Hydrous alconoi or ethanol can be produced for less

Hydrous alconoi or ethanol can be produced for less than $1 a gallon, Green reported. This lower proof alcohol retains some water but will burn if it is 160 proof or more. Current regulations don’t allow hydrous alcohol to be sold but it is cheaper and easier to produce and is feasible to make on the farm. Green noted that the federal government is encouraging research in the use of alcohol fuels. In addition, he reported that Congress has directed the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to simply simplify marketing regulations covering alcohol of less than 200 proof. So there are marketing possibilities in the future.

Hydrous alcohol or ethanol can be made from almost any material that ferments, Green said. According to his figures, a bushel of corn will produce 2.65 gallons of alcohol, a bushel of mile 2.6 gallons, barley 2.5 gallons and rye 2.4 gallons. Beets, which can be grown in Virginia at 20 tons per acre, are another good raw material for alcohol production. Green said.

Municipal solid waste can also be turned into alcohol but the technology to do so on a large scale won’t be perfected until 1985 at the earliest, according to Green.

Running A Still

Using corn for the raw material. Green gave an example of how a still operates.

To turn five bushels of corn into alcohol fuel, the corn must firest be ground as fine as possible—3-16ths is optimal—and then mixed with 25 to 30 gallons of water per bushel in the first step of the cooking process. With the addition of two ounces of the, enzyme camalpha powder, the mash must be heated to 200 degrees with constant mixing and then held at that temperature for 15 minutes.

In step two, the mash must be cooled to between 150 and 170 degrees by adding just enough water—approximately five gallons per bushel—to reach the lower temperature. Then another