Martin Tangney and his staff at Edinburgh Napier University are raising their glasses tonight. In this Scotland university, scientists have now developed the ability to turn scotch whiskey into a biofeul that can power cars. While many cheers are indeed aplenty, the discovery definitely grants the question of what are the limits to what can power one of human’s most inefficient inventions – the automobile. We all have heard the arguments for the electric car or perhaps the hybrid, but what if cars could run on grass, water, the sun, a fuel cell, or corn. These various fuels will be uncovered, discussed, and examined for pros and cons as well as their investment potential.
We start our investigation in William Wallace’s home country of the kilts and Scotch. Tangney and his staff underwent a two-year research project using two of the main by-products that are made from the production of Scotland’s finest spirit – scotch whiskey. The researchers combined “pot ale” and “draff,” which are the byproduct from copper stills and spent grains, respectively, to make butanol. Butanol is able to be used as a fuel, and Tangney comments that it would be most effective if combined with ninety to 95% petrol.
“Five or 10 percent means less oil which would make a big, big difference,” Tangney comments.
One of the best parts of the biofuel is that it can be a great source of revenue for Scotland, and it made from something that is already being produced. Typically, these by-products are disposed of into fills, but now, by-products can be used efficiently to help power cars. It requires very little in any new products. The biofuel is actually something that can be used without having to mine, cut down, or take away any new “bio” products.
While perhaps whiskey, at this moment, is a bit far fetched, it is the generation of this capability that one day will most likely help humans continue to enjoy our lifestyles of ease while also being able to live more efficiently. In the meantime, one of the most highly researched and investable alternative fuels is the fuel cell.
The Fuel Cell – The Future of … Nothing
The fuel cell could be the wave of the future with cars. The way that a fuel cell works is that generates electricity inside of a cell via reactions between a source fuel and an oxidant. The reactants flow into the cell…
