Distillers' Spent Grains Used Towards Degradable Plant Pots

The distillery industry has grown tremendously over the past decade, related to the rise of ethanol for biofuels and alcoholic beverages such as bourbon. At the same time, this growth has led to many positives, such as job creation or tourism in the case of bourbon. One of the industry's biggest challenges is the production of distillers' spent grains (DGS). The distillers' spent grains are the dried bottom products related to distillation. Due to its chemical composition, it cannot be simply disposed of, and in bourbon production, most of the DGS is donated to local farmers or even encouraged with cash rewards. While successful thus far, other alternatives need to be developed for this product. In the circular economy, this product poses many benefits for plant growth. As such, this project aims to develop plant pots made up predominantly of DGS for growing seedlings. Various concentrations of polymeric binder and three drying methods: room temperature, oven drying at 80°C, and freeze-drying were tested. Mechanical properties were assessed using the three-point bend test. Results demonstrated that DSG-based pots can be effectively synthesized, highlighting their potential as a sustainable alternative to plastic pots and a practical approach to upcycling distillery waste.