Biofuel company signs research deal

Scottish company Celtic Renewables, founded by Macroom, Co Cork Professor Martin Tangney, has taken its research into biofuels one step further with the signing of a major contract with Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant in Ghent, Belgium.

The company has signed a partnership agreement with one of Europe’s leading biotechnology test plants to develop the next stage in bringing to market its processing of whiskey waste known as draff and pot ale to a commercial product.

That would see the biofuel, known as bio-biutanol, being used to fuel petrol engines. Each year, the Scottish whiskey industry produces 1,600m litres of pot ale and 500,000 tonnes of draff. The biofuel initiative recognised the massive fuel potential inherent in the ‘waste matter’.