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For the past few months I have been trying to make ethanol for my truck. Well here is my problem every recipe I tried ended up with only 10% to 20% alcohol.
Well here is my question, Dose anyone else make ethanol and if so can you please send me your recipe? Please help.
If I was making 90% alcohol (180 proof); I'd be too tempted to drink it.
On a side note; regular moon-shine; white lightning; everclear; etc... is around 180 proof; 90% alcohol. How efficient is it for mixing with gasoline to make a home brew ethanol fuel? I've seen plenty of recipes for moonshine.
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Making fuel grade alcohol is harder than it looks -- you're not distilling it right.
I just dont understand what I am doing wrong. Do you know of any good web pages our there that could help me. I have tried like 10 different ways of distilling it.
I bought 2 commercial reflux stills a couple of years ago to try and make ethanol for use in making biodiesel. Made one batch with it that came out at 98%, but I still have to build a molecular sieve to reach the required 99.5% that I need. These 2 sites were a great help.
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Oregon Chapter Leader My friends call me Don.
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What are you using as a still? Reflux is supposed to be the best, but you have to tune the heat and return. As stated, there is a lot of info available to make shine, but most shine gets watered back down to 40% alcohol from the 80-95% pure distilled.
I would think 10-20% means either your yeast isn't producing like it should or your not allowing it eat as much sugar as it could. 10-20% means your only making 1-2 gallons of alcohol per 10 gallons of mash, I would think the yeast could do better.
I just dont understand what I am doing wrong. Do you know of any good web pages our there that could help me. I have tried like 10 different ways of distilling it.
Assuming that "with only 10% to 20% alcohol" you meant after distillation concentration, you're probably not terminating the distillation in time, or doing it at too high temperature.
IMHO, unless you have a significant amount of $$ invested, or got lots of feedstock you can't do anything with, I wouldn't bother with making alcohol.
Thanks everyone for all in info. I am going to try and run another batch. I will tell you how it comes out. This time I used some wine yeast and cooking it on a lower heat. I should know the % in a few hours. I will also add pics of my still..
Ok this time I cheated a little. I went to the store and bought some wine that was 18% alcohol and ran that through the still. during the stilling I ran a test and I got 130 proof. BUT after it was done about 30 minutes later it was 120 proof. so I just brushed it off and went onto dewatering it. I was told to run it through zeolite(sp?) and charcole well after letting it sit over night it now reads 110 proof. What is Going on now? I am officaly 100% LOST
Again thank you all again. and dam I am getting ever closer to a higher proof. My run today started out at 40 proof before distilling. 130 Proof in the middle of distilling. 3/4 the way though distilling it was 120 proof and at the very last end the final reading was 110 proof. I am so close to finally getting it but now I have to still find out why its losing so much proof in the end.
Again thank you all again. and dam I am getting ever closer to a higher proof. My run today started out at 40 proof before distilling. 130 Proof in the middle of distilling. 3/4 the way though distilling it was 120 proof and at the very last end the final reading was 110 proof. I am so close to finally getting it but now I have to still find out why its losing so much proof in the end.
Sounds like your temps are rising higher as you go. You need to keep a tight control on your distillation temp. With my still if I allow the temp to rise much above 170-180 deg the proof goes down because of more water vapor coming across with the alcohol. 110-120 proof on a first run through a non-reflux still is not bad. If you run the 110 proof through the still again you should get 170-190 proof.
__________________
Oregon Chapter Leader My friends call me Don.
"I always keep a supply of stimulants handy in case I see a snake, which I also keep handy" WC Fields
Sounds like your temps are rising higher as you go. You need to keep a tight control on your distillation temp. With my still if I allow the temp to rise much above 170-180 deg the proof goes down because of more water vapor coming across with the alcohol. 110-120 proof on a first run through a non-reflux still is not bad. If you run the 110 proof through the still again you should get 170-190 proof.
I thought it was in my temp b.c when its around 170 I was getting the high proof and when it went over 177 I started to get the lower proof.
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Please help.
Do you know of any good web pages our there that could help me. I have tried like 10 different ways of distilling it.
