21,1 Cole: Manufacture of Industrial Alcohol at 
The Hawaiian cane takes up more of these constituents, be- 
cause the quantity available is greater due to the general use 
of fertilizers in the Hawaiian Islands. In many cases no fer- 
tilizer is added to the sugar lands of the Philippine Islands, 
and no attempt is made to return the fertilizer ingredients found 
in the ash of the bagasse and in the molasses. Thus, it is only 
a question of years before fertilization must be practiced or 
the land will become exhausted. 
Fermentation of the molasses—The methods of fermentation 
of molasses in the Philippines are crude, with consequent low 
efficiencies resulting. There is no distillery using modern yeast- 
culture machines and very few in which the dilution of the wort, 
the addition of acid and sulphate, the stopping of the fermenta- 
tion at the highest alcohol content, etc., are scientifically con- 
trolled. Brill and Thurlow‘ have shown that sterilization of 
the molasses solution or the use of good water increases the 
efficiency markedly. Also the dilution of the molasses to a defi- 
nite density (about 16.5 Brix) is essential. The addition of 2 
grams of sulphuric acid and at least 0.4 gram of ammonium 
sulphate to every liter of ferment will increase the percentage 
of alcohol produced. The use of pure yeast culture is probably 
the greatest factor in obtaining the highest possible efficiency. 
They recommend 1 part of pure yeast-fermenting wort to 100 
or 150 parts of ferment. The dilution of the molasses may be 
decreased by using the Molhant process of accustoming the yeast 
to fermenting in more highly concentrated solutions, with a 
consequent saving in heat necessary for distillation. Magné* 
cites the following figures with reference to the yield of alcohol 
according to the process employed: 
TABLE 5.—Yield of alcohol from molasses according to the process employed. 
Molasses 
Absolute (55 per cent 
Yield of al- alcohol per fermentable 
Method of fermentation. cohol; percent) 100 pounds | sugar) neces- 
of theoretical. | fermentable | sary for1gal- 
sugar. lon absolute 
alcohol. 
Gallons. Gallons. 
Spontaneously in presence of wild yeast --------- 40-60 2.9-4.4 8.5-5.4 
Using compressed yeast -------------------------- 50-75 8.6-5.5 2.8-4.2 
Using antisentics...6.. 050... <6. <55-- =e - er 70-85 §.1-6.2 2.5-3.0 
Operating with pure yeast-___--------------------- 85-95 6. 2-6.9 2.2-2.5 
* Loe. cit. 
*Magné, J., Pamphlet on the Manufacture of Alcohol from Molasses 
and Cane Juice. New Orleans, La., U. S. A. 
