A joint project between University of Queensland and Foster’s to turn beer wastewater into electricity has won $140,000 from the Queensland Government’s Sustainable Energy Innovation Fund.
Dr Korneel Rabaey said the technology worked by creating a microbial fuel cell, which feeds continuously on the organics in the brewery wastewater, turning it into watts. The process also produces clean water and renewable (non-polluting) carbon dioxide.
A patent is pending for the technology – believed to be a world first – which is designed for small to medium operations and could be used across a number of food, beverage and manufacturing industries
Of course, carry this research further and combine pleasure and recycling – develop a fuel cell to supplement power for the home – that you power by peeing into it after you drink the beer.
Eideard, that would be waste water from the manufacturing plant.
Sorry, no extra beer for you.
Lloyd Godson, a marine biologist, recycled his urine, many many days.
http://tinyurl.com/2cr3lr
De gustibus non disputandum, as they say – but having made the mistake of tasting the stuff once, I’ll maintain to my death that everything that leaves a Foster’s brewery is industrial waste. 🙂
After reading Kilgor Trout’s explanation of how alcohol is just yeast shit, I don’t care for beer anymore.
#3, Mr. Fusion, isn’t most fermentation including wine, etc. ‘yeast stuff’?”
Never forget W.C. Fields, who said (pardon my language), “I don’t drink water because fish f**k in it.”
I’ll have a Guinness and a Cuban cigar.
All i gotta say is that that guy (the one in the pic next to the test tubes) has what has to be the coolest job ever – making electricity from beer waste
Foster’s used to be pretty good until they started brewing the beer for the U.S. in Canada. (Nothing against Canadian beer!)
This just proves beer is nectar from the Gods or supreme being if you have religous issues.
And in Australia hardly anyone drinks Fosters, it’s mainly for you poor sods overseas.
tc
I’m a little confused about the “renewable (non-polluting) carbon dioxide.” What the hell is that? CO2 isn’t a green house gas anymore?
#9.
You made my point. I thought the reason the US is such a pariah is because we’ve refused to sign the Kyoto agreement that would reduce the amount of CO2 we produce?
Maybe since this CO2 is from beer it doesn’t count. In any way, this is still kind of cool.
#9 & 10,
What they mean is that renewable CO2 comes from plants. Non renewable CO2 is from locked in sources such as oil and coal and only adds to the total amount of CO2.
I’m not sure if that is much better, but to some it is a justifiable use of CO2.
#11,
I’m still confused. Are you saying that if I burn a log in my fireplace that the CO2 created is somehow better because the CO2 comes from a plant? The “renewable” I’ll buy. I can plant another tree. But “(non-polluting)”???
In Australia, we dont waste anything in beer production. Vegemite is made from the yeast sediment left over in the bottom of the brewing kegs.