SCOTTISH Bioenergy Ventures (SBV) has successfully completed the first phase of a trial at Scotland’s oldest working whisky distillery in which algae converts carbon dioxide into biofuels.
In the next phase of the project the renewable-energy company will build an algae reactor at Edrington Group’s Glenturret distillery, at Crieff, in Perthshire – home to the Famous Grouse – capable of capturing and converting 22 tons of CO into 1,320 gallons of biofuel over 12 months.
David van Alstyne, founder and chief executive of SBV, which is based at St Cyrus in the Mearns, said: “The results from the first phase of the project are extremely encouraging and we are confident the next stage will be a huge success. The process has not only proved to be capable of producing biofuels from CO but it can also help to reduce the environmental impact of the distilling process by reducing nitrates and phosphates and capturing copper in waste water.”
SBV was founded in 2007 and its innovative technology has already seen it shortlisted for the Shell Springboard awards, which provide a financial boost to low-carbon business ideas from across the UK.