William Chase, the world’s leading potato entrepreneur, is planning the next stage of his tuber-driven empire – potato power!
Chase, the creator of the Tyrrells Crisp and Chase Vodka brands, believes that waste from his Herefordshire vodka distillery could be used to make a high grade vehicle fuel.
“We have known for a long time that potato starch is an excellent source of bio ethanol, but this new scheme will tap the resources left behind in distillery waste,” said Chase.
“There has been research completed at Edinburgh Napier University that has demonstrated that ‘pot ale’ (the fluids left behind from the distilling process) can be fermented into biobutanol. I don’t see why we can’t do the same in Herefordshire,” said Chase.
Biobutanol gives internal combustion engines 30 per cent more output power than ethanol. And, more importantly, there is no need to carry out expensive adaptations to the engine. Chase says he firmly believes that vegetable matter will provide the world with the next generation of fuels.
Food giants McCain and Heinz are both believed to be exploring the use of potato peel as a source of biofuel.
