Sawdust brandy

Wood spirits is made of wood by distillation won brandy.

For the production of wood liquor timber is cooked with dilute sulfuric acid, whereby the cellulose and hemicelluloses pass into dextrose and other simple sugars, during lignin remains. The sugary liquid is fermented by neutralization of the acid, the ethanol formed in this way can then be recovered by distillation.

For this process, the waste liquors of pulp production were used to generate the "Wood Spirits " or " Sulfitspiritus " in the GDR. Spirits ( diluted to drinking strength rectified spirit ) which is obtained by this process is harmless to health and no more dangerous than drinking spirits made ​​from grain; he usually even contains much less fusel oils than this or even the lint- rich fruit brandy. Nevertheless, the German Law on the spirits monopoly prohibits the use of wood spirits for the production of alcoholic beverages. This prohibition stems from the function of the law as a means of agricultural subsidy and not from the health care duty of the state.

The dry distillation of wood was used and the recovery of methanol (wood alcohol ).

• Alcohol -containing beverage
• Wood product