Leftover barley from breweries could help power 700,000 homes a year, scientists claim

BREWERIES could help power 700,000 homes a year, scientists claim.

British experts have developed a “low cost” technique that transforms leftover barley into fuel.

They claim 3.4 million tonnes of used grain is chucked away annually across Europe after making beer.

But by using two simple chemicals - phosphoric acid and potassium hydroxide - the team from Queen’s University Belfast transformed the waste barley into activated carbon.

Lead researcher Dr Ahmed Osman from the School of Chemistry claims it is a cheap and easy way to produce eco-friendly fuel.

He estimates there is enough brewing waste across the EU to produce power for 700,000 homes annually.

Dr Osman said: “This is the barley that has been used to produce alcohol in the brewing industry and the leftover is thrown away and ends up in the landfill.

“If we are able to take something that would otherwise be a waste and turn it into a useful biofuel, it can only be a good thing for our planet.

“It could really help to solve global waste and energy problems.”

As well as fuelling homes, the carbon by-product could be used to charcoal for barbecues or water filters.

Dr Osman added: “The process is very simple, starting with drying the barley waste then mixing them with the cheap chemicals and after heating the mixture the charcoal is produced then pressing it into briquettes.

“Interestingly, using the charcoal from barley waste will be better than using wood in terms of emissions as it is much cleaner.”

The findings have been published in the Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology.

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