muckanic wrote:
We had a thread a while back on the use of salt to improve water-alcohol separation, and there were a surprising number of naysayers. My view was that it should work because salt is more soluble in water than alcohol. Re surfactants, what I was trying to say yesterday in a garbled fashion was that they might grab onto the organics and raise their boiling point.
Ahhhh, yes, I see.
So, I a small batch "experimental" run of some really smelly stuff. I can't make detailed comparisons until i do the "control" run of the other half of the really smelly stuff, but I can make some initial observations.
Set-up:
I tested pH with 2-12 paper. The initial pH of the low wines was about 7, initial ABV ~ 55%, initial volume ~1gallon, stainless pot, copper vapor-path, electric stove, 1500-2000 watts? My elevation is ~5000 feet, so water boils at ~202degF here. A small analog thermometer sat in the lid of the pot, extending into the fluid at the beginning of the run, just vapor probably about half-way through.
I added 2 Tablespoons "one-step" cleaner (manufactered by LOGIC, commonly sold in homebrew stores... I've been trying to track down the exact ingredients with no luck).
It had very low solubility in room-temp low wines. Maybe 50% solubility at 130degF.
At this point, pH was high, 10 or 11 maybe? I stirred then, and closed up the pot.
pH of distillate was 7.
pH of the slop/left-overs was very high, 12+. It had an almost perfumy smell. All the one-step was dissolved. No signs of damage to the kettle. There were a few crystals that had deposited that dissolved in hot water.
The thermometer followed the curve i'm used to seeing - i didn't see a noticeable water boiling point depression from this run, but i can't read more than +/-2degF.
muckanic wrote:
The practical issue is whether relatively small amounts of stabiliser are better or worse for distilling than relatively large amounts of surfactants, fragrances and possibly other stuff in retail oxy-bleach?
I'm leaning towards the use of oxo brite for my general brewing/cleaning needs due to clearly labeled ingredients - Sodium percarbonate and sodium carbonate. It's decently priced, too. I'm still unsure how it's performance compares to one-step. Product link here:
http://www.ecos.com/pages/oxo.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow