Destructive distillation of wood

C4H8O, CH3COCH2CH3. Colourless liquid with a pleasant odour, b.p. 80°C. It occurs with propanone in the products of the destructive distillation of wood. Manufactured by the liquid or vapour phase dehydrogenation of 2-butanol over a catalyst. Used as a solvent, particularly for vinyl and acrylic resins, and for nitrocellulose and cellulose acetate, also for the dewaxing of lubricating oils. U.S. production 1978 300 000 tonnes. 

Charcoal Charcoal is the residue from the destructive distillation of wood. It absorbs moisture readily, often containing as much as 10 to 15 percent water. In addition, it usually contains about 2 to 3 percent ash and 0.5 to I.O percent hydrogen. The heating value of charcoal is about 27,912 to 30,238 kj/kg (12,000 to 13,000 Btu/lb). 

Commercial acetic acid is manufactured fiom pyroligneous acid obtained in the destructive distillation of wood. The latter is neutralised with lime, and separated by distillation from wood-spirit and acetone. The crude calcium acetate, which has a dark colour, is then distilled with the requisite quantity of concentrated hydrochloric acid. Anhydrous or glacial acetic acid is obtained by distilling fused sodium acetate with concentrated sulphuric acid. 

Methanol was originally produced by the destructive distillation of wood (wood alcohol) for charcoal production. Currently, it is mainly produced from synthesis gas. 

At one time, most methanol was produced by the destructive distillation of wood (i.e., heating wood to a high temperature in the absence of air) => wood alcohol . 1) Today, most methanol is prepared by the catalytic hydrogenation of carbon monoxide. 

Methyl alcohol, CH2OH, also called wood alcohol or wood spirit, since it was formerly obtained from the destructive distillation of wood. It has also been synthesised from carbon monoxide and hydrogen or by fermentation of various sugar containing crops. Used as a part replacement for petrol in Gasohol to deliver a more environmentally friendly fuel, i.e., from renewable resources. 

The destructive distillation of wood to produce methanol results in some by-product acetic acid, and that was the most popular but now defunct commercial source. Fermentation, the oldest, indeed the ancient method, is still used to produce vinegar for the food industry. Vinegar is a 3—5% solution of acetic acid in water. 

Methanol, CHgOH, also known as wood spirit , was produced by destructive distillation of wood. Today, most of the methanol is produced by catalytic hydrogenation of carbon monoxide at high pressure and temperature and in the presence of ZnO - CraOg catalyst. 

Interest in renewable resources as raw materials for chemicals and energy has intensified in recent years as a result of anticipated shortages of petroleum and natural gas ( 1, 2, 3). A significant part of this effort has been devoted to the production of alcohols, particularly methanol and ethanol, from wood ( - ) Methanol is the main constituent of "wood alcohol", made for a great many years by the destructive distillation of wood, especially hardwoods W. From a ton of hardwood, one could expect about 60 lb, that is 7.5 gallons of methanol, along with a variety of other chemicals. Wood alcohol is no longer made. The processes discussed in recent reports, are quite different,... 

Fropionic and butyric acids are produced in some kinds of fermentation and acetic acid is obtaiued by tbe destructive distillation of wood and other similar substances. 

Mmtfaeture.—1. By the destructive distillation of wood, a liquid is obtained which contains acetic acid the acid is pu> rifi by being converted first into a ctdcic, and then into a sodic salt, the latter being afterwards decomposed by sulphuric acid,... 

For example, destructive distillation of wood oives methanol (wood alcohol ), wood... 

Chemicals have long been manufactured from biomass, especially wood (silvichemicals), by many different fermentation and thermochemical methods. For example, continuous pyrolysis of wood was used by the Ford Motor Co. in 1929 for the manufacture of various chemicals (Table 20) (47). Wood alcohol (methanol) was manufactured on a large scale by destructive distillation of wood for many years until the 1930s and early 1940s, when the economics became more favorable for methanol manufacture from fossil fuel-derived synthesis gas. 

Coke. Just as the destructive distillation of wood yields wood charcoal and volatile products, so the heating of bituminous coals results in a wide variety of useful volatile materials and amorphous carbon in the form known as coke. The chief uses of coke are in connection with the iron and steel industries, but important quantities of this form of carbon are also used as a fuel in other industries and in the home. 

The chemical makeup of the combustion products, including aerosols and particulates, will change with burning conditions and the complex processes result in complex mixtures of products (28). More smoke is produced under nonflaming combustion than under flaming combustion. The complexity of the smoke is indicated by the fact that over 200 compounds have been found in the destructive distillation of wood by Goos (45). 

