Researchers brew up biofuel of the future
Cars of the future could be running on fuel made from the by-products of brewing and distilling following research by Scottish scientists. The researchers at the University of Abertay Dundee, Scotland, have been awarded a grant to investigate how to turn residues from beer and whisky production into biofuel. The project will look into new methods of turning spent grain into bioethanol, a more environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuels. The main advantages of bioethanol over traditional fuels are that it is CO2 neutral and produces 65% fewer greenhouse gas emissions than fossil fuels. According to experts, around half of the world's oil reserves have been used up over the last 200 years. The race is therefore now on to develop more environmentally friendly alternatives, including biofuels. Brazil and the US have both been very successful in creating bioethanol from sugarcane and maize starch respectively, producing over 70% of global supplies between them. But, these methods have been open to criticism because they have created an increased demand for land for growing energy crops. Scientists all around the world have been trying to find a simple and cost-effective way to produce more biofuels from waste or low value products. This will be the focus of the year-long Dundee project, led by Professor Graeme Walker. '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,' the Professor explained. '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,' he added. In the integrated energy and climate change package proposal, endorsed by EU Heads of State and Government earlier this year, the Commission set the ambitious goals of increasing biofuel use in the EU to 5.75% by 2010, and 10% by 2020.
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