What raw materials are used to produce industrial alcohol? How to distinguish industrial alcohol from medical alcohol

Industrial alcohol refers to alcohol used in industry, also called denatured alcohol, industrial liquor, etc. Industrial alcohol has a pungent smell. The following is a detailed sharing by Encyclopedia Knowledge Network on how to distinguish industrial alcohol from medical alcohol and whether industrial alcohol can be used for disinfection. I hope you will understand it.

Contents of this article

1. What raw materials are used to produce industrial alcohol?

2. How to distinguish industrial alcohol from medical alcohol

3. Can industrial alcohol be used for disinfection?

What raw materials are used to produce industrial alcohol?

Industrial alcohol uses different raw materials depending on the production method. The first method is fermentation, which is mainly produced by processing starch or sugar raw materials. The second method is chemical synthesis, which is mainly produced by processing waste gas from coking coal and cracking petroleum.

Industrial alcohol refers to alcohol used in industry, also called denatured alcohol, industrial liquor, etc. Its purity is mostly 95% and 99%. Industrial alcohol made by synthetic method has relatively low cost, high ethanol content, generally greater than or equal to 95%, and methanol content less than 1%.

The main difference between industrial alcohol and medical alcohol lies in the different ethanol concentrations and uses. Medical alcohol is edible alcohol and has an ethanol content of about 75%.

Industrial alcohol contains a small amount of impurities such as methanol and aldehydes, which are toxic and cannot be used to produce various alcoholic beverages.

How to distinguish industrial alcohol from medical alcohol

Industrial alcohol and medical alcohol can be identified by smell, formaldehyde content, copper wire, etc. Industrial alcohol has a pungent smell, while medical alcohol has no smell. The formaldehyde content in industrial alcohol is relatively high, while medical alcohol does not contain formaldehyde. It can be distinguished with formaldehyde test paper. If a heated copper wire is placed in alcohol, the one that bubbles is industrial alcohol.

Industrial alcohol and medical alcohol can be distinguished by smell. Industrial alcohol contains more impurities and has a very pungent smell. Medical alcohol is similar to ordinary liquor, with ethanol as the main ingredient, and does not smell very pungent. Sometimes the taste difference between the two is not big, so distinguishing by sensory organs may not be accurate.

Industrial alcohol is produced by cracking raw coal and petroleum, and contains a large amount of methanol, formaldehyde and other impurities. The formaldehyde component is difficult to separate. Medical alcohol is produced by fermenting corn or other grains using the saccharifying enzyme method, and contains fewer impurities. It can be tested with methanol test paper. Medical alcohol contains no methanol.

Prepare a lighter, copper wire and a glass cup, pour the alcohol to be identified into the cup, use a lighter to burn the copper wire until the surface turns black. Then quickly put it into the alcohol cup, and the surface will turn from black to red. If bubbles start to appear in the alcohol, it means the alcohol you bought is industrial alcohol. If there are no bubbles, it means it is medical alcohol.

Can I use industrial alcohol to disinfect?

Can't.

Industrial alcohol contains 96% ethanol and 1% methanol. Methanol can be absorbed by broken skin and enter the human body. Under the action of liver dehydrogenase, it forms formaldehyde. Formaldehyde has a special selective destructive effect on the optic nerve and central nervous system in the human body, which can denature the proteins in these tissues, causing eye discomfort, nausea and vomiting, body pain and even blindness. Formaldehyde may continue to react with dehydrogenase to generate formic acid, which may cause abnormal liver function and immune function in the human body, damage the central nervous system, and damage the genetic material in the cells. Therefore, industrial alcohol cannot be used for disinfection.