The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1915-09-23

sugar, which in turn may be ferment-
ed into alcohol, which, when properly
distilled, is ready to urn. In order to
make alcohol u of potatoes, three
principal processes are necessary: Cd
to get the starch out Of the potatoes
as clean and free as possible from
impurities; (2) to change the starch
into sugar as completely as possible,
and the latter into alcohol by a COM
plete process of fermentation; (S) to
get the alcohol out of the fermented
mixture by a process known as dis
tillation.
These principles are not exactly
simple, but they can be easily learned
by all people of intelligence with
reasonable study and practice. There
are no profound secrets about the pro-
cess of making industrial alcohol
which would prevent it from being
manufactured in any and all commun-
tiles of a state-for instance, in South
Dakota, in case such manufacture
should be found profitable. Ignite
coal, Missouri river water, and Sun
shine Early Ohio might make a COM
bination worth thinking about. This
article is just thinking about 1t.
"The potatoes to be used for manu-
featuring alcohol are usually unload
ed into an automatic weighing bin
from which they run down a Slated
shoot into a steam cooker. After they
run into the cooker they are washed
with a stream of water, then cooked
and stirred, with the result that they
cook to pieces just like they do on a
stove in the kitchen. At this stage
they are called mash The The po-
tatoes are not pared, but the Feelings
are extracted after the cooking pro-
cess. Thus, after the Feelings and
solid material are extracted, a solu-
ton is left which consists very largely
of pOtato-starch and water. Some malt
Is then added to the mash for the pur-
pose of changing the starch into sugar.
The malt Is usually made out Of bar
ley and may be manufactured on the
ground. Malt Is added to the mash at
the rate Of about two pounds Of malt
to one hundred pounds OF potato mash.
The mash then passes on to the fer
pannfnr IN tho MO - 10 M 4
through a so-called peel extractor
which lifts out from the mash the
Feelings and solid materials that have
not disintegrated in the process of
cooking.
when fermentation is complete in
the mash, the latter is heated in a
special form Of boiler with steam heat,
and provided with cooling tubes, called
a still From this distillation ppar-
atus, the alcohol flows into a vat where
1t is 'denatured' or poisoned. This lat
ter process Is necessary to keep some
people from drinking it. If the dena-
turing were not necessary, the alcohol
might be used for chemical purposes
as well as industrial, which would ap-
parently enhance the price, somewhat.
Potatoes contain from 14% to 20%
of starch. Sixty pounds, one bushel of
potatoes contain twelve pounds of
starch or less. One pound Of starch
Is estimated to make 0.079 pounds of
denatured alcohol. Accordingly, one
bushel of potatoes might produce O.948
gallons of alcohol.
Farmers Bulletin 40 estimates the
cost Of running a still per day as:
5000 pounds potatoes-$20; 120 pounds
barley, SITS; / ton of soft coal 81;
three men. $7.25; total $1,000. The
output of such a still might be 104 gal
Ions of 900 alcohol per day. Thus, the
cost Of operation might be about 33
cents per gallon exclusive Of interest
on the value of the plant-$12, 900. 90.
"In this connection, the value Of the
uiotiiiCiy ~ ploouS 10 lhJpoI III DC
bulletin above referred to, estimates
that 5000 pounds Of potatoes per day.
will produce 'distillery-slop' enough
to furnish the main finishing ration for
fifty head of cattle. 1t would seem
that this b%y-product would pay inter
est on a considerable investment, pro-
viding the main product, alcohol, could
be made otherwise at some profit.
1.-THE utilization Of waste, to save
the energy of bumper crops, to avoid
the calamity to the producer OF rails
ing a bumper crop and then confront
ing a glutted market. 1t is a matter
worth careful consideration"