The Alcohol Textbook is described as “the definitive reference book” on the distilled spirits and fuel alcohol industries. The new sixth edition provides an overview of the current state of these industries, as well as details about sources and processing of sugars and grains, mashing and fermentation, management of contaminants, alcohol recovery technology, production co-products, and more. The book concludes by presenting future perspectives for alcohol production, including value-added products, new technologies, and technical opportunities and challenges.

Lead editor Graeme Walker is scientific director of The Ethanol Technology Institute and conducts both The Alcohol School and The Biofuels Academy.

The Alcohol Textbook, Sixth Edition

PART 1: Introduction: The Alcohol Industry Today

Status of the Worldwide Fuel Alcohol Industry
Worldwide Distilled Spirits Production

PART 2: Carbohydrate Sources for Alcohol Production

Corn: Genetics, Composition, and Quality
Wheat: Genetics, Composition, and Quality
Barley: Origins, Uses, Breeding, and Composition
Sorghum: Cultivation, Agronomy, and Ethanol Feedstock
Sugar Cane & Sugar Beet: From Plant to the Fermentor

PART 3: Cereal Processing for Alcohol Production

Maize: Receiving, Storage, and Milling
Small Grains: The Impact of Feedstock Selection on Ethanol Process Unit Operations
Wet Milling of Maize for Fuel Alcohol
Dryhouse Technology

PART 4: Cereal Saccharification & Enzymolysis

Grain Mashing for Fuel Alcohol
Grain Mashing for Beverage Alcohol
Use of Enzymes in Fuel and Beverage Alcohol Production

PART 5: Alcohol Production from Lignocellulose

Science and Technology of Lignocellulose Conversion to Ethanol
Production of Cellulosic Ethanol at Existing Plants

PART 6: Yeast & Fermentation

Physiology of Ethanol-Producing Yeasts
Yeast Stress and Fermentation
Yeast Strain Development for Alcohol Production
Commercial Yeast Production for Distilled Beverage Fuel Ethanol Fermentations
Yeast Management and Propagation Systems for Alcohol Production
Yeast Practices in the Production of American Whiskies
Very High Gravity (VHG) and Associated New Technologies for Fuel Alcohol Production

PART 7: Contaminant Microbes & Their Control

Contaminant Microbes and Their Control
Cleaning and Sanitation in Alcohol Plants

PART 8: Alcohol Recovery Technology

Alcohol Distillation – Theory
Distillation Practice
Membrane Processes for Alcohol Recovery
Distillation Practices for Beverage Alcohol and Impact on Flavor

PART 9: Analytical Aspects for Bioethanol & Distilled Spirits

Key Analytical Methods and Troubleshooting in Fuel Ethanol Production Plants
Key Analytical Methods for Distilled Spirits

PART 10: Co-Products from Alcohol Production

Beverage and Fuel Alcohol Distillers’ co-products – Production, Economics, and Use as Animal Feeds
Co-Products from Fuel Alcohol Plants
Co-Products from Malt Whisky Production and their Utilisation

PART 11: Future Perspectives for Alcohol Production

High Value-Added Products from Biorefining
New Technologies in Dry Grind Ethanol Process
Technical Opportunities and Challenges in Distilled Spirit Production

Appendices

Appendix 1: Units of Measure Equivalents
Appendix 2: Units of Measure Conversion Tables
Index