What Are the Precautions and Dangers of Re-Distilling Alcohol-Based Solutions?

[zeroed4x]

I'm attempting to distill or more accurately re-distill alcohol that is used as a base for organic flavorings similar to food flavoring agents.

My question is regarding any precautions, dangers and or ill side effects of distillation of alcohol based solutions ?

I do not want to accidentally create ethyl alcohol, methyl alcohol or undesired compounds in the base solution after it has been re-distilled.

Please provide me with some advice. Thanks

 

[Borek]

Judging from what you posted you have no idea what you trying to do. Most likely it is ethanol that is used as a solvent in the things you want to distill, but you don't want to accidentally create it? So what is your aim?

 

[zeroed4x]

The solvent is 80% clear spirits, drinkable just like Ever Clear. Its not ethanol and its not methanol. You can drink it.
This solvent is being used to infuse organic materials that are to be held in suspension, steeped just like tea.
The finished product needs to be filtered and then distilled.
I'm asking if there are any side effects, dangers or concerns when re-distilling distilled spirits.

 

[Borek]

The solvent is 80% clear spirits, drinkable just like Ever Clear. Its not ethanol

Don't touch things you have no idea about. Everclear is 70% or 95% ethanol. In general distilling the ethanol is not a very risky procedure, but judging from the level of knowledge you've presented so far I am afraid it can easily blow up your face.

 

[zeroed4x]

Don't touch things you have no idea about. Everclear is 70% or 95% ethanol. In general distilling the ethanol is not a very risky procedure, but judging from the level of knowledge you've presented so far I am afraid it can easily blow up your face.

Someone please answer this simple question.
If I re-distill off the shelf vodka or ever clear using a simple disllation process are there any issues, could anything drastic happen, could any negative change happen to the newly re-distilled spirts?

Am I going to create anything that will need to be separated or filtered out?

Thanks

 

[chemisttree]

There's a whole lot of things that can go wrong when you distill your plant juice extract! If your heating element ever contacts a part of the still that isn't completely covered by liquid, you will burn the nonvolatile stuff or pyrolize it into your distillate. This happens near the end of the distillation and can put nasties into your distillate including methanol. Boiling corn mash too low or overheating it can destructively distill wood spirits (methanol) into your collection vessel. It used to happen all the time in illegal stills and the resulting white lightning would indeed make you blind drunk!

 

[Redbelly98]

Thread locked, pending moderation.

An activity like distillation should only be done with somebody who knows how to do it physically present. An online forum is not the place to learn how to do this.

EDIT: this thread will remain locked.