--- title: "Your Next Tank of Gas Could Have Milk Byproducts in It" description: "A dairy distillery in Canada can make 2.2 million gallons of automotive-grade ethanol out of a milk byproduct." date: "2023-06-04" modified: "2023-06-04" authors: - name: "Nico DeMattia" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/nico-demattia" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/your-next-tank-of-gas-could-have-milk-byproducts-in-it" categories: - "News" --- # Your Next Tank of Gas Could Have Milk Byproducts in It ![]() *via Getty Images* Cows are awesome. They give us milk, they give is beef, and now they might even help give us more carbon friendly fuel. Well, not directly. Michigan dairy farmers are partnering with a Canadian milk distillery to create [ethanol ]()out of a milk byproduct called milk permeate, according to *[Auto News]()*. Milk permeate is a sugar water removed from milk during processing and Ontario-based Dairy Distillery worked with the University of Ottawa to create a process of fermenting it. The distillery normally uses that process to make a milk-based vodka, called Vodkow. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Dairy Distillery even used milk permeate to make hand sanitizer for the local community. More recently, however, Dairy Distillery founder Omid McDonald realized that milk permeate-based ethanol could have other applications. “So there’s only so much vodka people can drink and there’s so much of this stuff out there," McDonald told *[WOOD TV 8]()*, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. "We said, ‘Well what other high-volume uses are out there?’ and that’s when we started looking at biofuel.” ![]() **via Getty Images** The Michigan Milk Producers Association created a joint venture with Dairy Distillery, which plans to build a 30,000 square-foot processing plant, to turn milk permeate into ethanol for cars. According to *[Craine's Detroit Business]()*, this facility could make up to 2.2 million gallons of ethanol per year. "Lot of people are down on dairy for its environmental aspects," McDonald said. "We can eliminate that impact and so people can enjoy the dairy products that they love knowing that the environmental impact is minimized,” McDonald said. According to McDonald, ethanol can displace up to 14,000 tons of carbon emissions per year. This isn't the only emissions-friendly fuel technology on the market, as several companies are using different carbon capture technologies to make [carbon-neutral fuel](). However, this might be one of the most interesting. *Got tips? Send 'em over to tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Nico is a writer and reviewer from New Jersey who probably thinks he’s a lot funnier than he actually is. His love of cars began when he was just a kid playing Gran Turismo 3, grinding out enough race wins with a Mazda Miata to save up for an in-game RUF 911. That passion for small, lightweight sports cars drove his desire to learn more about the industry, get his hands on as many cars as he could, and bring those experiences to life on the page. He cut his teeth writing about BMWs, Volkswagens, and Audis, mostly, and has owned far too many of each. He’s on his fourth 3 Series sedan, but all of his old, cheap German cars have forced him to learn more about car maintenance than his mechanical capability can handle. Too many late nights have been spent scrambling to get a car running by morning so he could get to work. For some reason, he never seems to learn that old Bimmers probably aren’t the best daily drivers. But he loves more than just old German cars. He’ll gladly drive and discuss anything with four (or even three) wheels. Cars aren’t his only passions, though. Nico is also a big nerd and loves movies, video games, comic books, and cares far too much about the New York Giants. So don’t be surprised if you see football references or dumb, obscure movie quotes in any of his car reviews. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()