[10] Companies investing significantly in biomethanol production and research include Enerkem, Södra, Methanex, Alberta Pacific, and BASF.
[13][14] In most countries, methanol is currently usually produced from syngas, obtained from steam reforming of methane (the chief constituent of natural gas).
After removing hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide (sweetening), which form as side products during the gasification step, methanol can be made using conventional methods.
This method involves reacting the carbon dioxide with hydrogen gas at high temperatures and pressures in the presence of a copper-based catalyst.
[18] The main drawback of this approach is the difficulty of isolating carbon dioxide and hydrogen gas in the required large volumes and high purity.
However, it is also less volatile and burns at a lower temperature than gasoline, making it more difficult to start and warm up an engine in cold weather.
Insoluble contaminants, such as aluminum hydroxide, itself a product of corrosion by halide ions, clog the fuel system over time.
Compared to gasoline, methanol is more tolerant to exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), which improves fuel efficiency of the internal combustion engines utilizing Otto cycle and spark ignition.
Also, the methanol can act as an oxidizer: This reciprocal process effectively fuels corrosion until either the metal is eaten away or the concentration of CH3OH is negligible.
[25] Pure methanol is required by rule to be used in IndyCar, Monster Trucks, USAC sprint cars (as well as midgets, modifieds, etc.
), and other dirt track series, such as World of Outlaws, and Motorcycle Speedway, mainly because, in the event of an accident, methanol does not produce an opaque cloud of smoke.
The gasoline-triggered fire created a dangerous cloud of thick black smoke that completely blocked the view of the track for oncoming cars.
[28] The United Arab Emirates is investing in refueling stations for green methanol in Egypt for the ships that use the Suez Canal.
By 1948, the then-new innovation of glow plug-ignition model engines began to take over the market, requiring the use of methanol fuel to react in a catalytic reaction with the coiled platinum filament in a glow plug for the engine to run, usually using a castor oil-based lubricant contained in the fuel mix at about a 4:1 ratio.
Most methanol-fueled model engines, especially those made outside North America, can easily be run on so-called FAI-specification methanol fuel.
In contrast, firms in North America that make methanol-fueled model engines, or who are based outside that continent and have a major market in North America for such miniature powerplants, tend to produce engines that can and often do run best with a certain percentage of nitromethane in the fuel, which when used can be as little as 5% to 10% of volume, and can be as much as 25 to 30% of the total fuel volume.
Green methanol is a liquid fuel that is produced from combining carbon dioxide and hydrogen (CO2 + 3 H2 → CH3OH + H2O) under pressure and heat with catalysts.
[33] Ethanol plants in the midwest are a good place for pure carbon capture to combine with hydrogen to make green methanol, with abundant wind and nuclear energy in Iowa, Minnesota, and Illinois.
[41] Like many volatile chemicals, including ethanol and gasoline, methanol can damage skin, eyes, and lungs if exposed to substantial quantities.
Those chronically exposed to such large quantities are at risk of developing long-term systemic health effects similar to low-grade methanol poisoning if left untreated.
Unlike benzene-family fuels, methanol will rapidly and non-toxically biodegrade with no long-term harm to the environment as long as it is sufficiently diluted.
[44] Post-accident environmental damage mitigation is facilitated by the fact that low-concentration methanol is biodegradable, of low toxicity, and non-persistent in the environment.
Post-fire cleanup often merely requires large additional amounts of water to dilute the spilled methanol followed by vacuuming or absorption recovery of the fluid.
Any methanol that unavoidably escapes into the environment will have little long-term impact, and with sufficient dilution will rapidly biodegrade with little to no environmental damage due to toxicity.
[47] The State of California ran an experimental program from 1980 to 1990 that allowed anyone to convert a gasoline vehicle[vague] to 85% methanol with 15% additives of choice.
In 2005, California's Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, stopped the use of methanol to join the expanding use of ethanol driven by producers of corn.
The larger-scale pilot experiment that was to be conducted in São Paulo was vetoed at the last minute by the city's mayor, out of concern for the health of gas station workers, who would not be expected to follow safety precautions.
[citation needed] Niti Aayog, the central planning institute of India, announced on 3 August 2018 that if feasible, passenger vehicles will run on 15% Methanol blended petrol.