How moonshine is filtered. Physical and chemical methods of cleaning moonshine

Moonshine is homemade vodka. Today, many people are engaged in its production. Everyone has their own recipes and ways, but making good moonshine is not so easy. This requires a moonshine and several stages of distillation and purification, because the worst thing about this drink is fusel oils. Only after their removal does it become usable.

Purpose of cleaning

To verify the presence of fusel oils, you need to set fire to moonshine in a spoon. After complete combustion, an oily formation will remain in it, which is fusel oils. It is from them that it is necessary to get rid of, so as not to cause harm to health.

Cleaning methods

How to clean moonshine from fusel oils? There are several variations of this process. Everyone chooses more convenient and acceptable. It all depends on what the necessary resources and means for this you have.

activated carbon

Oddly enough, but black coal perfectly cleans this drink from fusel oils. To do this, you can use the usual one that is sold in a pharmacy. We take pills and crush into powder. We lay it in several layers of gauze and filter moonshine through it - activated carbon is a good absorbent. If there are no problems over time, then you can prepare charcoal before cleaning homemade moonshine. We take firewood (poplar, alder, birch, linden, aspen, beech and others) and light a fire. The tree must be completely burnt out. Then we collect the coals and let them cool. After that we grind and sift them. Pour coal into moonshine at the rate of 50 g per 1 liter of drink. We insist for a week, constantly shaking the contents of the container, then filtering - this is the most effective way.

old recipe

According to this recipe, egg white is thrown into the moonshine or a little milk is poured. These two products react with harmful substances, resulting in the formation of flakes that settle to the bottom. After that, the moonshine is filtered. This method is successfully used by many beverage manufacturers at home.

Simple and effective

How to clean moonshine from fusel oils quickly and efficiently? If there are no additional devices, then a simple method can be used. To do this, freeze the drink in a conventional freezer. Then we take it out and, not allowing it to defrost, drain the unfrozen liquid - this will be pure moonshine without impurities. Water with fusel oils will remain on the walls of the container. After freezing, the taste of moonshine becomes softer.

Potassium permanganate and moonshine

This method is also very popular. To do this, add 2-3 g of potassium permanganate to a jar of 3 liters and wait for the precipitation. Then pour the moonshine without sediment into another container.

Conclusion

Before cleaning moonshine from fusel oils, choose the most convenient way. You can also use water filters, which are sold in many stores.

In modern times, many are engaged in moonshining at home, and it's not just about saving. In order for the drink to turn out to be of high quality, you need to follow the right technology. An important step in moonshine brewing is the purification of moonshine. The process will make the drink more noble and tasty. How to clean moonshine from odors and impurities, we will describe further.

The main ways to clean moonshine from smell

The main methods of cleaning moonshine

Purification of moonshine occurs after the second stage. There are many folk recipes on how to get rid of the smell of fusel oils and harmful impurities:

Cleaning with charcoal. It is recommended to use activated charcoal sold in pharmacies or birch charcoal.
Cleaning with potassium permanganate. Manganese powder will help get rid of the nasty smell and eliminate the effect of harmful substances in raw alcohol.
Powdered milk. The strength of the drink before cleaning should be no more than 40 degrees.
Egg white. More than one generation knows and uses this recipe. The protein helps bind the fusel oils and leaves a residue in which toxic substances remain.
Salt, soda. Raw alcohol purified by this method will become an exquisite drink without foreign smell.
Cleaning with rye bread. It is necessary to break the bread into pieces (100 grams of bread is taken per 1 liter of drink), put in a container with alcohol, mix. After a few days, the drink is filtered. On a note! Only fresh bread is used!
Freezing. At low temperatures, only ethyl alcohol does not freeze.
Fruit cleaning. If you apply this method before the second distillation, the drink will acquire light fruity notes.

Having decided that the drink needs purification, you should learn how to clean moonshine from impurities.

