Module

Chemistry
2 Ethanol Science
& Technology
Ethanol mixes readily with water and with most
Ethanol is a colorless, volatile, flammable organic solvents. It is also useful as a solvent
liquid that is the intoxicating agent in liquors and as an ingredient when making many other
and is also used as a fuel or solvent. Ethanol is substances including perfumes, paints, lacquers,
also called ethyl alcohol or grain alcohol. and explosives.

Ethanol is the most important member of a large How is Ethanol Made?

group of organic compounds that are called Ethanol is a product of fermentation.
alcohols. Alcohol is an organic compound that Fermentation is a sequence of reactions which
has one or more hydroxyl (OH) groups attached release energy from organic molecules in the
to a carbon atom. Alcohol is shown as: C-O-H absence of oxygen. In this application of
or C-OH. fermentation, energy is obtained when sugar is
changed to ethanol and carbon dioxide.
What is attached to the carbon at the three
remaining bonds or locations determines the Changing corn to ethanol by fermentation takes
particular kind of alcohol. Ethanol has hydrogen many steps. Starch in corn must be broken
present at two sites while the remaining site down into simple sugars before fermentation
holds another carbon atom. This carbon atom, can occur. In earlier times, this was done by
in turn, holds three more hydrogen atoms. chewing the corn. This allowed the salivary
enzymes to naturally break down the starch.
It may be shown as: Today, this is achieved by cooking the corn and
adding the enzymes alpha amylase and gluco
H H
amylase. These enzymes function as catalysts to
speed up the chemical changes.
H - C - C - O - H or CH CH OH
3 2
Once a simple sugar is obtained, yeast is added.
H H
Yeast is a single-celled fungus that feeds on the
sugar and causes the fermentation. As the fun-
In its pure form, ethanol is a colorless clear gus feeds on the sugar, it produces alcohol
liquid with a mild characteristic odor which (ethanol) and carbon dioxide. In fermentation,
boils at 78º C (172º F) and freezes at -112º C the ethanol retains much of the energy that was
(-170º F). Ethanol has no basic or acidic originally in the sugar, which explains why
properties. When burned, ethanol produces ethanol is an excellent fuel.
a pale blue flame with no residue and
considerable energy, making it an ideal fuel.

2.1
Commercial Production 4. Fermentation: Yeast is added to the mash
Most of the ethanol production in the United to ferment the sugars to ethanol and carbon
States is made in 60 production facilities in 20 dioxide. Using a continuous process, the
different states. Most of these plants are located in fermenting mash flows through several
the Midwest due to the ready availability of corn. fermenters until the mash is fully fermented
and leaves the tank. In a batch fermentation
Changing the starch in kernels of corn to sugar process, the mash stays in one fermenter for
and changing sugar to ethanol is a complex about 48 hours.
process requiring a mix of technologies that
include microbiology, chemistry and engineering. 5. Distillation: The fermented mash, now
called “beer,” contains about 10 percent
Ethanol is produced from corn by using one of alcohol, as well as all the non-fermentable
two standard processes: wet milling or dry solids from the corn and the yeast cells.
milling. Dry milling plants cost less to build and The mash is then pumped to the continuous
produce higher yields of ethanol (2.7 gallons flow, multi-column distillation system where
per bushel of corn), but the value of the the alcohol is removed from the solids and
co-products is less. water. The alcohol leaves the top of the final
column at about 96 percent strength, and the
Dry Milling residue mash, called stillage, is transferred
Most of the ethanol plants in the country utilize from the base of the column to the
a dry milling process. The major steps of dry co-product processing area.
milling are outlined below:
6. Dehydration: The alcohol then passes
1. Milling: After the corn (or other grain or through a dehydration system where the
biomass) is cleaned, it passes first through remaining water is removed. Most plants
hammer mills which grind it into a fine powder. use a molecular sieve to capture the last bit
of water in the ethanol. The alcohol at this
2. Liquefaction: The meal is then mixed with stage is called anhydrous (pure, without water)
water and an enzyme (alpha amylase), and ethanol and is approximately 200 proof.
passes through cookers where the starch is
liquefied. A pH of 7 is maintained by adding 7. Denaturing: Ethanol that is used for fuel is
sulfuric acid or sodium hydroxide. Heat is then denatured with a small amount (2-5%)
applied to enable liquefaction. Cookers of some product, like gasoline, to make it
with a high temperature stage (120º-150º C) unfit for human consumption.
and a lower temperature holding period
(95º C) are used. The high temperatures Wet Milling
reduce bacteria levels in the mash. The wet-milling operation is more elaborate
because the grain must be separated into its
3. Saccharification: The mash from the components. After milling, the corn is heated in
cookers is cooled and the enzyme gluco a solution of water and sulfur dioxide for 24 to
amylase is added to convert starch molecules 48 hours to loosen the germ and the hull fiber.
to fermentable sugars (dextrose). The germ is then removed from the kernel, and

2.2
corn oil is extracted from the germ. The Technology
remaining germ meal is added to the hulls and The production of ethanol is an example of
fiber to form corn gluten feed. A high-protein how science, technology, agriculture, and allied
portion of the kernel called gluten is separated industries must work in harmony to change a
and becomes corn gluten meal which is used for farm product into a fuel. Ethanol plants receive
animal feed. In wet milling, only the starch is the large quantities of corn they need by truck,
fermented, unlike dry milling, when the entire rail, or barge. The corn is cleaned, ground, and
mash is fermented. blown into large tanks where it is mixed into a

WET & DRY MILLING EXPLAINED

CORN
WET MILLING DRY MILLING

CLEANING CLEANING

STEEPING
STEEP WATER MILLING
GRINDING

CORN OIL GERM SEPARATION

GERM MEAL
GRINDING

FIBER FILTRATION
WASHING

GLUTEN
GLUTEN SEPARATION

SYRUP STARCH LIQUEFACTION

SWEETNER
SACCHARIFICATION
LIQUEFACTION

FERMENTATION CO2
SACCHARIFICATION

CO 2 FERMENTATION

YEAST YEAST RECYCLYING DISTILLATION

DISTILLATION DEHYDRATION

WASTE WATER DEHYDRATION ALCOHOL CENTRIFUGATION

DENATURING
LIVESTOCK &
POULTRY FEEDS FUEL DRYING EVAPORATORS

DISTILLED GRAINS SYRUP

& SOLUBLES

2.3
slurry of cornmeal and water. Enzymes are What’s in a Bushel of Corn?
added and exact acidity levels and temperatures Each bushel of corn can produce 2.5 to 2.7
are maintained, causing the starch in the corn to gallons of ethanol, depending on which milling
break down–first into complex sugars and then process is used. Only the starch from the corn is
into simple sugars. used to make ethanol. Most of the substance of
the corn kernel remains, leaving the protein and
New technologies have changed the fermentation valuable co-products to be used in the
process. In the beginning it took several days for production of food for people, livestock feed,
the yeast to work in each batch. A new, faster and various chemicals. That same bushel of
and less costly method of continuous fermentation
WHAT’S IN A BUSHEL OF CORN?
has been developed.
THE WET MILLING PROCESS

Plant scientists and geneticists are also involved. 12.4 lbs. of 21% protein feed
They have been successful in developing strains 2.5 gallons of ethanol
(or)
of yeast that can convert greater percentages of 3.0 lbs.of 60% gluten meal
33 lbs. of sweetener
starch to ethanol. Scientists are also developing
(or) 1.5 lbs. of corn oil
enzymes that will convert the complex sugars in
31.5 lbs. of starch
biomass materials to ethanol. Cornstalks, wheat 17 lbs. of carbon dioxide
and rice straw, forestry wastes and switchgrass
all show promise as future sources of ethanol.
THE DRY MILLING PROCESS
After fermentation, the ethanol is removed from
2.7 gallons of ethanol 10 one-lb. boxes of cereal
the mix of ethanol, water, yeast, and residue.
It is then purified through distillation. The 22 lbs. of hominy feed 15 lbs. of brewer grits
for livestock
distilling process takes advantage of the low
boiling point of ethanol (78º C). When the 0.7 lbs. of corn oil 10 eight-oz. packages of
Cheese Curls
temperature of the mix is increased slightly
17 lbs. of carbon dioxide 1 lb. of pancake mix
beyond the boiling point, the ethanol evaporates.
It is then captured as a gas vapor and condensed
back to a liquid. Other chemicals are added and corn (56 lbs.) used in ethanol manufacturing
molecular sieves are used to purify the ethanol. can also produce the products shown in the
accompanying charts. The corn oil is used in
Advances in technology are being made to producing food for human consumption. For
further reduce the amount of energy needed for example, 1.5 lbs. of corn oil from a bushel of
distillation. Technologies expected to be adopted corn is equivalent to 2 lbs. of margarine. The
include: steeping with gas injection of sulfur 21 percent protein feed is used in making high
dioxide, membrane saccharification, protein livestock feed. The carbon dioxide is
high-tolerance yeast, yeast immobilization, used as a refrigerant in carbonated beverages,
bacterial fermentation, and pervaporation. These to help vegetable crops grow more rapidly in
advances are helping to reduce the costs and greenhouses, and to flush oil wells. Only the
make ethanol production even more economical. starch of the corn (carbon, hydrogen, and
oxygen) is used to make ethanol.

2.4
Net Energy
One of the most controversial issues relating to
ethanol is the question of “net energy” of
ethanol production. According to the Institute
for Local Self Reliance research in
1995 and studies made by the U.S. ENERGY GAIN IN MAKING
Department of Agriculture in 1997 ETHANOL FROM CORN
and Michigan State University in
2002, the production of ethanol
from corn is a positive net energy BTUs PERCENTAGE RATIO
Industry average 30,589 38% 1.38:1
generator. If corn farmers use
state-of-the-art, energy efficient Industry best 62,857 109% 2.09:1
farming techniques, and ethanol State-of-the-art 72,413 151% 2.51:1
plants use state-of-the-art production
processes, then the amount of energy According to research by the United States Department of
contained in a gallon of ethanol and Agriculture, each BTU used to produce 1 BTU of gasoline
could be used to produce 8 BTUs of ethanol.
the other co-products is more than
twice the energy used to grow the
corn and convert it into ethanol.
These studies indicated an industry average net
energy gain of 1.38 to 1. The industry-best
existing production net energy ratio was 2.09 to
1. If farmers and industry were to use all the best
technologies and practices the net energy ratio
would be 2.51 to 1. In other words, the
production of ethanol would result in more than
2-1/2 times the available energy than it took to
produce it. The accompanying chart indicates
the percentage gains and the actual gains in
BTUs (British Thermal Units).

2.5