Is dit een 1 aprilgrap??
As reported by the NZ Herald, the company recycles yeast slurry, which would otherwise be thrown out or given to animals, and turns it into ethanol that can be mixed with regular petroleum fuel.
This isn't particularly revolutionary, as fuel comprised of 10% ethanol and 90% petroleum (E10) is incredibly common, but DB claims it's the first time that commercially available E10 has been made from beer by-products. The company believes that MillerCoors was the first to make fuel from beer by-products, but DB is the first to bring it to the public
In an email to Mashable, a company spokesperson said its 98 octane E10 is theoretically no different than any other E10, though DB argues its is more fun to make.
E10 is sold as a greener, more sustainable alternative to pure petroleum fuels, but these claims have attracted much debate. A 2013 investigation from the Associated Press found the increased corn production to make ethanol in the U.S. caused great environmental harm and drove up the cost of corn at the supermarket. There is also debate about the performance effects of gas with ethanol mixed in, especially in E15, which uses a mix of 15% ethanol and 85% petroleum.
DB Export's Brewtroleum is a stunt, but maybe they're on to something with using the yeast leftover from beer production. Much of the controversy surrounding ethanol in the U.S. came from the over-farming of corn for its production, but not so much the usage of ethanol itself.
Perhaps governments and energy companies should be looking at some more left-field options for producing ethanol: There were 3,464 craft beer breweries registered in the U.S. in 2014. This represents a lot of otherwise useless yeast which could be turned into ethanol.
Beer is going to be produced in huge quantities no matter what, so maybe it's smart to capitalize on its production to make more ethanol.
DB's Brewtroleum will be available at 60 Gull gas stations across New Zealand. The company produced about 79,251 gallons (300,000 liters) of fuel from 7,925 gallons of ethanol, which the company thinks will last about six weeks, according to a DB Spokesperson. 8.8 million bottles of beer were produced to make this supply. Maybe beer can save the planet: The human race will just have to drink a lot. Not before driving, of course (http://mashable.com/2015/07/10/beer-fuel/).
That’s right, DB Export Brewtroleum, the world’s first commercially available biofuel made from the leftovers of brewing beer is now flowing from the pumps of Gull service stations.
The fuel, dubbed "Brewtroleum", is made by blending ethanol - extracted from yeast left over after beer is brewed - with normal petrol.
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Though biofuels are already available in New Zealand, through petrol stations like Gull and Mobil, DB Breweries - the creators of the 98 octane Brewtroleum - claim this is the world's first commercially available biofuel made from a beer by-product.
"We're helping Kiwis save the world by doing what they enjoy best - drinking beer," said DB spokesman Sean O'Donnell.
Since 2007, Gull has offered a biofuel containing 10 per cent ethanol formulated using New Zealand whey - a dairy industry by-product - and Brazilian sugarcane.
An initial batch of 300,000 litres of Brewtroleum has been formulated using 30,000 litres of ethanol, which was extracted from more than 58,000 litres of leftover yeast slurry that would otherwise be distributed as stock feed, or discarded. Mr O'Donnell expected the first lot of fuel to last about six weeks, but he'd like to see it become a long-term offering.
"It's a case of testing consumer demand and assessing the feasibility of ongoing production and logistics." (www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11476245)
So yes, we are actually going to make an environmentally friendly biofuel from beer, this is not a drill. Rupert from the accounts department was hoping it’s a drill because he thinks saving the world “sounds expensive”. Rupert if you’re reading this, we went ahead. Sorry.
Dolphins. Widely regarded as man’s best friend of the sea, were unable to help us when we asked them to give us a hand making a biofuel that would save the planet.
So we went to the next best thing, a real scientist.
This fun-ducational video explains just how we plan on turning beer by-product into a clean, efficient, hopefully working biofuel! In turn we’ll reduce the waste from our brewing process, and greenhouse gas emissions with a cleaner burning fuel in passenger cars. We might even be able to help a few dolphins to get those science degrees they desperately need (www.dbexportbeer.co.nz/blog/june-2015/the-science-behind-brewtroleum).
