Beer byproducts could power cars in New Zealand

Source: By Charlie Sorrel, Fast Company • Posted: Tuesday, August 4, 2015

A New Zealand-based company has developed a biofuel from ethanol made from leftover beer yeast and gasoline, calling the mixture “brewtoleum.”

Drivers can now fill up their cars with the mixture at 60 service stations across the North Island, according to a New Zealand Herald article last month.

The leftover beer yeast used in the biofuel would otherwise be used as stock feed or discarded. The first batch, of 300,000 liters, could last around six weeks from early July. Another biofuel, made from Brazilian sugar cane and New Zealand whey, a dairy byproduct, is already commercialized in the country.

The new alternative fuels could help reduce carbon emissions. Using 30 liters of biofuel a week could cut 250 kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions, according to New Zealand’s automobile association.

“We’re helping Kiwis save the world by doing what they enjoy best — drinking beer,” said Sean O’Donnell, a spokesman for the company behind the biofuel, DB Breweries.

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