Ethanol is produced using corn or other starchy grains, enzymes, ammonia, and yeast. It can be used as an alcoholic beverage, fuel, feedstock, or hand sanitizer. The process involves finding a high-starch agricultural product, dry or wet milling, fermentation, and distillation. Ethanol must be denatured for fuel or antiseptic use.
Ethanol production uses corn or other starchy grains, water, enzymes, ammonia, and yeast to create alcohol. Ethanol, or grain alcohol, has a variety of uses. One of the more common forms is as an alcoholic beverage. However, it can also be used as a fuel, feedstock, or hand sanitizer, as well as in other applications. The process of producing ethanol dates back several hundred years. However, over the years, although the basic concept is the same, the overall process has changed.
The first step in producing ethanol is to find an agricultural product high in starch or sugar. Corn is most often used, but wheat, barley, beets, and potatoes may also be used. Those who create ethanol called the raw material original plant material. The production of ethanol can take place in two forms: dry milling or wet milling. The processes are the same except how the raw material before the ethanol production process is treated.
In dry milling, once the raw material is harvested, it is ground into a fine powder called flour. The meal is then mixed with water. The resulting slurry is called slurry. The wort is then mixed with enzymes and then taken to a cooker to liquefy the starch and kill off any bacteria. Ammonia is added to control pH and provide nitrogen for the yeast.
Once the wort has cooled, more enzymes are added to help convert the starch into dextrose, a type of sugar that yeast can consume. Then it is sent to fermenters where yeast is added. The yeast eats the sugar in the wort and produces alcohol and carbon dioxide as byproducts. Once fermentation is complete, the resulting “beer” is taken to distillation columns where the ethanol is separated from the still. The ethanol is then dehydrated to about 200 proof.
In a wet grinding process, the raw material is first immersed in a solution of water and acid. This helps break it down. Then the slurry is ground to separate the germ from the kernel. After this, the fiber is removed from the slurry. The slurry is then sent to hydrocyclones to remove the starch. The starch is then free to be converted into sugar and fermented into ethanol.
If the result of producing ethanol is to use the ethanol for fuel or for other uses, the ethanol has to go through another process. It must be denatured. Denaturing ethanol makes it toxic to humans. Once denatured, ethanol is used as a fuel additive, for antiseptic use and for other uses. To denature the ethanol, a little bit of some other product is added, such as natural gasoline.
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