High On Highways: What If You get A ‘green’ Car That Runs On Whisky

Good news for whisky lovers, now they have another excuse to enjoy a dram. Recently, scientists in Scotland has unveiled a biofuel to assist power cars developed from the by-products of the distillation process.

This biofuel is developed by researchers at Edinburgh Napier University and they have filed a patent for the product, which according to them could be used to fuel ordinary cars without any special adaptations. This biofuel has been developed after a two-year research project which uses two main by-products from the whisky production process.

These two by-products are “pot ale” which is a liquid from the copper stillsand the spent grains, called “draff”. They are the base to produce butanol which can then be used as fuel. Martin Tangney, who is leading the research, said on Tuesday, “The new biofuel is made from biological material which has been already generated. Theoretically it could be used entirely on its own but you would have to find a company to distribute it.”

Further he added that the most likely way the biofuel would be used was by blending five or ten per cent of the product with petrol or diesel. Then he said, “Five or 10% means less oil which would make a big, big difference.” The biofuel “potentially offers new revenue on the back of one Scotland’s biggest industries,” added Tangney.

Praising the new product Richard Dixon, the Scotland director of environmental campaign group WWF, said that unlike other biofuels, it could be made without causing massive environmental damage to forests and wildlife. “Whisky-powered cars could help Scotland avoid having to use those forest-trashing biofuels.”

And if this biofuel reached India, people would surely fill whisky in their cars instead of any other fuel as the fuel prices are still on hike.