Food can be turned into fuel in the near future: Do you know how?
Did you ever think your morning cup of coffee or a delicious plate of potatoes could power your car or even an aeroplane? Well, this could very much be a reality in the near future. Yes, the future of fuel could be food. Believe it or not, some of the foods we relish in our daily lives are being converted into renewable energy sources that can fuel our world. With the power of innovation, we can now transform our favourite foods into energy sources that can power our vehicles and machines. Imagine cruising down the highway in a car fuelled by coffee or taking a flight that runs on potatoes. It may sound like a wild idea in the present context, but it's quickly becoming a reality. Today, let's discover how some foods and beverages can be transformed into energy sources.
Whisky
Have you heard of the popular Scottish brand called Glenfiddich? They make delicious whisky, but they're not just stopping there! They are also doing something cool to help our environment. Glenfiddich is now using biogas fuel made from their whisky waste to power their delivery trucks. At the moment, Glenfiddich is using this biogas fuel to power three of their delivery trucks, but plans are to use it for all of their trucks in the future. They also want to help other companies use this type of fuel too. But how are they doing it? They make biogas from whisky waste through a process called anaerobic digestion. First, the whisky waste is collected and placed in a sealed tank called digester. Bacteria are added to the waste and they break it down into biogas. The biogas is then collected and used as fuel for trucks or other vehicles. This process not only produces fuel but also helps reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills, which is great for the environment!
Coffee
Bio-Bean, a London-based clean tech company, is revolutionising the way we power our vehicles and businesses. With the help of coffee ground waste collected from cafes, instant coffee factories and office blocks, Bio-Bean is producing biofuels like biodiesel and biomass pellets. Their 20,000 square foot factory, which opened in 2015, can process up to 50,000 tonnes of coffee ground waste per year! But how are they producing biofuel from coffee beans? The process is simple. The waste is sifted and dried to remove moisture. The resulting pellets are then sold to businesses and transportation companies to power their operations in a sustainable way. The best part is using coffee waste to create fuel doesn't impact food production. Bio-Bean is leading the way in creating innovative solutions that benefit both the environment and economy.
Potatoes
Potato chips have always been a popular snack, but did you know that the waste generated during production can actually power vehicles? Thanks to innovative research at the Penn State University, USA, this process is now a reality. By breaking down potato waste through multiple processes, bioethanol can be created at a cost that is more affordable than petroleum. How? This involves turning starch from potatoes into sugar through saccharification (the process of turning starch into sugar), which can then be fermented into bioethanol. When we use bioethanol as a fuel, it goes into the vehicle's engine just like gasoline or diesel. The engine burns bioethanol to create energy, which is used to power the vehicle and make it move. One of the best things about using bioethanol as a fuel is that it's a renewable resource. That means we can keep growing the plants that we use to make bioethanol, and we will always have a supply of it. Not only is this a more sustainable way to manage waste, but it also provides an exciting new source of fuel for the future.