How to clean moonshine from the smell

First you need to make sure that the drink should be purified. To do this, the liquid is poured into a spoon and set on fire. If, after the alcohol has burned out, an oily liquid remains at the bottom of the spoon, the drink must be cleaned without fail. How moonshine is cleaned:

It will take 50 grams of activated carbon per liter of raw alcohol. Coal must be ground into powder. Line the bottom of the funnel with filtered paper, with a layer of charcoal powder on top. The third layer should be paper again. Pass the drink through a carbon filter and dilute with clean water to a strength of 28 degrees.
The second method of charcoal cleaning is the use of charcoal. The crushed powder is poured into a bottle with alcohol. The drink should be infused for 5-10 days.
You can get rid of the nasty smell with the help of milk powder. For 10 liters of alcohol, you need to take 10 liters of water and 6 grams of milk powder. Milk is diluted in 10 liters of warm water, mixed, settled for several hours. After that, raw alcohol is mixed with diluted milk. After a week, the pure product is filtered off from the precipitate.

Dilution of moonshine before re-distillation

Repeated distillation is necessary in order to get rid of the characteristic smell of mash and purify alcohol from fusel oils. After re-distillation, the drink will be of very high quality. Previously, there was no information about the dangers of "pervach", and people used it with pleasure. Now everyone knows about the need for re-distillation.

After the first distillation, raw alcohol with a strength of about 70 degrees comes out of the mash. Purification of moonshine is done at a strength of 20-30 degrees, so alcohol is diluted with clean water. To eliminate toxic impurities and smell is possible only with a reduced strength. It is recommended to dilute raw alcohol with distilled water or water from a well. You can use tap water that has settled for several days or melted water.

Before re-distillation, it is allowed to dilute moonshine

Purification of impurities before the second distillation

The manganese powder will not only eliminate the characteristic smell, but also get rid of toxic components before the second distillation. In 6 liters of raw alcohol, a teaspoon of potassium permanganate powder is diluted, mixed. After two hours, carefully drain the moonshine from the sediment.
Cleaning moonshine with the help of freezing will help get rid of unnecessary impurities. Moonshine is poured into a saucepan and put in the freezer for 5 hours. If it's cold outside, the pan can be taken out there. The unfrozen liquid is drained very carefully, cleaning is completed.

Effective methods for cleaning homemade moonshine with or without subsequent distillation

Cleaning method using milk or eggs:

In a liter of raw alcohol, add three egg whites whipped into foam or 100 grams of raw milk.
Close the bottle with a cork, shake the contents.
When milk-curd flakes form at the bottom, the liquid can be passed through the filter.

Cleaning method with salt and soda:

Pour one tablespoon of baking soda and salt into a liter of a 40-degree drink.
Stir the contents, leave for half an hour.
Stir again, put the bottle in a dark place.
As soon as layers appear in the container, carefully pour the top layer into a clean bottle.

Before cleaning moonshine from oils, it must be filtered and allowed to settle. Then you need to choose the appropriate way to process the drink. The choice depends on what improvised means the manufacturer of home drinks has. We recommend that you carefully read this material and study all the proposed tools and methods. With such an arsenal, there will be no difficulty how to clean home-made moonshine from fusel oils, and as a result of procedures, excellent quality drinks will be obtained at the exit. There are time-tested simple remedies: charcoal, potassium permanganate, activated charcoal, milk, gelatin, egg white and much more. You can also use special preparations and household devices in the form of filters.

How to quickly clean moonshine from fusel oils

Harmful impurities contained in moonshine, except for ethyl alcohol and water, must be removed. There are various purification methods that are used for a certain type of impurities. The most commonly used charcoal and potassium permanganate. How to quickly clean moonshine from fusel oils is described below: several interesting ways are proposed.

Moonshine from good raw materials achieves "crystal" purity if the cleaning is carried out correctly.

We offer several old recipes for cleaning moonshine.

How to clean moonshine from essential oils

Depending on the size of the container, put from 3 to 6 handfuls of sifted birch wood ash and a few handfuls of salt (this is the first distillation). The second distillation will be carried out without ash and salt.

Chemical purification, special distillation, filtration and infusion- this is the process of cleaning moonshine. Before you clean moonshine from essential oils, you need to know that it is better to take the drink that was obtained after the first distillation. It should be at room temperature, since at elevated temperatures many harmful substances are not captured. It is also better not to use high-grade alcohol, because it is very reluctant to part with its impurities.

