Traditional alcohols are produced from agricultural raw materials (sugar beet or cereals) by fermentation, distillation and rectification. They are used in the spirits industry, perfumes and pharmaceuticals.
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Fermentation of sugar substrates from beet or cereals (low-purity juice or syrup, starch) takes place in the presence of yeast. It produces a solution of around 10% alcohol, known as "wine". This is then distilled to produce 94% raw alcohol. The rectification process separates out volatile components that are unsuitable for direct use to produce 96% high-purity alcohol. This is used in the spirits, perfumes and cosmetics and pharmaceuticals industries amongst others.To meet the requirements of the cosmetics and fuel industries, part of the high-purity alcohol is dehydrated to produce 99.9% anhydrous alcohol.
Non-alcoholic by-products of the distillation process, known as vinasse, are concentrated by evaporation. The resultant product is sold mainly as a fertiliser.
