[url]http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2007/05/02/tech-beer-waste.html[/url]

[INDENT][I]Scientists and Australian beer maker Foster's are teaming up to generate clean energy from brewery waste water — by using sugar-consuming bacteria.

The fuel cell is essentially a battery in which bacteria consume water-soluble brewing waste such as sugar, starch and alcohol.

The battery produces electricity plus clean water, said Prof. Jurg Keller, the university's wastewater expert. The 2,500-litre fuel cell will be 250 times bigger than a prototype that has been operating effectively at the university laboratory for three months, Keller said.

"Brewery waste water is a particularly good source because it is very biodegradable … and is highly concentrated, which does help in improving the performance of the cell," Keller said.

He expected the brewery cell would produce two kilowatts of power — enough to power a household — and the technology would eventually be applied in other breweries and wineries owned by Foster's.

"It's not going to make an enormous amount of power — it's primarily a waste water treatment that has the added benefit of creating electricity," Keller said.[/I][/INDENT]

Kewl. :)