The required amount of potassium permanganate is pre-diluted in a small amount of water. Water must be boiled. About 1-2 g of potassium permanganate is taken per liter of moonshine. This solution is used to process moonshine.

A solution of potassium permanganate is poured into the moonshine and mixed thoroughly. Then leave for 10-12 hours for clarification and precipitation. Next, moonshine is filtered through a cloth and a special distillation is carried out.

You can use activated charcoal purchased at a pharmacy. Although you can use fine river sand, sifted and calcined on fire.

First, a handicraft, but correctly working filter is made. Take a glass funnel of the right size. A thin layer of cotton wool is placed in it, covered with a piece of gauze. A layer of activated carbon is poured over the gauze. So that the coal does not float, the third layer in the filter is gauze again. The amount of coal is determined by the size of the funnel and the volume of filtered moonshine. It is believed that for 1 liter of moonshine you need 50 g of coal.

There is another way to filter: just throw activated charcoal into a container of moonshine and leave for 2 weeks. The ratio is the same - 50 g per liter. You just need to remember to shake the container several times a day or shake it.

The settled moonshine is filtered through cotton wool or cloth. In principle, the product is already ready for use, but to improve the taste, you can insist it on raisins and St. John's wort (50 g of raisins and a pinch of St. John's wort should be taken per liter) for 3-4 days. Such additional processing will almost completely eliminate the odor.

How to properly clean moonshine from fusel oils (with video)

Components:

12 liters of moonshine
800 g raisins
400 g pure birch charcoal

There is a simple way to properly clean moonshine from fusel oils, for this we pour clean birch coals into a container. We insist until the coals settle and the moonshine becomes clean. As soon as this happened, you need to carefully get rid of the coals, that is, pour the moonshine. We dilute with water in a ratio of 2: 1, where two parts are moonshine, and one is water. We add raisins here and insist for two days, after which we distill again.

Cleaning with tannins consists in keeping moonshine in oak barrels. Tannin and oak shavings are an excellent means of cleansing moonshine (contained in the core of oak wood). Tannin and other tannins remove unwanted inclusions from the liquid. In addition to cleaning from harmful impurities, this method leads to the taste of moonshine, reminiscent of cognac. If the goal is only to purify moonshine and a strong change in taste is undesirable, tannin powder or oak chips (50-100 g / l) are added to the distillate, the mixture is kept for 10 days.

Fusel oils can be cleaned by freezing. The essence of the method lies in the fact that when the temperature drops, unwanted fusel oils freeze out. Moonshine is poured into bottles. Then the bottles are securely corked and placed in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator for several days. Water, along with unwanted impurities, turns into ice. It remains to pour a quality product and filter again. This method takes time, but is guaranteed to remove the odor-causing fusel oils.

Regardless of the cleaning methods used (although each of them deserves attention), at home it is not always possible to obtain a product that corresponds in terms of the content of harmful impurities to the factory product (this does not apply to taste). This is primarily due to the fact that the protein substances contained in the mash are split into many “fragments” as a result of distillation, the composition of which cannot be accurately predicted. Among these products of protein breakdown, there may also be toxic substances, such as methyl alcohol, which can only be traced in the factory using modern instruments.

In order to completely exclude the ingress of heavy substances from the mash into the distillate, it is necessary to strictly observe the technology of rectification and purification - both preliminary and final. Such factory technologies cannot be replaced, for example, by repeated freezing and chemical cleaning at home.

To minimize the risk of poisoning with home distillation products, it is highly recommended to completely eliminate the first distillation phase (2-8% of the total distillation volume) due to the increased content of aldehydes and methanol. Deep purification of moonshine is carried out by re-distillation or rectification.

Watch how to clean moonshine from fusel oils in the video, which shows the technology of this procedure at home:

In the manufacture of home-made alcohol, it is impossible to avoid obtaining secondary products of processing raw materials into alcohol - the so-called. fusel oils. These include propyl, isopropyl amyl and isoamyl alcohols, acetaldehyde, furfural. These chemicals adversely affect the body, causing headaches, hangovers, and poisoning after drinking home-made alcohol that has not been thoroughly purified. It is possible to remove fusel oils from moonshine using folk methods that involve the use of improvised means or specialized equipment.

