Ethanol is becoming a very clear option for the alternative fuel market, as more and more countries start using and studying the ways to make ethanol use more popular, this is one kind of revolution that will change the fuel industry forever.

To have a better understanding of what ethanol distillation is, let’s get into the basics of ethanol.

Ethanol fast Facts

•Systematic Name: Ethanol •Other Names: Ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol, hydroxyethane, EtOH •Molecular Formula: E2H6O •Physically, ethanol may be described as a colorless, flammable, slightly toxic chemical compound that has a distinctive perfume-like smell. •It is produced from sugar cane and used as automotive fuel in Brazil. Ethanol made out of corn, on the other hand, is being used widely as a gasoline additive and direct fuel in the United States. Straw, meanwhile, is being used to manufacture ethanol as well. •Ethanol is currently the leading biofuel provider in Europe.

Ethanol Distillation

Most of us already have an idea on how distillation happens. Let’s have the production of distilled water as an example. When water is subjected to heat, it is expected that steam would conduct away from a tube. A tube looped and oriented downward and allowed to cool would yield condensed vapor and eventually, water.

For ethanol, simple distillation will not be enough. Fractional distillation would be the best choice. The latter is used for separating mixtures of liquids with varying boiling points - like water and alcohol.

To start the distillation of ethanol, consider the following steps:

1.Prepare a small beaker and/or a simple glass half-filled with the rather miscible mixture of water and alcohol.

2.Cover the beaker or the simple glass jug with a funnel or something similar, so that a balloon can be placed to suck air out of the beaker.

3.After some time, the alcohol vapor and the steam in the mixture just above the liquid in the beaker or glass will reach a state of equilibrium. This should be relative of temperature and even pressure of the environment.

4.With regard to equilibrium, change can no longer be observed in the vapor to liquid ratio in the water to alcohol ratio within either the vapor or liquid mixture.

5.However, because of alcohol’s higher volatility, the ratio of water to alcohol in the vapor state is greater than that of the ratio in liquid state.

6.The occurrence of liquid-against-vapor-states permits the distillation from an escalating concentration of alcohol from the water and alcohol mixture.

And finally, by having sequences of repeated evaporation as well as condensation, a higher alcohol concentration is achieved from the re-condensation of recent vapor state.

This is since the alcohol inside the vapor mixture is at a greater concentration than it was from the liquid mixture from which it was changed into a vapor state.

You might have heard a lot about biodiesel. Biodiesel is diesel that can power up your car that is made from vegetable oils and other natural sources. It does not come from the regular crude oil that usually has to be imported from oil-producing countries.

Biodiesel can be considered a new technology, taking into account all the years consumers have had to settle for traditional diesel. Using biodiesel for your car has many advantages:

1. Biodiesel is not harmful to the environment. Unlike its counterpart, a car using biodiesel produces fewer emissions. If a vehicle uses traditional diesel, the vehicle emits black, stinky smoke. With biodiesel, the smoke becomes very clean indeed.

2. Biodiesel may not require an engine modification. Some cars can take advantage of biodiesel without the need to undergo engine alterations. Some mix 20% biodiesel with regular diesel. Doing so enables the car to benefit from the good points of biodiesel without the hassle.

3. Biodiesel is cheap. You can even make biodiesel in your backyard. If your engine can work with biodiesel fuel alone, then you really need not go to the gas station to buy fuel. You can just manufacture some for your own personal use.

4. Biodiesel can make the vehicle perform better. It is noted that biodiesel has a cetane number of over 100. Cetane number is used to measure the quality of the fuel’s ignition. If your fuel has a high cetane number, you can be sure that what you get is a very easy cold starting coupled with a low idle noise.

5. Biodiesel can make your car last longer. Because of the clarity and the purity of biodiesel, you can be sure it will not have too many impurities to harm your car. It is actually more lubrication. A car’s power output is unaffected by this type of diesel.

6. Biodiesel reduces the environmental effect of a waste product. Because biodiesel is made out of waste products itself, it does not contribute to nature’s garbage at all. Biodiesel can be made out of used cooking oils and lards. So instead of throwing these substances away, the ability to turn them into biodiesel becomes more than welcome.

7. Biodiesel is energy efficient. If the production of biodiesel is compared with the production of the regular type, producing the latter consumes more energy. Biodiesel does not need to be drilled, transported, or refined like petroleum diesel. Producing biodiesel is easier and is less time consuming.

8. Biodiesel is produced locally. A locally produced fuel will be more cost efficient. There is no need to pay tariffs or similar taxes to the countries from which oil and petroleum diesel are sourced. Every country has the ability to produce biodiesel.

Biodiesel is surely a viable fuel alternative. Moreover, it is also a sustainable fuel. Using biodiesel not only helps maintain our environment, it also helps in keeping the people around us healthy.

The production of biodiesel all over the world is now being looked upon favorably. In Europe, many biodiesel stations have been set up already. There is also a move to convert or make cars compatible with biodiesel fuel in the near future.

Biodiesel can surely change the way vehicles are manufactured and used. It is surely the best substitute right now, and everyone should consider ways to take advantage of the benefits of biodiesel.