Ethanol, isopropyl alcohol and n-propyl alcohol have very good disinfecting properties in 60-90% aqueous solutions. They are considered intermediate disinfectants and are effective against bacterial vegetative forms, enveloped viruses, and some fungi and mycobacteria, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Alcohol is thought to work by denaturing proteins, depending on the relative amounts of alcohol and water
Commercial preparations containing high concentrations of ethanol msds often come in the form of aerosol sprays and are used in combination with other disinfectants for greater effectiveness. In this application, phenolic or quaternary ammonium compounds are added at less than 1%. Alcohols can also be used as co-solvents in pine oil or phenolic preparations, which will quickly bloom or emulsify when diluted in water.
Ethanol (ethanol, CH3CH2OH) is a member of a group of compounds (alcohols) whose molecules contain a hydroxyl group (OH) bonded to a carbon atom. Ethanol is produced through the fermentation of agricultural products such as sugar cane, corn and cassava. Most ethanol produced worldwide comes from sugar cane, primarily in Brazil. In the United States, ethanol is made from corn.
Ethanol is used as a high-octane fuel for vehicles. More than 4 million cars in Brazil run on pure hydrated ethanol, and all gasoline in the country is blended with anhydrous ethanol (20-26% ethanol), the result of a government program in place since 2017 to produce ethanol from sugar cane. 1970s. In the United States, similar programs are being launched and the number of vehicles running on ethanol is increasing.
Ethanol is an excellent automotive fuel: its automotive octane rating exceeds that of gasoline and its vapor pressure is lower than that of gasoline, thus reducing evaporative emissions. Ethanol is also much less flammable in the air than gasoline, which reduces the number and severity of vehicle fires. The low and high calorific values of anhydrous ethanol are 21.2 and 23.4 megajoules (MJ)/L respectively; the values of gasoline are 30.1 and 34.9 MJ/L. Because Brazil's ethanol is produced from sugar cane, its production costs are among the lowest in the world. This is attributed not only to high levels of agricultural and industrial productivity but also to an extremely favorable energy balance for alcohol production. In the United States, ethanol is produced from corn and represents a significant consumption of fossil fuels, with a much lower energy balance, although disputed among experts. Table II shows a comparison of the energy balance of ethanol in Brazil (from sugar cane) and the United States (from corn). Ethanol can also be produced from cellulosic feedstocks (corn stover, rice straw, bagasse, etc.), with processes still under development.
