Scottish Whisky Distillery Converts Waste into Methane

A Scottish whisky distillery has developed a process to convert thousands of tons of yeasty by-product into methane, which can be burned to produce electricity. Using a process known as anaerobic digestion, the Bruichladdich distillery, located on the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides, has installed a system that slowly feeds specially bred microbes into two large tanks of pot ale, a mix of warm water and dead yeast left over at the end of whisky production. Eventually, the process produces enough methane gas to power the entire distillery, said owner Mark Reynier. While installation of the equipment cost about £275,000 ($448,000), Reynier said it will likely save about £150,000 annually in electricity and waste transport costs. “Now our only real waste product is water,” he said. Scottish researchers say such innovations also have the potential to significantly reduce carbon emissions from the nation’s £4 billion ($6.5 billion) whiskey industry.