Introduction

Ethanol, or commonly known as ethyl alcohol, drinking alcohol or simply alcohol is the
principle type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages. Ethanol is a volatile, flammable and
colorless liquid with a slight chemical odor that is basically produced by the fermentation of
sugar by yeast. Ethanol is often used as an antiseptic, a solvent and the active fluid in postmercury thermometers due to its low freezing point. The structural formula for ethanol is
CH3CH2OH, and is often abbreviated as C 2H5OH or EtOH. Ethanol also can be used as a motor
fuel, mainly as biofuel additive for gasoline. In this century, ethanol can be 100% used to run
cars or a mix of ethanol and gasoline. Basically, ethanol is produced from biomass such as corn
or sugarcane.