Foster's: Australian for ... biofuel?

Passport noted a couple of weeks ago that the price of beer could soon soar due to the increasing demand for biofuels, especially ethanol. Rising prices for the alternative fuel's natural ingredients, notably corn, are causing the displacement of barley crops. And barley happens to be a key ingredient in beer, so the price of the amber beverage goes up as a result. We also speculated that widespread use of ethanol-powered cars, which may actually produce more ozone than their gas-guzzling counterparts, could lead to slightly more deaths each year. So, there's a public health trade-off here. Ethanol might cause more deaths from air pollution. But higher beer prices probably lower demand for beer, which means that the number of traffic accidents and alcohol-related deaths will presumably decrease. But what if the very process of making beer could produce clean energy? 

A team of scientists from Australia's University of Queensland and Foster's, the beer maker, are teaming up to generate clean energy from brewery wastewater. With a $115,000 (A$140,000) grant from the Queensland government, the scientists will install a microbial fuel cell at a Foster's Group brewery near Brisbane. The 660-gallon fuel cell, which is essentially a battery in which bacteria feed continuously on the organics in the brewery wastewater, will be able to produce two kilowatts of electricity. That's enough to power a household. The cell will also produce "clean water and renewable (non-polluting) carbon dioxide." Considering that Australia is facing its worst drought ever recorded and a massive water crisis, this is certainly promising news. And the best part of all: Aussies will finally be able to claim that they are drinking beer for environmental reasons.