Removing excess zinc from distillate (with electrolysis?)

[montanadave]

I have run a multi-generation UJSSM through my Boka over a propane burner with really good results. On the 5th generation, right when the flavor should have been perfect, something went very wrong. In an attempt to hear when the boil of the mash was coming on during distillation, and to serve as a boiling chip, I added a shiny new 2010 penny to the boiler.

The resulting distillate tasted good but almost instantly made me feel nauseated on the first shot.

The next day when the boiler had cooled, I emptied it and out came the penny which was half eaten away and was dull grey in color. All of the contour of the penny (Lincoln's face) was gone. It hadn't occurred to me that the acid in the wash at high heat for several hours could dissolve the copper right off the penny, and much of the zinc in the penny too. Had I known I'd have used a pre-1982 penny which was pure copper, or some pure copper scraps from making the still.

My supposition is that the zinc in the penny dissolved into the wash and got into the distillate. The zinc level is high enough that it is making anyone who drinks this stuff sick. I'm willing to throw it all away (along with the next generation of mash, which already has the zinc-y back-set mixed in).

I thought it was worth asking the chemical experts on the forum if my thinking is sound. I even toyed with the idea of hooking up some electrodes to a car battery and see if I could extract the zinc using electrolysis, but I'm not quite sure of the logistics: Ie, the type of metal needed in the electrodes and the distance I'd need to keep them apart to allow for a successful reaction [and that is a lot of work for a gallon of whiskey (or is it?)] Id love to get it tested and see how high the zinc levels are, but don't know where to get such a chemical analysis.

Either way, I suppose anyone using pennies for boiling chips would be well served to take this as a warning and use solid copper pennies (pre 1982).

[olddog]

Just dump it, it's not worth the risk. Unfortunate but a lesson learned.



OD

[Braz]

Seems like a lot of trouble to go to in order to get your daily requirement.

[junkyard dawg]

Metal should not be carried over to the distillate...

It should be pretty thick in the backset tho...

Wonder why it made you feel nauseated?

[stillcyco]

How much of the penny still remains?

A post 1982 penny contains 97.5% zinc, and weighs 2.5 grams, so thats 2437mg. Doses over 100mg can be toxic in humans.

Zinc boils at 1665 F. I doubt your still can reach that.

I have no idea what reactions may occur to cause unpleasant compounds in the distillate, but its not zinc itself. Zinc is moderately reactive, so it could have caused some unpleasant things to be created which came out as distillate. I dunno. Zinc itself wouldn't be immediately toxic either, it wouldn't cause you to feel sick right after drinking it.

I'd chuck all of it, as its obviously bad booze. Who knows what the causes are. If it happens again without the penny, then further investigation would be in order.

[Chiller]

I'm pretty sure electroylsis wouldn't work I don't know the charges of the molecules in the wash, but I'm quite certain that you'd end up not only failing to remove the zinc, but also with broken up bits of ethanol (you know what I mean, right?). Oh, and I couldn't help pointing out: logistics is the exchange and transport of goods (delivering stuff)

[Dnderhead]

As a experiment I tried using curent,it turned alcohol in to something that tasted like malice acid. But not sure just what I made....