EDINBURGH, Scotland, March 5 (UPI) -- Scottish scientists have discovered that a byproduct of distilling the country's best-known product, Scotch whiskey, can be used for environmental cleanups.
The technology has been given the name "device for the remediation and attenuation of multiple pollutants" or Dram for short, The Scotsman reports. In addition to giving distilleries a way to do well by doing good to the environment the technology could also significantly cut the cost of removing up industrial pollutants from groundwater.
Glenfiddich, one of the best-known Scotch manufacturers, has helped the effort with donations of the byproduct, which scientists won't identify because of patent issues.
Graeme Patton, one of the scientists involved, tells The Scotsman that other byproducts from food and beverage making can perform a similar role.
Scientists say that the compound, an organic material, attracts pollutants and breaks them down. While other remediation measures involve pumping groundwater out and removing pollutants, the byproduct can be placed in the ground and left there.
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