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CDA
June 27, 2023
Within the world of biofuels, a new member arrives. It is milk-based ethanol and is already produced in the United States
We had heard of multiple elements for the manufacture of biofuels, those fuels that use as raw material derived from organic sourcess like biomass and organic waste, but never from a product as common as milk.
Well, it’s already here, at least in the United States. The Michigan Dairy Producers Association (MMPA) and a Canadian distillery have partnered to make ethanol from milk. In this way, this association will work together with the Dairy Distiller to transform the lactose-laden by-products of the local dairy industry into ethanol for vehicles.
Ethanol with less polluting load
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Dairy Distiller has a special process to distill the vodka it makes. He distillation process It starts with a substance called milk permeate. This byproduct of the ultrafiltration process in dairy production is full of lactose, which is a naturally occurring sugar. If you add yeast to the equation to start the fermentation, you’re already on your way to producing ethanol.
Although the company often converts the resulting neutral alcohol into one of its vodka products, the process ended up drawing the attention of the MMPA. The organization annually produces 14,000 tons of milk permeate in its facilities, most of which is currently used to feed livestock.
The cars of the future will be able to move thanks to sugar
Now, the MMPA is building an ethanol production plant, with the capacity to produce about 2.2 million gallons of ethanol per year (8.3 million liters) with the aforementioned supply of permeate, which will be mixed in the transport fuel supplies.
According to the association itself, this dairy fuel will be the lowest carbon intensity ethanol available and that it should reduce its own carbon footprint by up to five percent or, what is the same, enough to offset 14,500 tons of carbon emissions.
