Ethanol Production

Question 1

What is the sequence of ethanol production?

Answer 1

1. Milling
2. Mashing
3. Fermentation
4. Distillation
5. Rectification
6. Dehydration

Question 2

What happens during Milling?

Answer 2

raw material is ground into a fine powder to increase surface area for enzymatic action

Question 3

What happens during Mashing?

Answer 3

the milled grains are mixed with water and heated to convert starches into fermentable sugars using enzymes

Question 4

What happens during Fermentation?

Answer 4

yeast is added to the mash and sugars are converted into alcohol (ethanol) and CO2 over several days

Question 5

What happens during Distillation?

Answer 5

fermented mixture is heated to separate alcohol from water and other components based on boiling points.

Question 6

What happens during Rectification?

Answer 6

distilled alcohol is further purified through more distillation steps to achieve higher [alcohol] and remove impurities

Question 7

What happens during Dehydration?

Answer 7

if required, the alcohol is dehydrated to remove any remaining water, producing near-pure ethanol