FREMANTLE, AUSTRALIA – JUNE 06: Bar staff member Jaymee Elliot passes over a pint of beer at the … [+]
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Like most countries across the globe, Australia was forced to shutter entire industries to combat the coronavirus pandemic. Access to bars and restaurants throughout the country has been severely limited since March. As a result, millions of gallons of beer once destined for the pub is now heading down the drain. Or it was, anyway. Until the city of Adelaide in South Australia devised a novel solution for the forlorn suds.
Just outside the state capital, the Glenelg Wastewater Treatment Plant is taking on the surplus and converting it into a viable energy source. Under normal, everyday conditions, the facility combines industrial waste with sewage in a closed, anaerobic environment to produce biogas. But it turns out that the microorganisms involved in that process really enjoy a good drink of grog. And they care not that it’s stale.
The beer serves to turbocharge the release of methane and carbon dioxide, which is allowing the power station to generate more energy than ever before. Since May, they’ve been taking on a staggering 40,000 gallons of the adult beverage per week. All told, that’s enough to meet the monthly electricity needs of some 1,200 households.
Yulli’e Brews director James Harvey serves a glass of beer for a customer at his brewery in Sydney … [+]
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As first reported by 7News Australia back in early May, one of the country’s largest breweries was sitting on 90,000 kegs. Lion Australia, was running out of options. Donating some of the decanted liquid to local…
Read MoreAustralia Is Now Converting Stale Beer Into Electricity
