The Ministry of Environment has honored Pingtung Distillery for its sustainability efforts and public outreach, including its use of biogas generated from alcohol production to produce electricity, reports Taipei Times.
In a statement, the National Environmental Research Academy announced that it has certified the state-run Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corp’s Pingtung Distillery as an official “environmental education facility.”
The 102-year-old distillery — the largest producer of Red Label Rice Wine (紅標米酒) in southern Taiwan — incorporates its energy-saving systems, waste-reduction measures, and water-recycling technologies into tours and classes, turning them into “clear, hands-on teaching material” for visitors, the academy said.
Among the facility’s sustainable practices is generating electricity from biogas made during alcohol production. According to the academy, 20.7kg of stillage — the residue left after grain fermentation — can produce 1 kilowatt-hour of electricity. The process typically involves breaking down the stillage without oxygen to create methane-rich biogas.
The distillery also recovers about 90 percent of its glass bottles, reusing each bottle five times, and converts distillery waste into 68 tonnes of organic fertilizer every year.
The academy awards “environmental education facility” status to organizations that maintain sustainable operations and offer programs that teach the public about environmental protection. As of early this year, 273 locations — among them museums, leisure farms and national parks — have received the certification.
