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Methanol is a colourless liquid that
may explode when exposed to an open flame. Methanol has a flash point of 12C
and a boiling point of 65C. It occurs naturally in wood and in volcanic gases.
Methanol is also a product of decaying organic material. It is manufactured
from natural gas in large quantities.
World demand for methanol is forecast to increase over the
next several years. The largest users of the methanol sold in the United
States are companies that make methyl t-butyl ether (MTBE), a gasoline
additive. This use is likely to reduce in the USA, however, the MTBE demand is
increasing in Europe. Companies also use methanol to make chemicals such as
formaldehyde, acetic acid, chloromethanes, and methyl methacrylate. Companies
add methanol to paint strippers, plastic containers, silicone, aerosol spray
paints, wall paints, carburetor cleaners, and car windshield washer products.
Methanol is also a gasoline additive and, in some cases, a gasoline substitute
for use in automobiles and other small engines. Methanol can be economically
burnt in gas turbines for electricity generation.
Most biodiesel in the US is made from vegetable oils, such as soybean but also
from waste cooking oil, animal fats, and fatty acids, by reacting with
methanol in the presence of a catalyst. The chemical process known as
transesterification, breaks down the triglycerides into methyl ester (which is
the bio-diesel) and glycerol, where these two streams are separated by
decanting or centrifuge. To force the reaction to completion, an excess amount
of methanol is used, which is then stripped from each stream using vacuum
flash evaporators. In most biodiesel plants excess of methanol required
80%-120%.
Due to proprietary powerful caviation reactors in BioFource 9000 plants, small
excess of methanol is required to complete transesterification, in most cases
it is required only 20% excess of methanol. Recovery of such excess is done in
both stages, from biodisel stream 99.9% purity range of recovery and
reduces methanol in glycerin to 0.05%.
Global
Methanol Report (PDF)
Methanol
Handling Guide (PDF)
Safety of our plants controlled by PLC
and Combustible Gas Detector
Specially designed for BioForce9000
plants
To force the reaction to completion in our systems, an excess amount of methanol is used,
which is then stripped from each stream using vacuum flash evaporators.
Two Stage Recovery of Methanol from Biodiesel and Glycerin
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10GPM to 40GPM Model WT |
5GPM to 20GPM Model PC |
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5 ton chiller system
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