The process is fairly simple:
The brewery distills the waste yeast, creating ethanol
Gull helps them refine it further, then adds ninety percent premium gasoline to ten percent ethanol
DB Export Brewtroleum
The resulting E10 is pretty much the same as what you get at your local gas station, be that made using brewing waste or any other bioethanol source. But it sounds better! (http://jalopnik.com/brewtroleum-new-zealanders-made-fuel-out-of-beer-lefto-1716733717)
Wanneer er bier wordt gebrouwen, ontstaan twee dingen: heerlijk bier en een restproduct. Het bier vindt zijn weg naar jouw maag, het restproduct doorgaans naar de magen van vee. Het is immers voedzaam spul, dus koeien gaan er goed op. Een Nieuw-Zeelandse brouwerij heeft echter nog een toepassing gevonden voor deze slurry: brandstof.
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Brewtrolium, zoals de recent opgerichte brandstofmaatschappij van de bierbrouwer heet, vermengt 10% slurry met 90% benzine. Dat klinkt niet bijzonder spectaculair, maar heeft wel degelijk een impact, helemaal als het toegepast zou worden op grote schaal. De verhouding is ongeveer gelijk aan die van bio-ethanol. Deze nieuwe biermix zou een prima vervanger kunnen zijn van bio-ethanol. Voor bio-ethanol wordt namelijk mais gebruikt en sinds de opkomst van het product hebben maisproducenten te kampen met een enorm hoge vraag waardoor schaarste ontstaat. Voor het winnen van bio-ethanol zijn enorm grote maisvelden en grote hoeveelheden mais nodig. Als deze druk bij de maisindustrie wordt weggehaald, kan dezelfde capaciteit worden gebruikt om mais nóg duurzamer in te zetten om bijvoorbeeld honger tegen te gaan. Het is maar een idee. En oh ja, het is ook wel een klein beetje tof om te kunnen zeggen dat jouw auto rijdt op bier. Min of meer (www.manners.nl/brouwer-maakt-brandstof-van-restproduct-bier/).
The guys over at DB Export came to us with an idea; to make a cleaner 98 octane fuel using natural beer waste extracted during the brewing process. As New Zealand’s leading biofuels retailer, of course we were more than happy to help!
We provided a little advice along the way and helped DB Export refine the ethanol to the same high standard as that used when we make Gull Force 10. The refined ethanol was stored at our Mt Maunganui terminal facility where it is now being blended with premium petrol to make DB Export Brewtroleum, a high performance 98 octane fuel.
DB Export Brewtroleum can be found, for a limited time, everywhere you’d usually fill up with Gull Force 10 (http://gull.nz/fuel/db-export-brewtroleum/).
Van E10 is ook een MSDS te vinden.
Powerful
A high performance 98 octane petrol.
Clean
It’s a fuel that creates up to 8% less carbon dioxide, and because it burns more efficiently, provides extra power you can ‘feel’, and cleaner air for all of us.
Responsible
Containing 10% ethanol. This is locally made by made from the yeast and grain leftover after brewing DB Export. Reducing our dependency on imported fuel and supporting New Zealand.
Sustainable
The ethanol in DB Export Brewtroleum is a renewable biofuel that’s more sustainable – so you can enjoy more power and do your bit for the environment.
Protective
DB Export Brewtroleum will naturally remove water from your fuel system and contains anti-corrosive additives to protect your entire engine system. All fuel tanks generally contain some water generated by condensation, with older vehicles more likely to have water in the tank. DB Export Brewtroleum will actually clean the water from your system. Combine this with the anti-corrosive additives we use and you have a fuel that not only performs well, but looks after your engine too. The end result is that it is firing on all cylinders, all the time. Don’t you love that? (http://gull.nz/fuel/db-export-brewtroleum/)
De brandstof kan in bijna alle auto's gebruikt worden (zie http://gull.nz/assets/Uploads/compatibility.pdf).