:: Ethanol Knowledge ->> Ethanol Applition ::

: Ethanol Knowledge : Ethanol Applition

Main applications of ethanol are classified into 3 categories;

Fuel Use (Denatured alcohol) :

The largest use of ethanol is as a motor fuel and fuel additive used to operate vehicle engines. The market for this sector has highest growth potential. Many countries have attempted to replace some of their gasoline consumption with ethanol by mixing certain percentage of ethanol into gasoline to achieve the resulting product called gasohol. The largest national fuel ethanol industries exist in Brazil. Ethanol for fuel use is further divided into hydrous and anhydrous alcohol, each contained different purity from distillation.

Industrial Use :

For industrial use, ethanol is mostly used as chemical in industrial processes. Other uses of ethanol are perfumes, paint, cosmetics and medicine such as tinctures. Ethanol is also used in medical wipes and in most common antibacterial hand sanitizer gels at a concentration of about 62% as an antiseptic. Ethanol proves to be effective against most bacteria and fungi, and many viruses, but is ineffective against bacterial spores.

Beverages (Portable alcohol) :

The market of ethanol for beverage is the smallest and has the lowest growth among the three because alcohol beverages can be produced from fruits such as grapes and malt as well as from ethanol. The ethanol content of a beverage is usually measured in terms of the volume fraction of ethanol in the beverage, expressed either as a percentage or in alcoholic proof units. China is the main market for ethanol beverages followed by Russia, USA, Brazil and Japan*.

* F.O. Licths 2001