How does brix, pH and temperature affect ethanol production?

Question

Thanks for the help.

Answer 1

When a refractometer is used, it is correct to report the result as "refractometric dried substance" (RDS). One might speak of a liquid as being 20 °Bx RDS. This is a measure of percent by weight of TOTAL dried solids and, although not technically the same as Brix degrees determined through a specific gravity method, renders an accurate measurement of sucrose content since the majority of dried solids are in fact sucrose. When an infrared Brix sensor is used, it measures the vibrational frequency of the sugar molecules, giving a Brix degrees measurement. This will not be the same measurement as Brix degrees using a density measurement because it will specifically measure dissolved sugar concentration instead of all dissolved solids.

Using a pH meter together with pH-selective electrodes (pH glass electrode, hydrogen electrode, quinhydrone electrode, ion sensitive field effect transistor and others).

Because of the high temperatures encountered and the electromagnetic nature of the phenomena involved, it is customary to express temperature in electronvolts (eV) or kiloelectronvolts (keV), where 1 eV = 11,604 K. In the study of QCD matter one routinely meets temperatures of the order of a few hundred MeV, equivalent to about 1012 K.

Answer 2

Brix is an amount of sugars in a mixture (in ethanols case, mash), the more brix the mix has the more sugars the yeast have to work with. You CAN have too much sugars which will then create trouble for the distillation process. Ideally you want to start with about 25 degrees brix and end with around 9.

Temperature has a huge rule on ethanol production. Too hot/cool of mash and your enzymes wont work well. Too hot/cold of mash in your ferms and the yeast will either die of go dormant. Too hot/cold of beer in your distialltion and you can end up losing ethanol as a base loss or adding a lot of water to your alcohol.

pH mainly is concerned with enzyme effectiveness and the comfortability of the yeast.

Answer 3

Every plant has a desirable pH range to grow best.  So if the pH is not adjusted, it will effect the plant production.

Temperature does effect plant growth.  For corn, to hot of temperature effect pollination which effect yields and the amount of bushels produced per acre for ethanol production. Switchgrass is a warm season grass.  It grows best in the upper temperatures range.

Brix, as I understand is a % of sugar.  I am not sure if it is brix in the ethanol field.  In the ethanol process, the more the starch available to convert, the more the sugar content.

Just some thoughts,

Answer 4

it effects on the concentration i guess!