Editing Distillation (section)

=== Modern era ===
In 1500, German alchemist [[Hieronymus Brunschwig]] published ''{{Lang|la|[[Liber de arte distillandi de simplicibus]]}}'' (''The Book of the Art of Distillation out of Simple Ingredients''),<ref>{{cite book |first=Hieronymus |last=Braunschweig |author-link=Hieronymus Braunschweig |date=1500 |title=Liber de arte distillandi de simplicibus |trans-title=The Book of the Art of Distillation out of Simple Ingredients|language=de |url=https://bildsuche.digitale-sammlungen.de/index.html?c=viewer&bandnummer=bsb00031146&pimage=7&v=2p&nav=&l=de}}</ref> the first book solely dedicated to the subject of distillation, followed in 1512 by a much expanded version. Right after that, in 1518, the oldest surviving distillery in Europe, [[The Green Tree Distillery]], was founded.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-12-28 |title=These Are 5 Oldest Companies In Europe. Ever Heard Of Any Of Them? |url=https://www.boredpanda.com/these-are-5-oldest-companies-in-europe-even-heard-of-any-of-them/ |access-date=2024-07-28 |website=Bored Panda |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 1651, [[John French (doctor)|John French]] published ''The Art of Distillation'',<ref>{{cite book |first=John |last=French |author-link=John French (doctor) |date=1651 |title=The Art of Distillation |publisher=Richard Cotes |location=London |url=http://www.levity.com/alchemy/jfren_ar.html}}</ref> the first major English compendium on the practice, but it has been claimed<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1021/ie50318a015|year=1936|title=Distillation|journal=Industrial & Engineering Chemistry|volume=28|issue=6|pages=677}}</ref> that much of it derives from Brunschwig's work. This includes diagrams with people in them showing the industrial rather than bench scale of the operation.
[[File:Hieronymus Brunschwig Liber de arte Distillandi CHF AQ13x3.jpg|thumb|Hieronymus Brunschwig's ''Liber de arte Distillandi de Compositis'' (Strassburg, 1512) [https://www.sciencehistory.org/distillations/podcast/the-alchemical-quest Science History Institute]]]
[[File:My retort.jpg|thumb|A [[retort]]]]
[[File:Distillation by Retort.png|thumb|Distillation]]
[[File:UkrainianVodkaStill.jpg|thumb|Old Ukrainian vodka still]]
[[File:Dorf Lore - Schnaps-Destillation.jpg|thumb|Simple liqueur distillation in [[East Timor]]]]

As [[alchemy]] evolved into the science of [[chemistry]], vessels called [[retort]]s became used for distillations. Both [[alembic]]s and retorts are forms of [[Laboratory glassware|glassware]] with long necks pointing to the side at a downward angle to act as air-cooled [[Condenser (heat transfer)|condensers]] to [[Condensation|condense]] the distillate and let it drip downward for collection. Later, copper alembics were invented. Riveted joints were often kept tight by using various mixtures, for instance a dough made of rye flour.<ref>{{Cite web |date= |title=Sealing Technique |url=http://www.copper-alembic.com/manufacturing/specs_sealing.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104173651/http://www.copper-alembic.com/manufacturing/specs_sealing.php |archive-date=2012-11-04 |access-date= |website=copper-alembic}}</ref> These alembics often featured a cooling system around the beak, using cold water, for instance, which made the condensation of alcohol more efficient. These were called [[pot still]]s. Today, the retorts and pot stills have been largely supplanted by more efficient distillation methods in most industrial processes. However, the pot still is still widely used for the elaboration of some fine alcohols, such as [[cognac (drink)|cognac]], [[Scotch whisky]], [[Irish whiskey]], [[tequila]], [[rum]], [[cachaça]], and some [[vodka]]s. Pot stills made of various materials (wood, clay, stainless steel) are also used by [[Rum-runner|bootleggers]] in various countries. Small pot stills are also sold for use in the domestic production<ref>[http://www.essentialoil.com/alembic5.html Traditional Alembic Pot Still] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061121163501/https://www.essentialoil.com/alembic5.html |date=21 November 2006 }}, accessed 16 November 2006.</ref> of flower water or [[essential oils]].

Early forms of distillation involved batch processes using one vaporization and one condensation. Purity was improved by further distillation of the condensate. Greater volumes were processed by simply repeating the distillation. Chemists reportedly carried out as many as 500 to 600 distillations in order to obtain a pure compound.<ref name=Othmer>Othmer, D. F. (1982) "Distillation – Some Steps in its Development", in W. F. Furter (ed) ''A Century of Chemical Engineering''. {{ISBN|0-306-40895-3}}</ref>

In the early 19th century, the basics of modern techniques, including pre-heating and [[reflux]], were developed.<ref name=Othmer/> In 1822, Anthony Perrier developed one of the first continuous stills, and then, in 1826, Robert Stein improved that design to make his [[column still|patent still]]. In 1830, [[Aeneas Coffey]] got a patent for improving the design even further.<ref>{{cite patent |inventor-first=A. |inventor-last=Coffey |inventor-link=Aeneas Coffey |title=Apparatus for Brewing and Distilling |country-code=GB |patent-number=5974 |publication-date=5 August 1830 |issue-date=5 February 1831}}; [http://www.kennetpans.info/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=231&Itemid=405 image] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170204221819/http://kennetpans.info/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=231&Itemid=405 |date=4 February 2017 }}</ref> Coffey's continuous still may be regarded as the [[archetype]] of modern petrochemical units. The French engineer Armand Savalle developed his steam regulator around 1846.<ref name="Forbes" />{{rp|p=323}} In 1877, [[Ernest Solvay]] was granted a U.S. Patent for a tray column for [[ammonia]] distillation,<ref>{{cite patent |inventor-first=Ernest |inventor-last=Solvay |inventor-link=Ernest Solvay |country-code=US |patent-number=198699 |title=Improvement in the Ammonia-Soda Manufacture |publication-date=2 June 1876 |issue-date=25 December 1877}}</ref> and the same and subsequent years saw developments in this theme for oils and spirits.

With the emergence of [[chemical engineering]] as a discipline at the end of the 19th century, scientific rather than empirical methods could be applied. The developing [[petroleum]] industry in the early 20th century provided the impetus for the development of accurate design methods, such as the [[McCabe–Thiele method]] by [[Ernest Thiele]] and the [[Fenske equation]]. The first industrial plant in the United States to use distillation as a means of ocean desalination opened in [[Freeport, Texas]] in 1961 with the hope of bringing [[water security]] to the region.<ref name="Transcript">{{cite web |title=Making the Deserts Bloom: Harnessing nature to deliver us from drought, Distillations Podcast and transcript, Episode 239 |url=https://www.sciencehistory.org/distillations/podcast/making-the-deserts-bloom |website=Science History Institute|date=March 19, 2019 |access-date=27 August 2019}}</ref>
The availability of powerful computers has allowed direct [[computer simulation]]s of distillation columns.