RogueRose
International Hazard
Posts: 1590
Registered: 16-6-2014
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Drying ethanol (and other alcohols possibly) with tapioca!!?
While doing some research into different ways to dry ethanol I came across a number of pages and some patents about using tapioca (the pearls) to dry
ethanol. Here is a link to Purdue Univ that outlines how it is done.
http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/research/2011/110913LadischTa...
The jist of it is very similar to how corn meal is used but tapioca supposedly is reusable and dries fairly easily especially when compared to corn
meal which some say can't be dried or doesn't dry very well or needs much more energy than tapioca.
What is done is the reflux column is filled with tapioca pearls, leaving room for expansion or else it will clog and seal the column. The starch is
supposed to do an excellent job in absorbing the "steam" and allowing virtually 100% of the ethanol to pass through.
I had a little bit of a hard time believing this at first and would like to try this on a small scale and would like to hear is anyone has ever heard
of this or tried this.
On another note in drying ethanol, would it be possible to put the tapioca or anhydrous MgSO4 in the pot filled with ~90-95% ethanol and simmer/light
reflux until the water is absorbed and then turn the heat up to boil off the EtOH? OR, if this is done, will the heat drive off the water from the
MgSO4 or tapioca?
I'd just like to find way to do this without having to fill a column as this can be more problematic/time consuming. If it could be simmered lightly
to absorb like 90% of the water (so maybe .5-1% remaining) and then use the filled column to absorb the last .5-1% as it passes to the condenser.
It just seems I get conflicting stories - some say MgSO4 is horrible for this and only CaO, CuSO4 (anhydrous) or Mg will work to make absolute.
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PHILOU Zrealone
International Hazard
Posts: 2893
Registered: 20-5-2002
Location: Brussel
Member Is Offline
Mood: Bis-diazo-dinitro-hydroquinonic
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If you use rice, couscous or tapioca pearls...maybe best to allow to soak up the water, to filter the moist solid for drying and reuse and to keep the
filtrate alcohol.
CaO or white CuSO4 could be used the same, but then the filtrate alcohol must be distilled to leave the Ca(OH)2 or alcoholate and Cu(2+) away. CuSO4
could be recycled from blue to white by heating...but less easy for Ca(OH)2 to recover CaO...
Na2SO4 should work aswel just like CaSO4 (gypsum/plaster) avoid using too much at one time it may clog.
PH Z (PHILOU Zrealone)
"Physic is all what never works; Chemistry is all what stinks and explodes!"-"Life that deadly disease, sexually transmitted."(W.Allen)
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