Ethanol basics

The use of ethanol as an alternative fuel is becoming increasingly popular with increasingly aware consumers who want to do their part for the planet. It may even be a better alternative to biofuel, it seems like it is much more enjoyable to do anyway.

What is ethanol? Ethanol is a grain alcohol, or plant mass formula derived from the natural sugars found in the biological mass, or vegetation such as corn, wheat, barley, potatoes, and sugar cane. This is processed to make a renewable form of fuel or fuel additive, which is cost effective and good for the planet. Many cars can run on ethanol and gasoline blends. Although at this time, the blends are only a ratio of 10% ethanol, to 90% fossil fuel.

Ethanol benefits

There are many benefits of using an alternative fuel like ethanol, to begin with it is a renewable resource, fossil fuels used to make gasoline are not renewable, so one day they will run out, that is why people have become more aware of alternative fuels and additives. Another good reason to use an alternative fuel like ethanol is to reduce pollution, we only have one planet and if we continue to pollute it is very possible that we will not find any place to live. Any steps we can take to reduce pollution are positive. Another good reason to consider a fuel alternative like ethanol is that it is so much cheaper to use and manufacture, the main cost involved in making ethanol is in the method of processing.

How is ethanol produced?

The process used consists of 8 stages, corn is the main product used in this method,
When grinding corn, to turn it into a fine powder, or liquefaction of food, which is mixing food with water and alpha-amylase, then heating it to temperatures of 120-150 degrees Celsius, heat reduces bacteria. Saccharification is the cooling process of the mash, and by adding glucoamylase, this converts the starch to dextrose, fermentation, where yeast is added to ferment the sugars to convert it into ethanol. This process consists of the mash going through several different tanks and takes approximately 48 hours.

Please note that this procedure is risky and I do not recommend making biodiesel without further investigation of the process, these are just general guidelines of the manufacturing process, if you really want to make your own biodiesel, consult expert companies or professionals.

Distillation, the puree now contains approximately 10% alcohol and 90% non-fermentable solids, the solids are now separated from the alcohol, to reach approximately 96% alcohol.
Dehydration is where the last water is removed to make the alcohol approximately 200 proof.

Denaturation is used to make alcohol unfit for human consumption, this is done by adding a small amount of gasoline, such as 2-5%.
There are 2 co-products derived from this process as well. The first is the non-fermentable product, this is used as livestock feed, the second is carbon dioxide, which is collected from the process and sold to other industries.

There are many reasons to use denatured ethanol as an additive or as an alternative fuel; One of the main reasons is the reduction of pollution. Regular fossil fuels are not only harmful to the environment, they are non-renewable resources; once they are gone, they can never be replaced or regenerated.