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A University of Manchester research team reported a way to capture copper from spent lees, a whisky-production waste stream, and reuse the recovered metal as a catalyst. The method uses magnetite nanoparticles to bind copper and a magnet to separate the particles from the liquid. It is a research approach, not an established distillery treatment, and the published reporting does not give a copper-recovery rate or demonstrate commercial-scale use.
Why copper is present in whisky-production waste
Copper stills are used in whisky distillation, and copper can leach into the spirit during production. Manufacturers remove copper before the whisky is aged and bottled. The recovery method described in 2019 targets copper in spent lees, a waste stream; it does not claim to change the finished whisky. RSC Education’s account and Chemistry World’s report describe this process context.
How the reported copper-recovery method works
- Contact spent lees with magnetite nanoparticles. Copper ions adsorb onto the particles, according to Chemistry World’s 17 July 2019 report on the University of Manchester team led by Richard Kimber.
- Separate the particles from the liquid. A magnet draws out the copper-loaded magnetite nanoparticles.
- Reuse the recovered copper. The team used the recovered metal as a catalyst for azide–alkyne click reactions, a class of reactions used to make products ranging from polymers to pharmaceuticals, as reported by RSC Education.
What makes the nanoparticle preparation route different
The reporting says the team used bacteria to produce magnetite nanoparticles, with bacteria converting waste iron oxides into magnetite. This biological preparation avoids the chemical reducing agents and high temperatures associated in the reports with conventional chemical preparation. That is a proposed advantage of the nanoparticle-making route, not proof of a lower overall environmental impact: the reports provide no lifecycle assessment or quantified environmental comparison.
What the evidence does—and does not—show
The 2019 accounts describe the approach and its intended reuse of copper, but do not state a recovery rate, yield, cost saving, emissions reduction, or operating scale. Chemistry World quoted Louise Horsfall, a biotechnology expert at the University of Edinburgh, identifying an important evidence gap: “Analytical data for the treated spent lees is not presented, so we do not know if any metal exchange took place, if there is any metal selectivity or if the treatment would work with other metals.” Those uncertainties mean the reports do not establish how selective the capture is, whether the treatment works with other waste streams, or whether it is ready for routine use at distilleries.
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Related whisky-waste research is a separate line of work
A 2022 study examined the soluble fraction of pot ale and spent wash from 22 Scottish distilleries, assessing possible recovery of proteins, organic acids, and nutrients such as magnesium and phosphate. It provides broader context for resource recovery from whisky production, but it is not evidence that the magnetite nanoparticle copper-capture method was adopted. Read the 2022 study.
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