Southern California residents will soon be able to produce their own ethanol fuel from beer residue.
GreenHouse, an alternative green energy company based in San Diego, California, has teamed with the Karl Strauss Brewing Company, to offer spent beer yeast as a biofuel feedstock for ethanol production in the E-Fuel MicroFueler, a portable ethanol micro-refinery fuel system for consumer use.
The two companies are part of the GreenHouse Developmental Pilot Program, a distribution model being introduced first in Southern California. Under the agreement the Karl Strauss Brewing Company will provide 28 tons of spent beer yeast per week to GreenHouse, which will distribute the waste throughout California to home and business-owners where, using the E-Fuel MicroFueler, they can safely and efficiently distill their own ethanol.
“One person’s waste can be another’s treasure,” said Chris Ursitti, GreenHouse CEO. “After 20 years of crafting some of the highest quality beers in the region, Karl Strauss has taken an enormous step in creating essential clean energy by providing its waste not just to GreenHouse, but to the entire State of California.”
GreenHouse’s business model is based on set up, delivery and servicing of the MicroFueler unit at customers’ home or business. The appliance-sized MicroFueler functions as an at-home self-service pump which only three kilowatts of electricity to produce one gallon of E-Fuel100 which in turn generates up to 23 kilowatts of energy. E-Fuel100 is made up of 100% ethanol biofuel and is safe for all vehicles made after 1991.
