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. The team used two bio-reactors in which yoghurt whey was seeded with bacteria.(SD-Agencies) |