Celtic Renewables in Grangemouth is utilizing food waste from the whisky industry to produce essential chemicals like acetone, butanol, and ethanol, aiming to expand their operation significantly. This initiative emerges as Grangemouth faces industrial upheaval due to the recent closure of a historic refinery, impacting many jobs directly and indirectly. The closure raises concerns about Scotland's transition from fossil fuels to net zero emissions, a pivotal challenge for the Labour government which fears a backlash from voters who might reject climate policies if job losses continue. This scenario reflects broader trends in deindustrialization in Britain.
Every morning in Grangemouth, chemists at Celtic Renewables’s small factory feed a vial of microbes with a precisely tailored cocktail of food liquid residues from the scotch whisky industry.
Celtic Renewables wants more: a plant 10 times its current size. That could form part of plans to sustain Scotland's chemicals industry after Grangemouth sustained a crushing blow.
The Labour government fears that failure could mean voters turn their backs on it and on the pledge to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
As many as 4,600 jobs in the refinery's supply chain could also be affected.
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