How chemists turned bourbon waste into supercapacitors

University of Kentucky chemists developed a method to turn bourbon stillage into electrodes presented at an American Chemical Society meeting in Atlanta.

Stillage-derived electrodes enabled supercapacitors with energy storage comparable to existing commercial devices tested in assembled devices.

Bourbon production requires mash with at least 51 percent corn legal requirement for mash composition.

Bourbon barrels must be new charred oak and are not reused for bourbon usage and disposal described.

Stillage is often sold as livestock feed or soil additive and is costly to dry and transport typical disposal and secondary uses noted.