A Scottish energy firm has secured planning permission to build a whisky residue biofuel plant at Grangemouth.

Celtic Renewables’ commercial demonstrator facility is expected to produce more than half a million litres of the green fuel each year from waste products generated in the manufacture of the alcoholic beverage.

The firm has launched a funding campaign to raise £5.25 million through Abundance Investment’s peer-to-peer investment platform.

The two-acre site will produce biobutanol, which can be used to provide a direct and sustainable replacement for petrol and diesel.

Company Founder and President, Professor Martin Tangney, said: “Our plant, which will use entirely sustainable raw materials to make high value low carbon products, will be the first of its kind in the world.

“It will shine a global spotlight on innovation in Scotland in the low carbon economy.”

Construction of the commercial demonstrator plant is due to begin at the start of 2018.