Mhh...raf never had any problems distiling wet stuff.Try to dry post hydrolysis MDP2P/polymer goop
Works if you dilute it with a np solvent, then dry. But in the case of that goop, water is less of an issue, as MDP2P and its impurities does not steam distill, as opposed to MDMA freebase, and if that happens there are usually no "problems" occurring, as in small catastrophes happening, but you get a less pure product as you will get less fraction separation...
But you did not mention any water added, just alcohol (and you didn't specify *which* alcohol).
We are still talking about that upper alcoholic layer that forms when base is added to post rxmix.
That happens without any base added if you use IPA, and it happens with difficulty if you use methanol. The specific alcohol matters. If you add as much NaOH as to dissolve the aluminum hydroxide/oxides in the aqueous layer, then you are close to pH 14, and the MDMA becomes very labile and easily begin to decompose, especially if it gets hotter than room temp (no heat when removing the alcohol, only vacuum!).
Aluminium sludge stays suspended in water layer making it uniformly grey,i doesn't form sediment in sep funnel at least in my experience.
Why are you pouring it into your sep funnel? When the reductive amination is over, the best way is to filter off the aluminum over celite or similar, then evaporate the alcohol (alternatively distill it and recover the excess methylamine which co-distills), dissolve the residue in acidic water, wash with np, basify, extract with np, wash the np with brine (to pre-dry), then dry over MgSO4 or similar, evaporate the solvent and finally vacuum distill the freebase.