Karl Strauss Brewing and GreenHouse Partner for Distributed Production of Ethanol from Beer Waste With MicroFueler
20 July 2009
GreenHouse is teaming-up with San Diego, California-based Karl Strauss Brewing Company to convert spent beer yeast into fuel ethanol. Karl Strauss will provide 28 tons of spent beer yeast per week to Greenhouse, which will distribute it throughout California to homes and business-owners who, using the E-Fuel MicroFueler (earlier post), can distill their own ethanol.
The two companies are part of the GreenHouse Developmental Pilot Program, a distribution model being introduced first in Southern California. The GreenHouse business model includes set up, delivery and servicing of each MicroFueler unit at customers’ home or business.
The MicroFueler is a portable micro-refinery system. The appliance-sized MicroFueler units are pump-stations and ethanol distillers requiring 3 kW of electricity to produce one gallon of E-Fuel 100 (100% ethanol).
Could this work with any yeast mixture? At ten cents/kw, yeast plus thirty cents/gallon at home sounds interesting.
Posted by: kelly | 20 July 2009 at 07:21 AM
"requiring 3 kW" for how long?
Posted by: dursun | 20 July 2009 at 09:19 AM
Have to commend E-Fuel and the Guvenator for pushing this forward in Cali. EP has pointed out that the electric heating element in the system lowers efficiency - however with electric rates around 10-15 cents/kWh, this is still a viable method to lower fossil fuel use. Let's say a Microfuel system was purchased by a local entrepreneur. Without any tax credits the system is $10k plus a $100.00 annual network fee. Dependent on the cost of the yeast slurry from the brewery, and the electric rate - the guy could sell (licensing-cost unevaluated)$1.00/gallon E85-95 to local car owners. Or the whole scenario could be applied to businesses with a small vehicle fleet.
THIS is just what is needed to start turning the energy revolution on. E-Fuel is also offering a "Gridbuster" ICE genset (no power rating yet) that burns a 50/50 ethanol/water mixture. Their literature suggests this is a supplemental power source for net metered homes/businesses. This system combined with a flex fuel vehicle could make a home completely energy independent with near zero fossil fuel use.
Should brewers want to green themselves with this ancillary business they can claim you can drink or drive on their beer (but not both.) Nicely done.
Posted by: sulleny | 20 July 2009 at 10:00 AM
I seems like it might be more cost effective to make the ethanol at the yeast site and transport the ethanol. I know these guys are trying to sell their product, but it may not be the best way to do it.
Posted by: SJC | 20 July 2009 at 10:07 AM
Glad to hear it.
Another local brewery, Stone Brewery recycles 100% of their waste oil from their restaurant (they make a lot of tasty onion rings) to produce biodiesel.
http://blog.stonebrew.com/?tag=reuse
Posted by: Dave R | 20 July 2009 at 11:56 AM