Celtic Renewables was launched in 2012 to reuse the waste products of Scotland’s whisky industry. Martin Tangney, who founded the business, is now planning a plant at a two-acre site in Grangemouth that will ferment the pot ale that is produced as a by-product during the distilling process to make biobutanol, which can be used in place of diesel.

Name: Martin Tangney

Age: 53

Position: Founder

WHAT’S YOUR BUSINESS CALLED?

Celtic Renewables

WHERE IS IT BASED?

Edinburgh

WHY DID YOU SET UP THE BUSINESS?

I WAS originally a microbiologist. I worked in the industry during my PHD. Fermentation was the second biggest industry in the world then it died out in the 1960s. I went into academia and was one of the few scientists studying that fermentation and one of the few scientists to bring this out.

I set up the first biofuel centre in the UK. Part of the remit was to support industry and develop innovation to show it could be done and not an academic exercise.

The Scottish whisky industry was a big drive for me. I thought I could make use of the raw materials.

WHAT IS YOUR TARGET MARKET?

WHAT we have fundamentally proved is that we could take the old technology where you have to use high value materials and we changed it to low value materials.

The concept is to take low value stuff and turn it into high value stuff. One in three potatoes are rejected in Scotland but we can do something else with them.

ARE PEOPLE BECOMING MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUS?

ABSOLUTELY in Scotland for sure but I’m not sure if it is a worldwide thing.

If you make it sensible rather than prescriptive then people will do their bit for the environment – these things happen because society buys into it.

HOW IS IT DIFFERENT FROM COMPETING BUSINESSES?

THE main thing is that traditionally the cost of raw material dictates the cost of the whole process. Ours is tapping into something being produced every day of the week. As a business model it is cheaper, more sustainable and adds value to an already existing industry. Lower carbon emissions at any level helps. We can help agriculture and other food and drink industries as well, that’s something we are looking at.

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT RUNNING THE BUSINESS?

THE network of Scotland makes it easy to set up a business here. There are agencies you can get to know and high up ministers in the Scottish Government you can call up. I doubt we would have been adopted by Westminster.

Being a small nation also makes the chances of a startup better. If you go out and tell your story, people will try to help. I’ve been to events in Hong Kong and managed to meet Scottish people there – you will form a team Scotland wherever you are.

At a business drinks reception in Ireland people will leave to go to the pub afterwards but here people team up for a reason and giving out your business card means something. That’s the beauty of Scotland – it makes it possible.

WHERE DO YOU HOPE THE BUSINESS WILL BE IN 10 YEARS TIME?

WHAT we have been good at is keeping a strategic view of where we need to be but staying focused on where we are. We are focused right now on building this centre which has already attracted international interest from India and has been on the news in Japan.

We would like full scale facilities of processing different raw materials in Scotland and Ireland. The brandy industry in France is interested. The most difficult point is this bit where it costs a lot of money but it needs to be done.

Even if a percentage of that came into fruition it would be good but only if we get this bit right.

We need to make sure there are always opportunities for us around the world. We are a Scottish born and bred company but we want it to be multinational.

In terms of Brexit, we wanted this to go around the world from the start. The technology won’t recognise borders but commercially it will. We don’t know what’s going to happen which is bad for an SME.

Too many are worrying about what’s right or wrong but we don’t have the luxury of waiting because it’s not going to change the product. It’s going to be the same for everyone whatever happens. We just have to get on with it.