Glenfiddich to use ‘green’ whisky waste to fuel trucks

The Scottish maker has begun converting its fleet to run on low-emission biogas made from waste products from its distilling process as part of a sustainability initiative.

They will be using converted Iveco vehicles that normally run on liquefied natural gas, with a total fleet of around 20 trucks, with the technology potentially being applied throughout the delivery fleets of the owner’s – William Grant & Sons – whisky brands.

Glenfiddich said it has installed fueling stations at its Dufftown distillery which use technology developed by its parent company, William Grant & Sons. The technology converts the waste products from whisky production into an Ultra-Low Carbon Fuel (ULCF) gas that produces minimal carbon dioxide and other harmful emissions.

Traditionally, Glenfiddich sold off the grain left over from the malting process to be used as a high-protein cattle feed, however by using bacteria to break down the organic matter – and produce the biogas – the distillery can capture it to be used as fuel.

Glenfiddich said its whisky waste-based biogas is already powering three converted trucks that transport Glenfiddich spirit from production at Dufftown through to the bottling and packaging process.

The distiller said that by using biogas they can cut CO2 emissions by over 95%, when compared to diesel and other fossil fuels, and also reduce other harmful particulates and greenhouse gas emissions by up to 99%, with each truck displacing up to 250 tonnes of CO2 annually.

Image: Shutterstock

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