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How do you get ethyl alcohol?
The obtaining ethyl alcohol or ethanol It occurs from two possible sources; a greater percentage of this manufacture is obtained from the fermentation of plants such as sugar cane.
But it is not only possible to obtain ethyl alcohol from the sucrose of sugarcane, it is also possible to obtain this compound from the starch of corn and the cellulose of the woods of citrus trees. The ethyl alcohol obtained from this fermentation is mixed with gasoline and used as fuel.
On the other hand, and for industrial use, this compound is achieved by catalytic hydration of ethylene. The latter (which comes from ethane or oil) is a colorless gas that, mixed with sulfuric acid as a catalyst, produces ethyl alcohol. As a result of this synthesis, ethanol is obtained with water. Later its purification is necessary.
Obtaining ethanol from sugar cane
Fermentation
The process consists of fermenting (with the use of yeasts) the molasses from the sugar cane. In this way fermented must is obtained. The way to extract the alcohol from this must is through distillation stages.
This fermentation produces chemical changes in the sugar. This is caused by the action of biochemical catalysts that are called enzymes. These enzymes are made by living microorganisms like different kinds of fungi. The most used for this type of process is the Sacharomicies Servericiae, better known as beer yeast.
Sulfuric acid, penicillin, ammonium phosphate, zinc sulfate, manganese sulfate, and magnesium sulfate are added to this brewer's yeast. Thanks to this process, from one molecule of sucrose, four (4) molecules of alcohol are obtained.
Obtaining clean wine
Subsequently, plate and nozzle centrifuges are used to extract the yeast. This produces the separation on the one hand of the yeasts (with a creamy consistency that can be reused for another fermentation if it is subjected to adequate nutrition and acclimatization) and on the other, the must without yeasts that receives the name of clean wine.
Distillation column
When the clean wine enters the distillation columns, two products are obtained; stillage and phlegm. While stillage is alcohol-free, phlegm has a mixture of alcohols. The latter will then be purified in columns like distillers but which are called purifiers.
The purification columns
These purifiers achieve the separation of different alcohols such as esters, aldehydes, ketones, etc. (which are also called as Bad Taste Ethyl Alcohols).
The retrogradation process
Thanks to the retrogradation process, these Bad Taste Alcohol they return to the column. In this way, they concentrate the purified phlegm. This phlegm fulfills an important function in the rectifier column; further concentrate the cleaned alcohols.
Rectifier column
This last rectifying column will finally divide the different alcohols. Thus, in the lower part will be the water and the higher alcohols; Bad taste and isopropyl alcohols will remain in the middle part. Finally, at the top of the column, the good taste ethyl alcohol with a percentage around 96 °.
