Guidelines For Bulk Methanol Storage
Methyl Alcohol or methanol is the simplest alcohol compound. It is a light, colorless, volatile and poisonous liquid. It has a very apparent smell and hence is easily detectable in case of a leak. |
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Methanol is lethal to health. One need not necessarily inhale it or drink it. Its slight contact with the skin can prove to be fatal. It can also lead to blindness if it metabolizes in the liver. At a great risk are people who are exposed to methanol vapors or liquid regularly. Methanol poisoning symptoms are dizziness, confusion, headache, drowsiness and unconsciousness. In some cases death can also occur. But methanol exposure is treatable if early detection occurs. For all these reasons, it becomes important that safety and precautions be take care of when transporting and storing methanol.
Methanol is mostly transferred from one place to another via bulky transport systems like ships, pipelines, trucks, barges and rails. Proper guidelines should be laid out at all places for handling and storing methanol. Only assigned vessels should be used for keeping the liquid. If for some reason non-dedicated ones have to be used, they should be cleaned thoroughly. They must also be checked at least once with regards their utility factor. When the containers are not being used, they should be kept clean to avoid adulteration. A sign reading ‘methanol’ should also be put.
It’s not advisable to use lead, magnesium and platinum to construct methanol storage vessels. Though methanol has non-corrosive properties and is suited to almost all metals yet, these three are best avoided. Steel is a good building material. Those that have zinc, copper alloys, aluminum or plastic, are again not suited for keeping methanol-water solutions over long duration of time. The reason is that these metal compounds get corroded and end up causing contamination. It is also necessary to ensure that only authorized people have access to where methanol is stocked.
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Methanol is being increasingly used for biodiesel production despite it high costs. But methanol is a dangerous element and requires utmost safety in handling and storage. It becomes necessary for every biodiesel plant to learn and apply caution when using methanol. 
