Alcohol Distillation and the Future of Education

Distillation is one of the oldest scientific processes known to humankind. Distillation dates back as far as 200 CE when alcohol distillation was first documented by Alexander of Aphrodisias; later work by medieval chemists such as Zosimus of Panopolis and Abu Bakr al-Razi demonstrated further progress. Distillation separates an alcoholic liquid from water through evaporation – it works because alcohol (ethanol) has a lower boiling point than water so its heat evaporates and then condenses into an alcohol condensed spirit liquid known as spirit.

Spirit can then be mixed with water to produce various styles of spirits, such as whisky, brandy and rum. Some require aging while others can be bottled directly from the still.

Distillers strive for an optimal percentage of ethanol (or ethyl alcohol) in their finished product, though that concentration doesn’t have a hard and fast limit. Alcohol evaporates at various temperatures depending on its concentration and type of distillation process, and will fluctuate accordingly.

Each vapor has its own distinctive aroma that stems from chemical compounds and molecules condensed into it. For instance, fruity aromas result from condensation of carboxylic acids with alcohol. Acetate esters from such reactions tend to linger around stills with low boiling points so re-distilling may produce purer spirits with reduced amounts of acetate esters.

Small-scale fuel alcohol plants typically consist of three major components. A reboiler heats source material while condenser cools back down its vapor into liquid form for collection in a receiver – either via column still or pot still configurations.