What are the 2 methods used to manufacture ethanol? What are the advantages and disadvantages of both?

The hydration of ethene: Ethene and steam are passed over a catalyst - concentrated phosphoric acid (H3PO4) - at 300OC and 60-70 atmospheres. This process is fast, continuous and gives a pure product but it requires ethene, produced from cracking, and high temperatures and pressures and is therefore non-renewable and expensive.Fermentation of sugars: Yeast is added to a sugar or starch solution and left for several days in warm, anaerobic conditions, inducing anaerobic respiration of yeast which leads to the reaction: Sugar -> Ethanol + Water. This process is slow as it is a batch process which takes several days, and produces impure ethanol. However less energy is needed and the resources required - such as maize or corn - are cheap and renewable

JP

Related Chemistry GCSE answers

All answers ▸

What is ionic bonding?


Why does Iodine have a higher boiling point than chlorine?


The forward direction of a chemical reaction is exothermic. What happens if you increase the temperature of the system?


Why are the properties of diamond and graphite different despite both being made of the same constituent element, carbon.