What are fusel oils

This name is given to a whole group of substances obtained during the fermentation of starchy or fruit raw materials. In its pure form, they have an oily texture, a bitter, pungent odor. Alcoholic drinks that have not been properly purified contain these toxic high molecular weight compounds that have a negative effect on the body. The largest amount of toxins contains moonshine after primary distillation. Their presence can be easily recognized by the pungent smell of acetone.

When using poorly purified fuselage, toxins enter the blood very quickly, heavily burdening the liver, which tries to filter them out and remove them. Even a small amount of harmful impurities that have made their way through the natural purification processes in the human body causes a severe hangover. Having drunk a low-quality product with a high content of toxins, a person provides himself with a sharp headache, problems with the intestines. The constant use of low-grade fusel oil leads to cirrhosis of the liver, kidney problems.

Purification of moonshine from fusel oils is a mandatory process for the production of alcohol, without which it will be unusable. In industrial production, large distillation columns are used for purification, equipped with dephlegmators, which separate harmful impurities from alcohol vapors. The process of distillation of alcohol at home is carried out using a hand-assembled or purchased moonshine still. It does a good job of neutralizing toxins, but the process can be improved by using improvised means in the following steps:

Fermentation. To reduce the content of toxins in the finished mash, increase the process temperature to 30 degrees.
First race. Vegetable oil cleansing is used, which successfully captures all toxins, which can then be removed with charcoal.
Second race. After the final clipping, the so-called. heads and tails are often thermally cleaned. Raw materials are brought to a temperature of 70-73 degrees, at which fusel oils begin to evaporate. The disadvantage of this method is a small loss of strength.
Final stage. The final clarification of the finished product is also called clarification and is used in the production of wine. Often, white clay, milk, egg whites are used to carry out this process.

Freeze

The simplest ancient method of neutralizing toxins is based on the use of temperature differences at which a change in the state of aggregation of substances contained in raw materials occurs. Well suited for preliminary and final cleaning of the product. The essence of the method lies in the fact that with strong cooling of moonshine, alcohol will remain in a liquid state, and water will freeze on the walls of the container, capturing some of the toxic substances. Here's how to clean moonshine from the smell of fusel oils:

Pour the product into a glass container, cover with a layer of gauze on top.
Cool to low temperature. Keep the jar in the cold for 3-4 hours. Let the water completely freeze and form a layer of ice on the walls of the container.
If desired, repeat the process 1-2 times, after slightly diluting the product with distilled water.

Activated carbon

Purification of moonshine and improvement of its taste is effectively carried out using a natural absorbent - activated carbon. This substance perfectly absorbs toxins, easily captures aldehydes and essential oils. This method of detoxification can be carried out at all stages of distillation and preparation of moonshine without loss of efficiency. Remember that after absorbing harmful impurities, coal after a short time (3-4 hours) begins to actively give them back, again saturating the primer with fusel oils. Cleaning steps:

Take activated charcoal tablets (3-4 g / liter) or plain charcoal for barbecue. Grind them into a fine powder.
Pour into a container with moonshine, mix thoroughly.
Let it brew for 2-3 hours.
Filter the charcoal residue through cotton wool or folded gauze.
Alternatively, carbon water filters can be used. Just pass moonshine through them 2-3 times.

Potassium permanganate

A very popular method for cleaning moonshine is the use of potassium permanganate in the form of crystals or a medical solution. Remember safety precautions: crystalline potassium permanganate is a very caustic substance that can cause severe chemical burns on the skin. The essence of the method is that potassium permanganate, being a strong oxidizing agent, reacts with aldehydes and essential oils.

Potassium permanganate dissolves in moonshine and causes a solid precipitate to form from the reacted fusel oil, which is simply removed by filtration through gauze. Remember that this method is only suitable for moonshine that has not passed the final cleaning. During the last distillation, potassium permanganate will go into the sump. The detox process is as follows:

Add crystals or a solution of potassium permanganate to moonshine before the final distillation at the rate of 2-3 grams of active ingredient per liter.
Let the alcohol brew, stirring it every hour.
Remove solid residue with cotton wool or gauze.

