2017.12.15
Greek yoghurt could be an unlikely source of sustainable jet plane fuel
Greek yoghurt could be an unlikely source of sustainable jet plane fuel, researchers have shown.
Scientists have found a way to turn waste products from yoghurt production into a raw material for biofuel and livestock feed additives.
Whey, left over from the manufacturing process, mostly consists of the milk sugar lactose, the sugar fructose and lactic acid.
For the study, bacteria were used to turn the cocktail into an extract containing the useful compounds caproic acid and caprylic acid.
Both compounds qualified as 'green antimicrobials' that could be added to livestock feed to replace standard antibiotics.
Further processing to add more carbon elements to the compounds could yield a 'drop-in' biofuel that can be mixed into jet fuel, said the scientists.
Lead researcher Dr Lars Angenent, from Cornell University, New York, said: 'To be sustainable, you want to convert waste streams where they are made, and upstate New York is where the cows are, where the dairy farmers are, and where the Greek yoghurt craze began in the United States.
http://science.gov.az/news/open/7002
