Ethanol, also known asethyl alcohol, drinking alcohol or grain alcohol, is a flammable, colorless,mildly toxic chemical compound, and is best known as the alcohol found inalcoholic beverages. Natural energy resources such as petroleum and coal havebeen consumed at high rates over the last decades. The heavy reliance of themodern economy on these fuels is bound to end, due to their environmentalimpact (and the corresponding pressure of society) and to the fact that theymight eventually run out. Therefore, alternative resources such as ethanol arebecoming more important. In common usage, it is often referred to simply asalcohol.
On industrial scale,ethanol can be prepared by the fermentation of molasses. Molasses is the motherliquor left after the crystallization of sugarcane juice. It is a dark colouredviscous liquid. Molasses contains about 60% fermentable sugar.
Ethanol is a volatile,flammable, clear, colourless liquid. Ethanol is a good sovent. It is also usedas a germicide, beverage, antifreeze, fuel, depressant and chemicalintermediate. It can be made by the fermentation process of material thatcontains sugar or from the compound which can be converted to sugar.