Egg white

Organic substances readily react chemically with each other. Similarly, egg white reacts well with many of the toxins found in unrefined moonshine. It copes especially well with the elimination of aldehydes, which have a detrimental effect on the human liver. This method is used strictly before the final distillation of the drink. You need to carry out the process as follows:

Break raw chicken eggs (1pc / 5 liters), separate the whites from the yolks.
Whip the egg whites thoroughly.
Add to alcoholic raw materials, stir thoroughly several times until medium-sized white flakes fall out.
Repeat the process 1-2 times for best results.
Filter the precipitate through cotton wool or gauze.

Dairy

Like egg whites, dairy products contain substances that can react with fusel oils to form a solid precipitate. For this method, plain and powdered milk, kefir, fermented baked milk are suitable. This purification method should be used prior to the final distillate distillation to avoid unwanted off-flavours. Here is how detox is done using powdered milk as an example:

Dilute milk powder with water (7 g/litre) and stir until no lumps remain.
Pour the liquid into the container with moonshine, mix.
The process of such cleaning is the longest: leave the container to settle for a week.
Filter the resulting precipitate through cheesecloth.

Soda

Plain baking soda also reacts well with fusel oils, precipitating out. This purification technology is used before the second distillation of the drink. To detoxify with baking soda, stir in moonshine at a concentration of 10 g/litre. Leave the resulting solution to settle for 8-10 hours. Filter the precipitate through a layer of gauze, cotton pads or a carbon water filter.

Hibiscus

You can clean the mash before the primary distillation step with hibiscus tea or orris root. The method works due to the presence in the composition of these plant components of acids that bind fusel oils, causing them to precipitate to the bottom of the container. Here's how the lighting is done:

Dry hibiscus petals (hibiscus tea) or violet root (2 tbsp. L / liter) pour water.
Bring the liquid to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly.
Remove the flowers, pour the broth into the mash.
Leave the mixture to settle for a day. Then you can proceed to distillation.

Bentonite

Clarification of the drink with white clay has long been a well-known folk method. Before you clean moonshine from fusel oils with it, figure out where to get bentonite from. A great option is to buy a special powder designed to clarify alcohol. An alternative to it can be cat litter containing bentonite, or construction clay. Do not use natural clay unnecessarily: it is not known what own impurities it contains. Cleaning is done as follows:

Grind the mineral to a powder state.
Add 1 teaspoon of clay to 5 liters of mash, stir.
Wait for the bentonite to swell and precipitate.
Filter the drink through cheesecloth.

Refined oil

Braga is easily cleaned with a simple purchased vegetable oil. This is because alcohol and water do not mix with it, unlike fusel oil. To clarify a drink according to this recipe, add an arbitrary amount of refined oil to it and tightly cork with a lid. Next, shake the container strongly 8-10 times at intervals of 5-10 minutes so that the oil drops capture the sivuha.

Tannins

This purification is used in the production of cognac. When infused in oak barrels, a special natural tannin, tannin, which contains wood, captures and binds toxin molecules, thereby neutralizing the drink. You can clarify alcohol in this way at home as follows:

Dial oak bark, plan small chips from it (5-8 g / liter).
Boil it over high heat for 5-10 minutes to disinfect.
Add shavings to the mash and leave to settle for 1-2 weeks, tightly corking the container with a lid. To make the drink become beige and woody, leave it to infuse for another 2-3 months.
Open the container, remove the bark.

How to clean mash

Before starting the distillation process, it is better to pre-clean the prepared mash from fusel oils in order to facilitate your work during distillation in advance. All methods of clarification of the fermented mixture also provide for the forced termination of the vital activity of the yeast. Before cleaning, be sure to degas the mash by stirring it thoroughly. This will remove excess carbon dioxide, finally stopping fermentation. For clarification before distillation, the following substances and components are used:

bentonite;
hibiscus flowers, hibiscus flowers;
filka root;
gelatin;
dairy products;
egg whites.

Moonshine still with cleaning from fusel oils

For the manufacture of moonshine at home, typical moonshine stills are used, equipped with all the necessary components for distillation, distillation and purification of the drink. The device has the following device:

Distillation cube. Here the mash is heated, divided into fractions. Volatile evaporated components pass on, impurities remain.
Sukhoparnik. The element, also called a sump, is designed for intermediate purification of alcohol vapor from fusel. It captures some of the heavy compounds that are drained into a special container.
Fridge. Here, alcohol vapors are condensed due to low temperature and enter the distillate tank.

