Vodka Distillery Design Upgrade

Ethanol production begins with finely ground whole grains that are then mixed with diluted acid and cooked at high temperatures. The acid aids in the hydrolysis of the starches within the grain and provides the proper pH environment for enzymes during the saccharification process. Cooking the starches prior to saccharification further optimizes enzymatic starch breakdown into sugars. These sugars are then consumed by yeast in a fermentation process to produce ethanol. The process of enzymatic degradation and yeast fermentation yields a solution that contains approximately 16 percent ethanol. This solution also contains undigested starches, sugars and other byproducts. To produce a 95 percent solution of ethanol, this mixture goes through a distillation process whereby ethanol is separated from the remaining solution to achieve high purity. The finished product is then shipped to be diluted and distributed at an outside facility.