Ethanol fermentation

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hanlin
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Joined: Fri Apr 15, 2011 2:44 pm

Ethanol fermentation

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Ethanol for use in alcoholic beverages, and the vast majority of ethanol for use as fuel, is produced by fermentation. When certain species of yeast (e.g., Saccharomyces cerevisiae) metabolize sugar they produce ethanol and carbon dioxide. The chemical equations below summarize the conversion:

C6H12O6 → 2 CH3CH2OH + 2 CO2
C12H22O11 --> 4 CH3CH2OH + 4 CO2
The process of culturing yeast under conditions to produce alcohol is called fermentation. This process is carried out at around 35
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