Ethanol at room temperature and pressure is a volatile colourless transparent liquid, low toxicity, can be mutually soluble with water in any ratio, the solution has a wine flavor, slightly irritating, but also miscible with most organic solvents. Ethanol vapour mixed with air can form explosive mixtures. Ethanol is a basic organic chemical raw materials, also used as organic solvents, beverages, wine and food industry.

Ethanol can be used in the manufacture of acetic acid, beverages, flavours, dyes, fuels, etc., medical commonly used volume fraction of 70% to 75% of ethanol as a disinfectant. Ethanol has a wide range of uses in the chemical industry, health care, food industry, agricultural production and other fields.

Main types

1, according to the production of raw materials used can be divided into starchy raw materials fermentation alcohol, molasses raw materials fermentation alcohol, sulfite pulp waste fermentation production of alcohol.

(1) starchy raw materials fermentation alcohol: generally have potato, cereals and wild plants and other starchy raw materials, under the action of microorganisms will be hydrolysed to glucose starch, and then further by the yeast fermentation to produce alcohol;

(2) Molasses raw material fermentation alcohol: directly using the sugar in the molasses, after dilution and sterilisation and adding part of the nutrient salts, through the role of yeast fermentation to produce alcohol;

(3) sulfite pulp waste fermentation to produce alcohol: the use of paper waste contained in the six-carbon sugar, fermented into alcohol under the action of yeast, the main products for industrial alcohol, but also wood chips dilute acid hydrolysis of alcohol production.

2, according to the method of production, can be divided into two categories: fermentation alcohol and synthetic alcohol.

3、According to the quality or nature of the product, it is divided into high purity alcohol, anhydrous alcohol, ordinary alcohol and denatured alcohol.

4、According to the product series (BG384-81), it is divided into superior, first grade, second grade, third grade and fourth grade. Among them, Grade I and Grade II are equivalent to high-purity alcohol and ordinary distilled alcohol. Grade III is equivalent to pharmaceutical alcohol and Grade IV is equivalent to industrial alcohol. The new secondary standard is formulated to meet the needs of different users and production, to reduce the waste in production and use, and to promote the improvement of product quality.