Explosion and Fire Resulting from an Oxidation by KMnO 4

In the sugar industry, beet pulp is sometimes treated as a raw material: its fermentation transforms the sugar still present into ethanol, which is then extracted by distillation. This alcohol contains sulfur-smelling products and, to deodorize it, these products are at least partially removed by keeping the alcohol in contact with a powerful oxidizer for a sufficient time, in this case potassium permanganate (KMnO 4 ), in the state of solid crystals. In a storage area of a sugar factory, comprising several tanks situated in a retention basin, explosions occurred successively in three tanks. According to Médard, ethanol is not the only organic molecule with an oxygenated function that ignites spontaneously when it is in contact with KMnO 4 crystals. This is particularly the case for certain aldehydes.