Distillation

During the cyclic distillation of alcohol, liquids are formed that have received the following names: head, body, tail. They differ greatly in composition, which is explained by the difference in the degree of their purification. The most harmful and toxic part is the so-called. moonshine head. With its high concentration, the drink is very intoxicating, adversely affects the body, and provides a severe hangover. Find out how these three factions differ.

Head. The most toxic part, also called "pervak". The product obtained after the first distillation. Contains the largest amount of fusel oils.
Body. Raw spirit, the main part of the drink containing ethyl alcohol.
Tail. Waste collected by the dry steamer. Contains aldehydes, essential oils.

Filtration

To obtain a quality drink, it should be cleaned of impurities remaining after distillation, intermediate detoxification. The last cleaning of moonshine is called clarification. Bentonite, egg white and activated carbon are better suited for its implementation: they have the least effect on the organoleptic qualities of the final product.

Infusion

This process is used to obtain aromatic tinctures with a pronounced taste and smell. What taste qualities the final product will receive depends on what it was insisted on. To carry out this process, fruits, juicy berries, vegetables, aromatic and simple medicinal herbs are often used. The duration of the infusion may vary for different products used. Thus, the German Jägermeister tincture is aged up to 12 months, and cherry liqueur can be prepared in a few weeks.

How to identify fusel oils in moonshine

The presence of these toxins in the drink is very easily determined by its organoleptic characteristics. Pure moonshine, containing a large amount of toxins, has a slightly viscous consistency, a whitish tint. Sivukha is easy to distinguish from a quality drink by the sharp unpleasant smell of acetone and aldehydes (the latter are similar in smell to medical formaldehyde). Remember that the use of the so-called. Pervaka has a negative effect on the kidneys, liver, and can cause serious poisoning.

Video

One of the main causes of abstinence (hangover) is the poisoning of the body with fusel oils contained in the alcohol taken.

Apparently, it’s worth starting with the fact that products with an alcohol content above 40 percent “release” fusel oils very reluctantly. And therefore, before cleaning, it must be diluted with pure spring or distilled water to 32-35 percent. Second: only moonshine that has cooled down and settled (preferably at least a day) is subject to cleaning, and not just kicked out.

How to clean moonshine with potassium permanganate

Potassium permanganate crystals are added to the moonshine (about 0.5 teaspoon per three-liter jar) and mixed thoroughly. After settling, upon reaching the absolute transparency of the liquid, moonshine is poured into a clean container with a hose, in much the same way as gasoline from a fuel tank into a canister, in no case affecting the bottom layer with sediment.

Purification of moonshine with activated carbon

The second mandatory step is filtering. Required:

activated carbon (1 pack per 3 liters)
funnel
filter paper (or paper towels).

Filter paper is placed at the bottom of the funnel, onto which activated charcoal powder is poured. Coal is covered with a second layer of paper. To avoid the effect of "floating", the top napkin is slightly loaded along the edges.

After filtering, moonshine should be diluted with water to 26-28 percent alcohol content and subjected to. After it, the cleaning process must be repeated. In principle, you can immediately use the resulting product without much damage to health. But if you subject it to tertiary distillation and tertiary purification, the output will be a drink with a minimum content of fusel oils.

How to clean moonshine even better: using charcoal

Birch charcoal is crushed to a state of fine crumbs, poured into moonshine (one handful of coal per three-liter jar of moonshine), after which the jar is tightly closed. During the week, the liquid is vigorously shaken daily, and then left for another 10-12 days in a “resting state”.

How to clean moonshine with milk

On an industrial scale, not milk is used, but milk protein - casein. It is a powder that adsorbs fusel oils and other unwanted impurities. The result is a highly purified product.

Great-grandfathers used fresh milk and egg white. Part of the fusel impurities coagulates and settles to the bottom. But the cleaning quality leaves much to be desired.

Another old-fashioned method: freezing

It was noticed: when freezing vodka, water, freezing to the walls of the barrel, takes fusel impurities with it. It remained to carefully separate the unfrozen vodka.