Filed under: Emerging Technologies, Transportation Alternatives, Natural Gas
Sweden using seized alcohol, animal remains and human waste for biofuels
The more that you read our site, the more interesting things you'll find that are being used to make biofuels around the world. It's time to add to the list, this time with government seized alcohol. In what sounds like a huge waste of good booze, the confiscated alcohol used to be pored out down the drain. Now, it is being mixed with water and trucked to Swedish Biogas in Linköping, where it is mixed with animal remains from slaughterhouses and human waste. Yummy! The waste "is heated and put into anaerobic digesters. The organic materials are broken down, producing the biogas." Also produced are environmentally-friendly fertilizers for farming. The biogas is used like natural gas, and there is even a train which runs on the fuel. Unfortunately, because Sweden does not have much existing infrastructure for natural gas distribution, additional cost is racked up by transportation costs. Still, it is good that Sweden, which has some of the highest alcohol prices in Europe, has come up with a way to use their confiscated alcohol instead of letting it go to waste.
[Source: National Geographic]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Chris M 1:03AM (8/18/2007)
It isn't a good idea to dump the alcohol into an anaerobic digester. They loose some of the energy, and convert a compact easily stored liquid fuel into a far less compact gas. Also, the bacteria that feed on ethanol convert it to acetic acid, and both ethanol and acetic acid tend to inhibit methane producing bacteria.
It would be far better to purify the alcohol, dry it, and mix it with petrol.
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rgseidl 8:33AM (8/18/2007)
The confiscated alcohol is typically moonshine or smuggled liquor. Your engine can burn alcohol, but whisky may pose problems.
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