Inventor Converts Brewery Waste to Energy

Thursday, March 10, 2011 - 12:45 PM

 

An American inventor is “saving the earth one beer at a time.”  Eric Fitch, an MIT-trained mechanical engineer, has invented a patented device that turns brewery waste into natural gas that’s used to fuel the brewing process. 

 

The ‘anaerobic methane digester’ was installed at Magic Hat Brewing Company in Vermont and extracts energy from the spent grain left over from making beer. The energy is then reused in the brewery. 

 

Eric has even created an iPhone app so that brewers are able to manage the waste system remotely. It's estimated the energy savings at Magic Hat Brewing Company will be significant - somewhere around $300,000. 

 

A couple large scale commercial brewers are already utilizing the high amount of waste brewers tend to create for energy production - but Eric is hopeful and expects to be in breweries all around the world soon.

 

Thanks to Eric’s invention, you may no longer need to wait for St. Paddy’s Day to enjoy ‘green beer’.  

 

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