# How does one make potable alcohol from seaweed? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 1, 2008, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-make-potable-alcohol-from-seaweed/470535 "2008-11-01T03:49:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Paladud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Paladud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paladud)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2008, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-make-potable-alcohol-from-seaweed/470535/1 "2008-11-01T03:49:34Z")
What sort of process would this require? Is it doable without modern technology? ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2008, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-make-potable-alcohol-from-seaweed/470535/2 "2008-11-01T07:39:12Z")
I know very little about brewing, but to make a WAG, most seaweed is pretty salty. Salt, in bread at least, hinders yeast and yeast is what is used to ferment something. Yeast also works by turning sugar into alcohol. I don’t know if seaweed has any or much natural sugar. Overall it doesn’t sound like it’s an ideal starting point. You might do better with something like cactus (if you want to go for weird and green.) [http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/prickly.asp](http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/prickly.asp) ---
**Author:** ![Carson\_O\_Genic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cdc98d/32.png) [@Carson\_O\_Genic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carson_O_Genic)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2008, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-make-potable-alcohol-from-seaweed/470535/3 "2008-11-01T11:13:58Z")
No schooled chemist here, nor seaweed expert, but since it appears seaweeds contain carbohydrates, the task would be to convert them to sugars wherein yeast could act directly. In the making of beer, which is the first step for many distilled beverages (mashing), certain strains of barley contain sufficient enzymatic property to convert other more recalcitrant starches, so you wouldn’t need modern technology. Sage Rat raises an interesting point about salt impeding yeast action, likely overcome with a sufficient pitching quantity. But salt would have affect on potability. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2008, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-make-potable-alcohol-from-seaweed/470535/4 "2008-11-01T11:20:30Z")
The best way would be to get a shitload of seaweed. Sell it to someone who \*\*wants \*\*seaweed. Use the money they give you to buy alcohol. ---
**Author:** ![Paladud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Paladud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paladud)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2008, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-make-potable-alcohol-from-seaweed/470535/5 "2008-11-01T17:26:17Z")
Ah, thanks. **don’t ask** , This is a NaNoWriMo world with very limited plant life in the region. I would not want to drink anything made from seaweed harvested just off Los Angeles 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-make-potable-alcohol-from-seaweed/470535/6 "2008-11-02T01:51:43Z")
There are tons of hits. There is quite the push to make biofuels from algea, much “seaweed” is algae. I don’t know the exact process but I would venture that you need a good cellulase enzyme to break down the cellulose into glucose molecules. The rest is downhill, glucose with yeast to make the ethanol. Distill as normal to separate the ethanol from the rest of the stuff. There is a lot of work going on right now to develop viable cellulase enzymes to break down cellulose (for “cellulosic” ethanol)