Oxidation Stability Of Methanol
Methanol is fast gaining popularity as an alternative fuel. However, another product obtained from transesterification of methanol, methyl esters are also increasingly being preferred to produce biodiesel. These esters are commonly called FAME or fatty acid ethyl esters. |
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Methyl ester is produced as a by product of transesterification of vegetable oil with methanol. Another by product of this process is glycerin. Fatty acid methyl esters cannot be stored under given normal conditions because of their highly unstable nature. The reason is that like fats and natural oils, methyl esters end up being oxidized by the oxygen present in the atmosphere. The reason for lower oxidative property of methyl ester is because of the distillation process that takes place. Distillation causes removal of the natural antioxidants present. If this happens, the resulting element can end up impairing the engine. Hence it is important that oxidation stability of a product be taken care of before experimenting with it for use as biodiesel. This is found out during the process of compound production by using an instrument for automatic determination of the oxidative stability of a product. It’s a simple and effective procedure. The oxidation process can itself be retarded by adding antioxidants. The same instrument can also find out the effectiveness of antioxidants. To take care of ethyl esters oxidation property, addition of an antioxidant like pyrogallol proves to be very effective.
Deriving an alternative fuel from renewable sources of energy has become the need of our times. With the fast depleting fossil fuels, we have no choice but to look for fuels that offer us long term stability. These fuels should also be environmental friendly and biodegradable. Since biofuels are important alternatives of fuel for the future, they should be studied extensively so that their stability factor against oxidation can be taken care of.
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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. 
