What is the best type of plastic to store alcohol?
What kinds of food-grade plastic is best for storing alcohol for cooking use? Does the type of plastic differ based on the percentage of alcohol?
My question actually comes from wanting to brew alcohol in an area that has no access to glass for storage purposes (rural Tanzania), but does have access to food grade plastics.
Best Answer
In the United States and Canada much of the plastic bottles used to package alcohol are made with PET (polyethylene terephthalate). I also know it is used in Europe. This site may be useful - https://www.creativemechanisms.com/blog/everything-about-polyethylene-terephthalate-pet-polyester
I believe some bottles are'laminated' with several different plastics and PET being the 'contact' layer.
I have been told that plastic beverage bottles have a relatively short shelf life, but never had reason to research this.
Anyroad, this information might provide a starting point for your project
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Quick Answer about "What is the best type of plastic to store alcohol?"
LDPE is not as hard, stiff, or strong as HDPE, but has good resistance to chemicals (alcohol OK), is a good vapor barrier, and is resistant to stress cracks. The material is more translucent than HDPE. Honey and mustard bottles are made of this material. HDPE is the most widely used material for plastic bottles.Can alcohol be stored in plastic?
Is It Ok To Store Alcohol In Plastic? It is possible to store alcohol in an environmentally friendly way using a specific plastic. There is a material called PET (polyethylene terephthalate, semicrystalline) that is compatible with ethyl alcohol from 1-100%. With this type of plastic, ethanol will not dissolve it.Does alcohol react with plastic?
Plastic has certain chemical substances (ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid) which has the tendency to leach to considerable extent if alcohol is stored for a longer period of time. Though it is deemed safe to store at room temperature, increase in the temperature may lead to leaching of chemicals into the drink.Is polypropylene safe for alcohol?
Polypropylene is almost as resistant as polyethylene (HDPE), but still chemically compatible with 200 proof ethanol.Does alcohol dissolve plastic?
Does Alcohol Seep Through Plastic? PET, or PETE \u2013 PET is not very soluble in ethanol or isopropanol, but prolonged exposure can lead to crazing and stiffening because plasticizers dissolve. Polyethylene High-Density (HDPE) is a durable plastic with a wide range of applications.Plastics that are safe to reuse in your home
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