Brill and Thurlow: Alcohol from Molasses 



287 



Table XIV. — Results obtained for a 20 per cent solution of molasses 

 fermented at a temperature of 25". 



Sample No. 



Alcohol. 



hours. 



hours. 

 S.69 



H 

 hours. 



6.24 



hours. 



m 



hours. 

 6.77 



136 

 hours. 



6.70 



Maxi- 

 mum 

 yield. 



6.77 



Yield. 1 

 per cent 1 

 of theo- 



retical. | 



91.1 



1 . 



0.99 





The next experiment was a repetition of the preceding on a 

 larger scale. A 50-gallon barrel was cleaned and fitted with a 

 coil, 150 liters of a 22 per cent solution of molasses were placed 

 in the barrel, 300 grams of sulphuric acid and 30 grams of am- 

 monium sulphate were added, and the whole was heated by pass- 

 ing high pressure steam through the coil. Then water was 

 passed through the coil, the contents of the barrel were inoculated 

 with 2 liters of yeast ferment when the temperature had been 

 lowered to 30° C, and the whole well mixed and allowed to 

 ferment. The temperature of the solution even during the active 

 period of fermentation never rose above 29° C. 



Table XV. — Results of the fermentation of 150 liters of 20 per cent 

 molasses solution at a temperature below 30° C. 



Sample No. 



Alcohol. 



16 

 hours. 



40 

 hours. 



64 

 hours. 



88 

 hours. 



112 

 hours. 



136 

 hours. 



Maxi- 

 mum 

 yield. 



Yield. 



per cent 

 of theo- 

 retical. 



1 



0.91 



3.34 



4.94 



5.85 



7.16 



7.34 



7.34 



89.8 









The yield of alcohol is well above 80 per cent, the yield of 

 good distillery practice. 



With the exception of the preceding test, where an oil barrel 

 was used, all the experiments were carried out in glass bottles. 

 In order to test our conclusions in a more practical way and to 

 meet the possible accusation that such yields would be impossible 

 under distillery conditions, permission was obtained to run con- 

 trol tests at one of the distilleries of the Islands. 



A vat of about 15,000 liters* capacity was fitted with a coil 

 having a surface area of about 7.5 square meters, and connec- 

 tions were made by which water from the river or exhaust 

 steam from the engines could be circulated through the coil. 



