Liquid from a brewery fermenter can be considered to contain 10% ethanol and 90% water. 40000 Kg /h of this fermentation product are pumped to a distillation column on the factory site. Under current operating conditions a distillate of 45% ethanol and 55% water is produced from the top of the column at a rate one -tenth that of the feed.
(a) What is the composition of the waste 'bottoms' from the still.
(b) What is the rate of alcohol loss in the bottoms ?