Glenfiddich runs its delivery trucks on biogas made from Whisky Waste
Popular Scotch whisky brand Glenfiddich, has started converting its delivery trucks to run on low-emission biogas made from whisky waste products. The initiative is part of a “closed loop” sustainability project where it is using waste products from its own whisky distilling process to produce biogas and then using the biogas to run its delivery vehicles.
Glenfiddich said it has installed fueling stations at its Dufftown distillery in north-eastern Scotland that use technology developed by its parent company William Grant & Sons to convert its production waste and residues into an Ultra-Low Carbon Fuel (ULCF) gas that produces minimal carbon dioxide and other harmful emissions.
“Traditionally Glenfiddich has sold off spent grains left over from the malting process to be used for a high-protein cattle feed”. said Stuart Watts, distillery director at family-owned William Grant & Sons.
However, through anaerobic digestion – where bacteria break down organic matter producing biogas – the distillery can also use liquid waste from the process to make fuel and eventually recycle all of its waste products this way.
“The thought process behind this was ‘what can we do that’s better for us all?’,” added Watts.
Glenfiddich claims that the initiative will help it reduce vehicle pollution, reducing CO2 emission by as much as 95% as compared to diesel and other fossil fuels, and reduces other harmful particulates and greenhouse gas emissions by up to 99%.
The company said that the biogas fuel made from whisky waste is being used to run at least three of its delivery trucks to transport products across four of its sites in central and western Scotland. The trucks Glenfiddich is using are converted vehicles from truckmaker Iveco that normally run on liquefied natural gas. Glenfiddich said that each truck will be able to displace up to 250 tonnes of CO2 every year.
Glenfiddich now plans to implement the technology across its fleet of around 20 trucks and scale up to fuel other company’s trucks as well in the future.
