celtic's animal feed is supplied to the distillery.
"These tests we will be conducting with the whisky residue are the culmination of the lab work we started at Edinburgh Napier University in 2008 which led to the formation of our company in 2012", Celtic Renewables' President Martin Tangney said in a statement.
“Once in production, we will have contracts for consistent supply of significant volumes of pot ale from the Scotch whisky industry. With the plant being commissioned we needed an ad hoc supply of pot ale on demand. Donald has stepped in to meet that need, to get us through to the full production phase", he concluded.
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It is likely the project will still need a significant investment wave before any returns will be seen.
As such, the team are looking to commission the plant soon, considering it a "long-term investment" at odds with the kinds of tech startups that dominate the modern market.
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