Celtic Renewables
Celtic Renewables Ltd. is the first company to produce biofuel from the by-products of the scotch whisky industry.
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 Fermentation process to produce Biobutanol.
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 company also carries the support of the Scotch Whisky Association and the Scottish Government, 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, Scotland in 2020 and completed building in November 2021, there are now plans for a second in Speyside.