If you live outside of the US, contact the governing body that oversees alcohol-related laws in your area for more information on how to legally produce ethanol. As an approved ethanol producer in the US, you’ll be permitted to make up to 10,000 proof-gallons of ethanol per year. Unless you’re a convicted felon, anyone can apply to make ethanol fuel. There are no unique requirements.
Check with your local grocery store or farmer’s market to see if they have any spoiled produce you can take off their hands for free. If you farm or grow your own food, start holding on to any inedible, spoiled, or unusable crops. Items like apple, bananas, pineapples, peaches, potatoes, and sugar beets are higher in sugar than other varieties of fruits and veggies, and therefore tend to give off more natural ethanol. [3] X Research source
You’ll need roughly 56 pounds (25 kg) of fruits and vegetables to make 2. 8 gallons (11 L) of ethanol. If possible, use a standard 55 US gal (210 L) steel drum. One of these will offer plenty of room and won’t leach harmful contaminants into your fuel as it ferments. If you can’t find a steel drum, a simple wooden or plastic barrel will work just fine.
Keep mashing your fruits and veggies until there are no large chunks remaining. It may take a while and it may be exhausting, but you really need to break everything down. Rotten produce tends to smell pretty unpleasant. Be sure to work in a well-ventilated area, and consider covering your face to cut down on noxious odors. If you’re a farmer with access to a hammer mill or roller mill, just pour the veggies and fruits into that. [6] X Research source
As a general rule, use 1 packet of yeast for every 20 pounds (9. 1 kg) or so of biomaterial. The yeast will continue to help ferment over time, but if you use a small amount, it will take forever. Distiller’s yeast is a special type of yeast that’s resistant to alcohol (ethanol is a type of alcohol, just FYI), which makes it perfect for making ethanol.
Use distilled or filtered water, if possible. Ordinary tap water may introduce unwanted chemicals or impurities into your batch of homemade ethanol.
In order for your raw biomaterial to ferment successfully, it’s important to make sure that your container has been properly sealed so that no foreign contaminants interact with the yeast.
As your raw biomaterial sits, the yeast will feed on its natural sugars and leave alcohol behind. This alcohol can be distilled into ethanol!
Your biomaterial may ferment in more or less time, so keep an eye on the sugar content rather than following a set timetable.
In some cases, you may also be able to rent equipment like reflux stills for a low daily or weekly rate. Check with home brewing and distilling companies in your area for more info.
Keep in mind that a container full of biomaterial will only produce a small amount of pure ethanol. In fact, it takes about 56 pounds (25 kg) of fruits and vegetables to make 2. 8 gallons (11 L) of ethanol![14] X Research source
Pure ethanol should be 100% clear. You may need to filter the ethanol multiple times depending on how dirty it is. You now have pure ethanol!
You can use this fuel in lawnmowers, tractors, leaf blowers, and other small engines that run on gas, but don’t put it in your normal vehicle. E85 will damage unmodified engines if you don’t drive a flex fuel vehicle. Refer to your vehicle’s user manual for more info. To prevent accidents, store your homemade ethanol fuel at room temperature in a well-ventilated space. You could add a few drops of ethanol to DIY cleaning products to make them more effective as a sanitizer. Ethanol is also used as a food additive, but it’s not safe to consume DIY ethanol that hasn’t been tested for safety reasons. [17] X Research source
