Ethanol Uses, Benefits, and Chemical Safety Facts

Ethanol, also called alcohol, ethyl alcohol and grain alcohol, is a clear, colorless liquid and the principal ingredient in alcoholic beverages like beer, ... Home EthanolAlcoholEthanol(EthylAlcohol) UpdatedJanuary21,2022 Ethanol,alsocalledalcohol,ethylalcoholandgrainalcohol,isaclear,colorlessliquidandtheprincipalingredientinalcoholicbeverageslikebeer,wineorbrandy.Becauseitcanreadilydissolveinwaterandotherorganiccompounds,ethanolalsoisaningredientinarangeofproducts,frompersonalcareandbeautyproductstopaintsandvarnishestofuel. WhatisEthanol? Ethanolisanaturalbyproductofplantfermentationandcanbeproducedthroughthehydrationofethylene. Share: FollowUson: Facebook Twitter YouTube RSS MostViewed LatestContent ChlorineDioxide Readmore:UnderstandingRiskandHazardWhenitComestoChemicals Ethanol(EthylAlcohol) Readmore:UnderstandingRiskandHazardWhenitComestoChemicals Plastics Readmore:UnderstandingRiskandHazardWhenitComestoChemicals Polystyrene Readmore:UnderstandingRiskandHazardWhenitComestoChemicals SodiumHydroxide Readmore:UnderstandingRiskandHazardWhenitComestoChemicals TheScienceofCandy:SugarChemistry Readmore:UnderstandingRiskandHazardWhenitComestoChemicals Propylene Readmore:UnderstandingRiskandHazardWhenitComestoChemicals ThePeriodicTableofElementsExplained Readmore:UnderstandingRiskandHazardWhenitComestoChemicals HowChemistryHelpsYouEnjoyHolidayFestivities Readmore:UnderstandingRiskandHazardWhenitComestoChemicals ToysandChemicals:RegulationstoHelpKeepKidsSafe Readmore:UnderstandingRiskandHazardWhenitComestoChemicals Print PrintthisPage Uses&Benefits SafetyInformation AnsweringQuestions Uses&Benefits PersonalCareProducts Ethanolisacommoningredientinmanycosmeticsandbeautyproducts.(1)Itactsasanastringenttohelpcleanskin,asapreservativeinlotionsandtohelpensurethatlotioningredientsdonotseparate,andithelpshairsprayadheretohair. Becauseethanoliseffectiveinkillingmicroorganismslikebacteria,fungiandviruses,itisacommoningredientinmanyhandsanitizers. TheU.S.CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention(CDC)recommendstheuseofhandsanitizersinsituationswheresoapandwaterarenotavailable.(2)PracticinghandhygieneisalsoanimportantpartofhelpingtostopthespreadofCOVID-19.Usinghandsanitizersoralcohol-basedhandrubs(ABHR)canhelptoinactivateSARS-CoV-2,thestrainofcoronavirusthatcausesCOVID-19. HouseholdProducts Ethanolmixeseasilywithwaterandmanyorganiccompoundsandmakesaneffectivesolventforuseinpaints,lacquersandvarnish,aswellaspersonalcareandhouseholdcleaningproducts.Asanadditivetocleaningproducts,ethanolisalsousedasapreservativebecauseitiseffectiveinknockingoutorganismsthatcouldposeadangertoconsumers.(3) FoodAdditives Asafoodadditive,ethanolcanhelpevenlydistributefoodcoloring,aswellasenhancetheflavoroffoodextracts.Forexample,vanillaextract,acommonfoodflavoring,ismadebycuringandprocessingvanillabeansinasolutionofethanolandwater.IntheUnitedStates,theFoodandDrugAdministration(FDA)onlyallowsvanillatobecalled“extract”whenithasanalcoholorethanolbase.(4) Fuel Morethan98percent ofU.S.gasolinecontainsethanol,typicallyinamixturecalledE10,madeupof10percentethanoland90percentgasoline,tooxygenatethefuelandreduceairpollution.(5)Ethanolhasahigheroctanenumberthangasoline,providingpremiumblendingproperties,accordingtotheU.S.DepartmentofEnergy.