Ethanol Drying Agent

Ethanol has numerous uses in industry as well as in everyday life. An essential substance that we simply could not do without, ethanol has found particularly valuable use as a drying agent.

Ethanol Definition

Ethanol is known by various names including:
The primary ingredient in ethanol drying agent is volatile, flammable, and colorless. It is also a psychoactive substance, and in fact, ethanol is one of the first recreational drugs in history. Although the uses of ethanol drying agent are numerous, ethanol is still best known as the alcohol that is used in alcoholic beverages. Other uses of ethanol include:
For use in most applications, ethanol is known simply as “alcohol” or “spirits”.

Risks associated with ethanol use

It is important to note that ethanol drying agent can cause the disintegration or dissolving of parts that it comes in contact with. This is a particularly common occurrence with equipment parts that are not resistant to alcohol, with which the use of an ethanol drying agent can cause a significant degree of drying and cracking. At particular risk are rubber and plastic components in automobile or heavy equipment engines. In the engines of older equipment, the engine hoses may be particularly at risk of damage from exposure to an ethanol drying agent.

As a drying agent, ethanol has a remarkable quality to absorb water. When the ethanol molecules combine with water, the resulting solution covers more volume than the summer of its component molecules.

Like all other types of alcohol, ethanol drying agent has the ability to combine with and attract water. This is in contrast with oil based compounds such as petroleum, all of which are not water soluble.

Other uses of ethanol

Aside from ethanol drying agent, ethanol can also be used in solvent solutions. For this particular app, ethanol can actually dissolve a host of substances and materials including plastic, rubber, some types of fiberglass, and even metals such as aluminum. In fact, ethanol drying agent can basically dissolve and disintegrate virtually any substance that it comes in contact with in a typical motor engine. Although this particular quality makes ethanol drying agent unsuitable for use with many materials, it does make ethanol drying agent a suitable choice for use in automobile and heavy equipment engines.

When used in an engine, ethanol drying agent can actually dissolve the resins that buildup throughout the engine causing stalling and various other issues. Because of this dissolving quality, ethanol drying agent is often used for unclogging fuel filters, carburetors and engine injectors.

A side benefit to using an ethanol drying agent is that ethanol actually works as a very effective cleanser. However, care must be taken when using it in older engines, as it can cause considerable damage to parts that are not resistant to alcohol. It is also important to keep in mind that while an ethanol drying agent can help clear out accumulations in engines, the ethanol contained in it can ignite at high temperatures.

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