How do you get ethyl alcohol?

Obtaining the ethyl alcohol o Ethanol is produced from two possible sources; a higher percentage of such manufacturing is obtained from fermentation of the sugars contained in some plants like sugar cane.

But it is not only possible to obtain ethyl alcohol from the sucrose of sugar cane, you can also obtain this compound from the starch of corn and the cellulose of the woods of citrus trees. One of the Applications of the ethyl alcohol obtained from this fermentation is that it 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 gas colorless 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.

The procurement processes The amount of ethyl alcohol varies slightly depending on how the alcohol will be used, but in essence all these processes have the same chemical principles.

Obtaining ethanol from sugar cane

1. Fermentation. The process consists of fermenting (with the use of yeasts) the sugar cane molasses. In this way fermented must is obtained. The way to extract the alcohol from this must is through stages of distillation.
   This fermentation produces chemical changes in sugar by using certain microorganisms (yeasts) that can transform sugars into ethanol (CH₃CH₂OH) and carbon dioxide (CO₂). The most used for this type of microorganisms is the Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, better known as brewer's yeast.
   Compounds that are necessary for its survival are added to this brewer's yeast (for example, sulfuric acid, penicillin, ammonium phosphate, zinc sulfate, manganese sulfate, and magnesium). Thanks to this process, in a molecule glucose, two (2) molecules of alcohol are obtained.
   
2. Obtaining clean wine. Subsequently, plate and nozzle centrifuges are used to extract the yeast. This produces the separation on one side 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 hand, the must without yeast that receives the name of clean wine.
3. Distillation column. When the clean wine enters the distillation columns, two products are obtained; stillage and phlegm. Stillage is made up of potassium, alcohols (in small amounts), organic acids and aldehydes, while phlegm has a mix of alcohols. The latter will then be purified in columns like distillers but are called purifiers.
4. The scrubber columns. These scrubbers achieve the separation of different alcohols from compounds such as esters, aldehydes and ketones. These substances give ethyl alcohol a bad taste, which is why they are called “bad taste alcohol”.
5. The retrogradation process. Thanks to the retrogradation process, the phlegm with the alcohols of interest, called "bad taste alcohols" return to the column and concentrate the purified phlegm. This phlegm plays an important role in the rectifier column; further concentrate the cleaned alcohols.
6. Rectifier column. This last rectifying column will finally divide the different alcohols. In the lower part will be the water and the higher alcohols; bad taste alcohols and isopropyl will remain in the middle part. Finally, at the top of the column, the tasteful ethyl alcohol will be extracted with a percentage around 96 °.

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