Beer Power Revisited
I received an email from my good friend Cory yesterday, pointing me in the direction of an article he thought might inspire a post here on the blog.
Cory and I are both eco-conscious, and we enjoy getting together for a good brew (or two) whenever time allows. So needless to say I wasn’t overly surprised when I saw the title of the article:
Beer maker, scientists to create energy
I’m always on the lookout for ways that beer drinking can help save the world, so I was certainly happy that Cory sent the link my way!
So what’s the scoop?
Australian Beer Maker Fosters are teaming up with a group of scientists to generate energy from brewery wastewater via the action of sugar-munching bacteria.
Here is a blurb:
The complex technology harnesses the chemical energy that the bacteria releases from the organic material, converting it into electrical energy.
The 660-gallon fuel cell will be 250 times bigger than a prototype that has been operating at the university laboratory for three months, Keller said.
“Brewery waste water is a particularly good source because it is very biodegradable … and is highly concentrated, which does help in improving the performance of the cell,” Keller said.
He expected the brewery cell would produce 2 kilowatts of power — enough to power a household — and the technology would eventually be applied in other breweries and wineries owned by Foster’s. The cell should be operating at the brewery by September.
OK, so we certainly won’t be seeing cities powered by beer anytime soon, but this technology should provide some great options for making breweries much more sustainable themselves. And of course there must be a considerable amount of sugar-rich wastewater being produced by various food industries, so lots of possibilities there.
Related Sherpa Articles:
Beer Drinking Good For The Planet?
Beer Power?
Technorati Tags: beer, beer power, brewery, fuel cell, green energy, alternative evergy, green power
Written by Bentley on May 4th, 2007 with
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