(5)Minimumoctanenumberrequirementspreventengineknockingandmaintaindrivability. Uses&BenefitsSafetyInformation BacktoTop SafetyInformation Ethanolishighlyflammableandshouldnotbeusednearopenflames.Ethanolinhalationcancausecoughingorheadaches,accordingtotheCDC. FDAhaslabeledethanolasaGenerallyRecognizedasSafe(GRAS)substance,whichmeansthatapanelofqualifiedexpertsdeterminedthatethanolissafetouseinfoodproducts.(6)Becauseethanolisaverypureformofalcohol,itsconsumptionanduseinfoodsisregulatedbytheU.S.FoodandDrugAdministration(FDA)andtheBureauofAlcohol,TobaccoandFirearms.  EthanolSafety Todiscouragethedrinkingofpureethanolfrompersonalcareorcleaningproducts,a“denaturant,”suchasabitterflavoring,isusuallyadded.Denaturantsmakealcoholunsuitableforhumanconsumption,butdoesnotchangetheotherpropertiesofthesubstance. Uses&BenefitsSafetyInformation BacktoTop AnsweringQuestions Whataresomefoodsthatcontainethanol? Brandiedfruitsandcandieswithalcoholicfillingsexamplesareexamplesoffoodswithethanol.(7)Otherfoodproductssuchasplumpuddingandfruitcakecancontainethanolifdistilledspiritsareusedfortheflavoringandpreserving. Whataresomeusesforethylalcohol? Ethylalcoholisusedtomakealcoholicbeverages,forexamplewine,beerandliquor.Ethylalcoholcanalsobeusedasasolvent. Howisethanolmade? IntheUnitedStates,ethanolisprimarilyproducedfromthefermentationofstarchincorngrain.Inthefuelindustry,biorefineriesusestate-of-the-arttechnologiestoconvertgrains,beverageandfoodwaste,cellulosicbiomassandotherfeedstocksintohigh-octaneethanol. Whyisalcoholaningredientinmouthwashandcoughsyrup? Alcoholisaddedtomouthwashtodissolveotheringredientsandhelpimportantactiveingredientssuchasmenthol,eucalyptolandthymolpenetrateplaque. ManycoughandcoldliquidsandotherOTC(over-the-counter)productscontainsomealcohol.Intheformulation,alcoholhelpstodissolveactiveingredientsorpreservetheproduct. Sources SDAlcohol39-C–CosmeticsInfo HandSanitizerUseOutandAbout– https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/hand-sanitizer-use.html AboutCleaningProductIngredients|TheAmericanCleaningInstitute(ACI) CFR–CodeofFederalRegulationsTitle21(fda.gov) AlternativeFuelsDataCenter:EthanolFuelBasics(energy.gov) CFR–CodeofFederalRegulationsTitle21(fda.gov) TTBGov–dbmenu8sub1 Uses&BenefitsSafetyInformation BacktoTop RelevantArticles COVID-19andHowtoHelpStopItsSpread Readmore:COVID-19andHowtoHelpStopItsSpread UsingDisinfectantProductsSafely Readmore:UsingDisinfectantProductsSafely PersonalProtectiveEquipmentandChemistry Readmore:PersonalProtectiveEquipmentandChemistry PersonalCareProductsCouncil AmericanCleaningInstitute U.S.DepartmentofEnergy TweetsbyAmChemistry MostViewed LatestContent ChlorineDioxide Readmore:UnderstandingRiskandHazardWhenitComestoChemicals Ethanol(EthylAlcohol) Readmore:UnderstandingRiskandHazardWhenitComestoChemicals Plastics Readmore:UnderstandingRiskandHazardWhenitComestoChemicals Polystyrene Readmore:UnderstandingRiskandHazardWhenitComestoChemicals SodiumHydroxide Readmore:UnderstandingRiskandHazardWhenitComestoChemicals TheScienceofCandy:SugarChemistry Readmore:UnderstandingRiskandHazardWhenitComestoChemicals Propylene Readmore:UnderstandingRiskandHazardWhenitComestoChemicals ThePeriodicTableofElementsExplained Readmore:UnderstandingRiskandHazardWhenitComestoChemicals HowChemistryHelpsYouEnjoyHolidayFestivities Readmore:UnderstandingRiskandHazardWhenitComestoChemicals ToysandChemicals:RegulationstoHelpKeepKidsSafe Readmore:UnderstandingRiskandHazardWhenitComestoChemicals