Celtic Renewables Ltd. is the first company to produce

biofuel Biofuel is a fuel that is produced over a short time span from Biomass (energy), biomass, rather than by the very slow natural processes involved in the formation of fossil fuels such as oil. Biofuel can be produced from plants or from agricu ...

from the by-products of the

scotch Scotch most commonly refers to: * Scotch (adjective), a largely obsolescent adjective meaning "of or from Scotland" **Scotch, old-fashioned name for the indigenous languages of the Scottish people: *** Scots language ("Broad Scotch") *** Scottish ...

whisky industry.

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

br>Edinburgh start-up to make whisky biofuel
/ref> It has been estimated that annually the whisky industry produces 1.6 billion litres of pot ale and 500,000 tonnes of draff which has historically been used for animal feed. Celtic Renewables has utilised these resources and adapted the traditional

Weizmann Weizmann or Weizman is a surname. Notable people with this surname include: * Chaim Weizmann, a chemist, statesman, President of the World Zionist Organization, first President of Israel and founder of a research institute in Israel which eventually ...

Fermentation process (also known as

ABE fermentation Abe or ABE may refer to: Aviation * Aviation boatswain's mate, equipment, a United States Navy occupational rating * IATA airport code for Lehigh Valley International Airport in State of Pennsylvania, USA People and fictional characters * Shinzo ...

) to produce

Biobutanol image:Butanol_flat_structure.png, Butanol, a C-4 hydrocarbon is a promising bio-derived fuel, which shares many properties with gasoline. Butanol may be used as a fuel in an internal combustion engine. It is more similar to gasoline than it is to ...

. Several supply partnerships have been established with local distilleries along with a relationship with Europe’s biotech flagship Bio Base Europe where it has piloted its biofuel production process with a £1 million grant from the

Department of Energy and Climate Change The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) was a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, department of the government of the United Kingdom created on 3 October 2008, by Prime Minister Gordon Brown to take over some of the ...

(DECC). The company also carries the support of the

Scotch Whisky Association The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) is a trade association, trade organisation that represents the Scotch whisky industry. The Scotch whisky industry is an important part of the Economy of Scotland, Scottish economy, and particularly the Scottis ...

and the

Scottish Government The Scottish Government (, ) is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was formed in 1999 as the Scottish Executive following the 1997 referendum on Scottish devolution, and is headquartered at St Andrew's House in ...

, where this process is well aligned to both national biofuel and carbon reduction targets. The company was granted planning permission for its first scale biorefinery at Caledon Green, in

Grangemouth Grangemouth (; , ) is a town in the Falkirk (council area), Falkirk council area in the central belt of Scotland. Historically part of the Counties of Scotland, county of Stirlingshire, the town lies in the Forth Valley, on the banks of the Firt ...

, Scotland in 2020 and completed building in November 2021, there are now plans for a second in Speyside.

Inception

Celtic Renewables was created by Professor Martin Tangney OBE, who is also the Director of the Biofuel Research Centre at

Edinburgh Napier University Edinburgh Napier University () is a public university in Edinburgh, Scotland. Napier Technical College, the predecessor of the university, was founded in 1964, taking its name from 16th-century Scottish mathematician and philosopher John Napie ...

. It was launched on 25 January 2012, at the University’s Sighthill Campus by

Fergus Ewing Fergus Stewart Ewing (born 23 September 1957) is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician who served as the Scottish Government's Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Tourism from 2016 to 2021, having previously held two junior ministerial ...

, Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism and Lena Wilson, Chief Executive of

Scottish Enterprise Scottish Enterprise () is a non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government which encourages economic development, Business, enterprise, innovation, international and investment agency, investment in business. The body covers the eastern ...

. Dr. Doug Ward, founder of

Argent Energy In heraldry, argent () is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it. In engravings and line drawings, regions to be ...

, was appointed as its inaugural Chairman. Mark Simmers, fellow from The Saltire Foundation, is

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

.Saltire Fellow Named CEO of Celtic Renewables
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Celtic Renewables Ltd Renewable energy companies of Scotland Alcohol fuel producers Renewable fuels British companies established in 2012 Renewable resource companies established in 2012 2012 establishments in Scotland