Denatured Alcohol

HOW ITS MADE The production of denatured alcohol is the process in which ethanol is made, but denaturants are added to the alcohol, resulting in the declassification of it as potable alcohol. Denaturation of the ethanol may increase the ability of it to be a better solvent. Due to the addition of denaturants, the denatured ethanol will receive a different product code. STEP ONE Choosing the Feedstock During this step, the type of feedstock is chosen for milling. The most popular grains used for 192 proof ethanol are corn kernels or wheat kernels. STEP TWO Milling of the Chosen Feedstock Once the grain is chosen, it’s time to begin milling. Milling refers to the biological process in which the kernels are ground into a meal, which is a form of flour. This process uses starches, which are long chains of sugar molecules that classify starches as carbohydrates. STEP THREE Liquefaction Once milling is complete, liquefaction begins. This is the process in which water is added to the milled kernels to make ‘slurry,’ which is then heated to break up the long starch molecules chained together into smaller pieces. Alpha-amylase is an enzyme that is added to this mixture to speed up, or catalyze, the breakdown of starch molecules. STEP FOUR Saccharification During this step, the starch molecules that were previously broken down into smaller pieces are now broken down into simple sugar glucose. This process uses the enzyme glucoamylase to catalyze this reaction. STEP FIVE Fermentation Fermentation is the biochemical process in which glucose is broken down by yeast. Yeast are the single-cell microorganisms that are added to the slurry that get their energy from the glucose. As a result of this reaction, ethanol is produced. STEP SIX Distillation and Dehydration The ethanol that was produced during fermentation only ranges from about 10 to 15% ethanol concentration. In order to become 100% ethanol, it must be concentrated. The process to do this is referred to as distillation. In this process, the ethanol is evaporated and condensed at its boiling point (which is lower than waters). The distillation process produced ethanol 95% with the remaining 5% of the mixture being water. Next is the dehydration process. During this process, the mixture is then strained to dehydrate it, producing pure ethanol. STEP SEVEN Denaturation Once the ethanol 100% is produced, it is time for denaturation. In this step, a small amount of gasoline is added to the pure ethanol to make this mixture undrinkable.