pyotr filipivich wrote:

"azotic" on Fri, 24 Aug 2012 06:24:46 -0700 typed
in rec.crafts.metalworking the following:

"Ignoramus11822" wrote in message
m...
On 2012-08-24, RogerN wrote:

How do you intend to use the alcohol? As fuel or for drinking, or
what?

This would be for fuel. From my understanding the batch process is
better
for drinking because methanol would be boiled off first. You are
supposed
to be able to take the alcohol from the continuous process and run it
through a pot still to boil off the methanol first and get the ethanol.

The fuel is bound to be very expensive.

i

Would you have to pay Motor fuel tax?
Does the BATF regulate home stills?

Yes. You can make beer and wine, but not distilled spirits.
Another weird law.

And yes, fuel is "expensive" - you are basically boiling a lot of
water in order to get the ethanol to evaporate out of it.

That end of things at least could be improved by either using a
concentrating solar collector to provide the heat or a co-gen type setup
heating the cabin in the winter or whatever.