Edinburgh firm Celtic Renewables has performed the world's first test-drive of a car powered by the by-products from the whisky distillery industry. The car, which is being developed in partnership with Scottish Enterprise, will be able to travel at up to 100mph and can run on renewable energy for as long as it takes to fill its tank. It is a "direct replacement, here and now, for petrol", as current car engines required no modification to use the fuel, said the company, which has secured a £9m government grant to build a demonstration plant in Grangemouth, near Falkirk, set to open in 2019.
Edinburgh firm Celtic Renewables has performed the world's first test-drive of a car powered by the by-products from the whisky distillery industry. Working with Perthshire's Tullibardine Distillery, Celtic Renewables turned kernels of barley called draff, and pot ale - a yeasty liquid left over from fermentation, to create biobutanol. It is a "direct replacement, here and now, for petrol", as current car engines required no modification to use the fuel, said the company, which has secured a £9m government grant to build a demonstration plant in Grangemouth, near Falkirk, set to open in 2019.