Muaj ethanol ntau lawm txoj kev tsuas yog poob rau hauv ob pawg: fermentation thiab ethylene hydration. Fermentation, raws li cov txheej txheem ib txwm muaj, yog qhov tseem ceeb ntawm ethanol nyob rau hauv ntau lub teb chaws, thiab tam sim no, tag nrho cov dej cawv thiab kwv yees li 75% ntawm cov khoom lag luam ethanol thoob ntiaj teb tseem raug tsim los siv txoj kev no. Txawm li cas los xij, nyob rau hauv plaub caug xyoo dhau los, nrog kev txhim kho ntawm ethylene hydration technology, fermentation tau maj mam hloov.
Fermentation noj ntau cov nplej; kwv yees li 4 tons ntawm nplej los yog 12 tons ntawm qos yaj ywm yog xav tau los tsim 1 tuj ntawm ethanol, ua rau cov nqi siab, thiab yog li ntawd nws tau raug txiav tawm. Ntoo hydrolysis, vim nws cov peev txheej loj thiab cov nqi siab, tsuas yog tsim nyog rau ob peb lub teb chaws uas muaj peev txheej hav zoov ntau. Siv cov khoom lag luam los ntawm kev lag luam qab zib lossis ntawv- xws li molasses (qab zib residue) thiab sulfite pulp pov tseg- los tsim ethanol tseem siv nyob rau qee lub tebchaws, tab sis cov txiaj ntsig qis vim muaj cov khoom siv raw tsawg; Piv txwv li, tsuas yog 1 tuj ntawm ethanol tuaj yeem tsim tau los ntawm 15-20 tons ntawm cov ntaub so ntswg, uas tsis tuaj yeem ua tau raws li qhov loj - nplai kev lag luam. Txawm hais tias kev ua liaj ua teb cov khoom lag luam thiab cov nroj tsuag qus (xws li straw nplej, pob kws stalks, lossis cov txiv hmab txiv ntoo qus) kuj tuaj yeem siv los ua cov khoom siv raw, cov teeb meem xws li kev sau, kev thauj mus los, thiab cov peev txheej muaj tsawg. Zuag qhia tag nrho, fermentation txoj kev, txwv los ntawm raw khoom muaj thiab economic efficiency, tau ua tsis txaus raws li qhov xav tau ntawm loj-scale ntau lawm.
Tawm tsam qhov teeb meem no, txoj kev ethylene hydration maj mam tshwm sim. Shell Chemical Company hauv Tebchaws Meskas tau tsim cov dej ncaj qha hauv Houston hauv xyoo 1948, tsim cov ethanol cog nrog lub peev xwm ntawm 60,000 tons hauv ib xyoos. Tom qab ntawd, xyoo 1951, lawv tau tsim lwm cov ethanol cog hauv Scottscou nrog lub peev xwm txhua xyoo ntawm 35,000 tons, kos npe rau kev loj hlob thiab nthuav dav siv ethylene hydration technology.
