What is the difference between food-grade alcohol and industrial fuel ethanol?

When industrial alcohol is produced, toxic substances or colored substances must be added to distinguish it from edible alcohol, even though both are actually ethanol. However, industrial alcohol is very cheap, while food-grade alcohol is expensive; this is also a measure to protect the traditional brewing industry

The main component of both industrial alcohol and edible alcohol is ethanol; the difference between them lies in their production methods. Food alcohol is a product obtained by fermenting grains and yeast in a fermentation tank, followed by filtration and distillation; it is usually an aqueous solution of ethanol, or in other words, a miscible mixture of water and ethanol. Food alcohol does not contain benzene or methanol, which are toxic to the human body. Industrial alcohol is ethanol obtained by cracking long-chain organic compounds in petroleum under the action of catalysts and at high temperatures. Advances in modern industrial technology enable the ethanol content and purity to reach levels suitable for human consumption; however, it is well known that it should not be eaten. To distinguish it from edible alcohol, certain amounts of toxic organic substances such as methanol are added to industrial alcohol (within specified limits), and clear labels and instructions are provided on its packaging! Ethanol, commonly known as alcohol, is a liquid at room temperature; its boiling point is 78.2 degrees. It is volatile and has a distinctive pungent odor! In laboratories, the common types are industrial alcohol (with 95% ethanol content) and anhydrous alcohol

Reply to 3# fanxuwen: Thank you!

The concentration of edible alcohol is over 95%; anhydrous ethanol is used for fuel ethanol, requiring an additional dehydration step

The key lies in the control of limits for harmful impurities.

Firstly, edible alcohol can be used for consumption; its main raw materials are grains and molasses. From a culinary perspective, corn and wheat are the best raw materials. Industrial fuel ethanol, on the other hand, is used to be added to gasoline. In other words, edible alcohol is meant for human consumption, while industrial fuel ethanol is intended for use in vehicles. Its raw materials are diverse – in addition to grains and tubers as well as molasses, straw can also be used for its production. Edible alcohol can be further processed to meet the standards of industrial fuel ethanol, by achieving a dehydration level of over 99.5%. Secondly, the impurity content in edible alcohol is very low; certain parameters such as methanol levels are even lower than those required for liquor, especially according to the GB10343-2008 standards for alcohol, which set strict limits on the levels of fusel oils and methanol