The Scotch Whisky industry is one of the most productive industries in Scotland.
During the production of Scotch malt whisky, a large volume of pot ale is produced. Pot ale is a concentrated liquid-solid mixture, rich in COD and nutrients, whose disposal causes significant costs. Also, pot ale contains a significant amount of copper which prevents its use as sheep feed (copper is toxic to sheep) and causes additional environmental concerns.
Brathadair Ltd has been developing micro-bubble technology that can effectively separate the solid from the liquid and assist in cleaning up the waste water. Brathadair Ltd came in contact with ETP through Interface and linked to Heriot-Watt University to identify specific protein that act as surfactant.
Later, the company looked for copper content in pot ale, at University of Aberdeen through ETP. Recently, they received a Kick start award from Scottish Enterprise for further development of their technology.