On Wed, 24 May 2006 13:47:41 GMT, "Dave Lyon" wrote:



How about turning the job around...

Burn the corn to produce heat for the destructive distillation of the
cellulose in the cobs and stalks into methanol. No problem with the
revenuers
since drinking methanol is a self limiting addiction, no bloody great
fermenting vessels and no smelly residues to get rid of. Would it work?


Mark Rand
RTFM

From what I've read, it takes a special enzyme to convert cellulose into the
sugar needed. That enzyme is available, but not to the general public. I've
heard that in the next 10 years or so, we'll be making alcohol from switch
grass instead of corn.


Wasn't talking about enzymes... If you heat cellulose enough in the absence of
oxygen (sawdust, paper, cotton, corn stalks/husks) then you end up with
charcoal, methanol and gunk. the methanol can be used as fuel and the rest can
be used to heat the still. Of course I did this 30 years ago at a time in my
life when I didn't use my brain for thinking, so I might be a bit hazy on the
economies of the reaction.


Mark Rand
RTFM