This paper covers the current technology of methanol production, reviews how the energy crisis and the escalation of hydrocarbon feedstocks impact that technology, and describes conventional, new, and potential uses for methanol. Methanol is a chemical intermediate and solvent produced from several feedstocks and is consumed in a variety of end uses. Prior to the development of a synthetic route to methanol, commercial quantities were obtained from the destructive distillation of wood or other biomass. Now, with interest focused on conservation and the use of renewable resources, methods have been proposed to use biomass again as a methanol feedstock. While some of these proposals hold great appeal, they are still speculative and beyond the scope of this paper. (Methanol from wood is discussed in the following chapter.)... 

Methanol (methyl alcohol) was originally produced by the destructive distillation of wood chips in the absence of air. This source led to the name wood alcohol. During Prohibition (1919-1933), when the manufacture of alcoholic beverages was prohibited in the United States, anything called alcohol was often used for mixing drinks. Since methanol is more toxic than ethanol, this practice resulted in many cases of blindness and death. 

Methanol. Methanol was once known as wood alcohol because it was a product of the destructive distillation of wood. All American methanol was produced in that way before 1926. That year, however, marked the first... 

Methanol. As is the case with ethanol, the concept of producing methanol from wood is not new. Methanol obtained from the destructive distillation of wood represented the only commercial source until the 1920s. The yield of methanol from wood by this method is low, only about 1-2 percent or 20 L/metric ton (6 gal/ton) for hardwoods and about one-half that for softwoods. With the introduction of natural gas technology, the industry gradually switched to a synthetic methanol formed from a synthesis gas (syngas) produced from reformed natural gas. Two volumes of H2 and one volume of CO are reacted in a catalytic converter at pressures of 1500-4000 psi to produce methanol. Presently, 99 percent of the methanol produced in the United States is derived from natural gas or petroleum. 

Early interest in the thermal degradation of cellulose was stimulated by lively academic discussions about the origin of bituminous coal — whether it is derived from the lignin or carbohydrate constituents of wood. This subject was also investigated in an attempt to determine the significance of cellulose in commercial destructive distillation of wood and its contribution to the mixture of degradation products. 

Although there has been a rapid decline in commercial destructive distillation of wood, manufacture of activated carbon by the pyrolysis of cellulosic materials still constitutes a major commercial operation. Finally, the possibility of developing new processes for production of special chemicals by the pyrolysis of cellulose, or the adaptation of the old process to the economy of developing nations blessed with rich forest resources, cannot be overlooked. Controlled pyrolysis of cellulose and cellulosic materials to provide a totally impermeable carbon and other industrial products is an example of the former possibilities. 

Methyl alcohol is made by the destructive distillation of wood ii is sometimes called wood alcohol. It is a poisonous substance which on ingestion causes blindness and death. It is used as a solvent, and foi the preparation of other organic compounds. 

Properties Black, syruplike, viscous fluid. Derivation A by-product of the destructive distillation of wood. 

Many alcohols and phenols have considerable commercial importance. Methanol, CH3OH, was formerly produced by the destructive distillation of wood and is sometimes called wood alcohol. It is now produced in large quantities from carbon monoxide and hydrogen. It is very toxic and causes permanent blindness when taken internally. 

Formation.— The greater part of acetic acid used in commerce is obtained b destructive distillation of wood. Hardwood, such as oak, birch, beech, maple, and elm give the best yields of acid and wood alcohol. A full description is given in H, Taylor s book on Fuel Production and Utilization of this series, from which the following extracts are taken —... 

Methyl alcohol (methanol wood alcohol) a colorless, volatile, inflammable, and poisonous alcohol (CH3OH) traditionally formed by destructive distillation of wood or, more recently, as a result of synthetic distillation in chemical plants. 

Acetone which was formerly made almost exclusively by the dry distillation of calcium acetate obtained in the destructive distillation of wood, is now made on a large scale by the dehydrogenation of isopropyl alcohol obtained largely from the hydration of propylene contained in refinery gases.84 The other remaining sources of acetone at present are the wood distillation industry, the fermentation process of butanol manufacture,... 

Acetone, a valuable solvent for oils, and employed largely in the manufacture of explosives, is found in the free state in the products of the destructive distillation of wood, and is obtained by the dry distillation of acetate of lime, which substance is also produced from pyroligneous acid. 

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