It gives a whole new meaning to the phrase “one for the road”. Whisky, the spirit that powers the Scottish economy, is being used to develop a new biofuel which could be available at petrol pumps in a few years.

Using samples from the Glenkinchie Distillery in East Lothian, researchers at Edinburgh Napier University have developed a method of producing biofuel from two main by-products of the whisky distilling process – “pot ale”, the liquid from the copper stills, and “draff”, the spent grains.

Copious quantities of both waste products are produced by the $3 billion dollar whisky industry each year, and the scientists say there is real potential for the biofuel, to be available at local garage forecourts alongside traditional fuels. It can be used in conventional cars without adapting their engines. The team also said it could be used to fuel planes and as the basis for chemicals such as acetone, an important solvent.

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The Sunfish™ from Clarian Power is a next-generation solar power module that’s affordable and easy to install – anyone can do it. Patent-pending technology allows home owners to plug solar power into an existing outlet without the expense and hassle of larger turn-key systems.

Works Just Like a Home Appliance:

• Portable and plugs into any outlet with power you can use anywhere in your home
• Unlike existing micro-inverters, the Sunfish™ has built-in circuit protection and doesn’t require a dedicated electrical panel
• No contractors, no installers, no additional wiring, and no drywall to tear out – up and running in about an hour
• Same cost as a household appliance with a payback in 3-4 years or less
• Web-based tracking and monitoring with onboard Wi-Fi, upload data directly into Google PowerMeter

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Fred Flintstone could only dream of such a car. The HumanCar Imagine PS, a four-seater vehicle that uses hand cranks, can take on hills at 30 miles per hour, exceed 60 mph on flat terrain and is expected to hit the market next year.

HumanCar is the self-funded brainchild of Charles Samuel Greenwood, an engineer who has been working on developing the perfect human-powered vehicle since the late 1960s.

Now, it looks like his car is actually getting somewhere.

The company is now taking order for next year and for $50 dollar reservation you can get your name on the list to buy.

HumanCar

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Image by Getty Images via @daylife

An enzyme found in the roots of soybeans could be the key to cars that run on air.

Vanadium nitrogenase, an enzyme that normally produces ammonia from nitrogen gas, can also convert carbon monoxide (CO), a common industrial byproduct, into propane, the blue-flamed gas found on stoves across America.

While scientists caution the research is still at an early stage, they say that this study could eventually lead to new, environmentally friendly ways to produce fuel — and eventually gasoline — from thin air.

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The Bio-Bug has been converted by a team of British engineers to be powered by biogas, which is produced from human waste at sewage works across the country.
They believe the car is a viable alternative to electric vehicles.

Excrement flushed down the lavatories of just 70 homes is enough to power the car for 10,000 miles – the equivalent of one average motoring year.

This conversion technology has been used in the past but the Bio-Bug is Britain’s first car to run on methane gas without its performance being reduced.

It can power a conventional two litre VW Beetle convertible to 114mph.

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