HOW IS ETHANOL MADE
Ethanol has been in use for thousands of years. In fact, it is easy to make ethanol even in your own backyard. Instructions on how ethanol is made can be found on the Internet. Ethanol is made in the same way any other alcoholic beverage is also made.
Ethanol is normally made from any type of feedstock that contains a good amount of sugar. Feedstock that is high in starch can also be used since starch can be converted into sugar. Corn is commonly used in the
How do you start making ethanol? First, choose a feedstock. If you’re using corn or barley, this needs to be first milled until you get a coarse grind, like the size of corn grits. Water is then added to the ground feedstock and heated to a temperature that is just right for the addition of a liquefaction enzyme. The enzyme breaks down the starch into sugar. Some people would use barley malt instead of an enzyme to break down the starch. This process makes up a mash.
Whether you used barley malt or an enzyme, the next thing that is added to the mash is yeast. The yeast eats the sugar and produces a waste product of carbon dioxide and alcohol. This usually takes three to five days to complete. This is then run through a still to extract the ethanol.
Ethanol can also be made from potato waste. Like that of corn, the potato waste is ground into small particles and heated. The slurry is then treated with enzymes to turn the starch into dextrins. The mash is cooled then treated again to turn the dextrins into sugar. The sugar is fermented by yeast, and finally the alcohol is distilled, dehydrated, denatured and sold.
The by-products generated in making ethanol can either be further processed to obtain more ethanol or sold as animal feed.
Related Links:
Ethanol Formula
Ethanol Conversion Kit
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