Sawdust brandy

Sawdust brandy (from the German Holzbranntwein) is a neutral spirit produced through the distillation of wood products.

To produce sawdust brandy, the wood is cooked with a diluted sulfuric acid, which causes the cellulose to be converted into dextrose and other simple sugars, while the lignin remains. The acidic, sugar-containing liquid is neutralised and allowed to ferment, producing the ethanol that will later be purified through distillation.

In the German Democratic Republic, the lye produced from the wood pulp was employed in the production of the Holzschnaps ("wood schnapps") or Sulfitspiritus ("Sulfite spirits"). Brandy for human consumption (spirits diluted to drinking strength) produced in this method is completely harmless and not any more dangerous than brandy produced from grain; it actually contains fewer fusel oils than traditional distilling methods involving spirits from grain or fruit. In spite of this, German law governing spirit production (overseen by the "Branntweinmonopolverwaltung") forbids the use of sawdust brandy in the production of alcoholic beverages. This ban stems from the purpose of the law as an agricultural subsidy, rather than out of public health concerns.

Prior to modern, synthetic production methods, wood was also once commonly destructively distilled or dry distilled for the production of methanol (wood alcohol).

References

Wood products

Lumber/ timber	Batten Beam Bressummer Cruck Flitch beam Flooring Joist Lath Molding Panelling Plank Plate Post Purlin Rafter Railroad ties Reclaimed Shingle Siding Sill Stud Timber truss Treenail Truss Utility pole

Engineered wood	Glued laminated timber veneer LVL parallel strand I-joist Fiberboard hardboard Masonite MDF Oriented strand board Particle board Plywood Structural insulated panel Wood-plastic composite lumber

Fuelwood	Charcoal biochar Firelog Firewood Pellet fuel Wood fuel

Fibers	Cardboard Corrugated fiberboard Paper Paperboard Pulp Pulpwood Rayon

Derivatives	Birch-tar Cellulose nano Hemicellulose Cellulosic ethanol Dyes Lignin Lye Methanol Pine tar Pitch Sandalwood oil Tannin Wood gas

By-products	Barkdust Black liquor Ramial chipped wood Sawdust Tall oil Wood flour Wood wool Woodchips

Historical	Axe ties Clapboard Dugout canoe Potash Sawdust brandy Split-rail fence Tanbark Timber framing Wooden masts

See also	Biomass Certified wood Destructive distillation Dry distillation Engineered bamboo Forestry List of woods Mulch Non-timber forest products Papermaking Wood drying Wood preservation Wood processing Woodworking

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