11.6.9

Advantages & Disadvantages of Ethanol Manufacture

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Advantages & Disadvantages of Ethanol Manufacture

Ethanol is made by fermentation or by reacting ethene with steam.

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Ethanol from fermentation

  • Fermentation uses yeast to turn sugars into ethanol and carbon dioxide.
    • It happens at about 30-40°0C without high pressure.
    • It uses renewable resources like sugar from plants.
    • It produces a low concentration of ethanol (about 15%).
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Advantages of fermentation

  • Fermentation uses renewable materials, helping the environment.
  • The process uses simple equipment and low temperature.
    • It produces food and drink products like beer and wine.
    • It is less energy-intensive, reducing costs.
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Disadvantages of fermentation

  • Fermentation produces ethanol slowly and in low concentrations.
    • It needs purification by distillation, using extra energy.
    • It depends on crops, which can affect food supply and prices.
    • It cannot produce very pure ethanol quickly.
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Ethanol from steam addition to ethene

  • This method uses ethene and steam over a catalyst at 300°C and 60-70 atmospheres pressure.
    • It produces high-purity ethanol quickly.
  • It needs ethene from crude oil or natural gas, which are non-renewable.
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Advantages and disadvantages of steam addition

  • Advantages:
    • Produces pure ethanol fast
    • Efficient for large-scale production
  • Disadvantages:
    • Uses non-renewable resources
    • High temperature and pressure increase energy costs
    • Requires expensive catalysts
  • This method is common in industry due to large production capacity.,

Jump to other topics

1States of Matter

2Atoms, Elements & Compounds

3Stoichometry

4Electrochemistry

5Chemical Energetics

6Chemical Reactions

7Acids, Bases & Salts

8The Periodic Table

9Metals

10Chemistry of the Environment

11Organic Chemistry

11.1Formulae, Functional Groups & Terminology

11.2Naming Organic Compounds

11.3Fuels

11.4Alkanes

11.5Alkenes

11.6Alcohols

11.7Carboxylic Acids

11.8Polymers

12Experimental Techniques & Chemical Analysis

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