Distillation, wood

Until World War 1 acetone was manufactured commercially by the dry distillation of calcium acetate from lime and pyroligneous acid (wood distillate) (9). During the war processes for acetic acid from acetylene and by fermentation supplanted the pyroligneous acid (10). In turn these methods were displaced by the process developed for the bacterial fermentation of carbohydrates (cornstarch and molasses) to acetone and alcohols (11). At one time Pubhcker Industries, Commercial Solvents, and National Distillers had combined biofermentation capacity of 22,700 metric tons of acetone per year. Biofermentation became noncompetitive around 1960 because of the economics of scale of the isopropyl alcohol dehydrogenation and cumene hydroperoxide processes. 

Holzcben, n. splinter, splint match. Holz-dampfer, m. (Paper) digester (for wood), -deckel, m. wooden cover or lid. -destination, /. wood distillation. >destiilieranlage, /. wood-distiiling plant, bolzern, a. wooden ligneous. 

Wood distillation was used previously in the U.S. to make methanol, acetic acid, and acetone. Up to 1-2% per wood weight of methanol, 4-5% acetic acid, and 0.5% acetone can be obtained. Many years ago this was the only source of these compounds. It is no longer competitive with the synthetic processes. Some phenols can be obtained, as well as common gases such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, and hydrogen. 

Methylamine occurs in herring brine 2 in crude methyl alcohol from wood distillation,3 and in the products obtained by the dry distillation of beet molasses residues.4 It has been prepared synthetically by the action of alkali on methyl cyanate or iso-cyanurate 5 by the action of ammonia on methyl iodide,6 methyl chloride,7 methyl nitrate,8 or dimethyl sulfate 9 by the action of methyl alcohol on ammonium chloride,10 on the addition compound between zinc chloride and ammonia,11 or on phos-pham 12 by the action of bromine and alkali on acetamide 13 by the action of sodamide on methyl iodide 14 by the reduction of chloropicrin,15 of hydrocyanic or of ferrocyanic acid,16 of hexamethylenetetramine,17 of nitromethane,18 or of methyl nitrite 19 by the action of formaldehyde on ammonium chloride.20... 

An example of the first situation is methafiol, which is made today from the three main chemical raw material sources plant matter (by wood distillation) coal (via carbon monoxide and hydrogen in water gas) and natural gas hydrocarbons (both by direct oxidation and through CO-H2 synthesis, where the synthesis gas is made from methane). 

At the time of the first World War the methyl alcohol which was needed for the preparation of tetryl was procured from the distillation of wood. It was expensive and limited in amount. Formaldehyde was produced then, as it is now, by the oxidation of methyl alcohol, and a demand for it was a demand upon the wood-distillation industry. Formaldehyde was the raw material from which methylamine was produced commercially, and the resulting methylamine could be used for the preparation of tetryl by the alternative method from dinitrochlorobenzene. It was also the raw material from which certain useful explosives could be prepared, but its high price and its origin in the wood-distillation industry deprived the explosives in question of all but an academic interest. With the commercial production of synthetic methyl alcohol, the same explosives are now procurable from a raw material which is available in an amount limited only by the will of the manufacturers to produce it. 

Figures 1 and 2 show the process routes for methanol synthesis. The first one is based on a fluidized bed and includes a pressurized gasifier (Winkler type) that produces a very clean gas, practically free of tars and other impurities from wood distillation. The second route is based on a fixed bed...

Heating wood to temperatures slightly above 100°C initiates some thermal decomposition. A more active decomposition takes place above 250°C, and for industrial applications temperatures up to 500°C may be used. Above 270°C, thermal decomposition does not require any external heat source because the process becomes exothermic. The thermal decomposition of wood is usually called pyrolysis or carbonization. A number of other terms such as wood distillation, destructive distillation, and dry distillation are used interchangeably for this type of processing. 

During the nineteenth century wood distillation was locally practiced to produce various chemicals such as methanol, turpentine, acetic acid, phenols, and wood tar. Together with charcoal and wood these products were important commodities in many communities. Today petrochemicals have completely displaced them and wood pyrolysis is no longer eco-... 

In the traditional "wood distillation industry" hardwood was preferred for production of chemicals. Hardwood distillation was formerly an important source for production of acetic acid, methanol, and acetone which were the primary products of this process. The heat required for pyrolysis was generated by burning gas, oil, or coal. In the thermal degradation of wood the volatile components are distillable and can be recovered as liquids after condensation (Fig. 10-2). The solid residue, charcoal, is mainly composed of carbon. At higher temperatures the carbon content is increased because of a more complete dehydration and removal of volatile degradation products. Charcoal is mainly used as combustible material for special purposes. A number of charcoal products are known, including activated carbon for adsorption purposes. 

Thermal Decomposition 1500 CI Carbonization Pyrolysis Wood distillation Destructive distillation Gasification... 

A number of terms are used for the thermal decomposition of wood and generally refer to similar processing methods carbonization, pyrolysis, gasification, wood distillation, destructive distillation, and dry distillation. All result in the thermal breakdown of the wood polymers to smaller molecules in quantities dependent on reaction conditions. The hydrogen content of the gas increases with increasing temperature of pyrolysis. The wood gas has a fuel value of 300 BTU/ft3. 

This group comprises those incendiary materials that are used as such without admixture of oxidizing agents and includes the following. xiibHtances petroleum oils, carbim disulfide, wood distillation products, mans, pitch, celluloid, and various sorts of flammable oils and liquids not spontaneously inflammable. 

Acetal may also be made by oxidizing alcohol when the above reaction probably takes place. It is present too in crude wood distillate from which it may be obtained. 

It is obtained as a product of wood distillation, being present in wood creosote as a di-methyl ether. It may be prepared by the general methods of synthesizing phenols. Its most interesting synthesis is by the oxidation of phenol by fusion with sodium hydroxide, but not with potassium hydroxide. It is a white crystalline compound, m.p. 132 , easily soluble in water. It is readily oxidized especially when in alkaline solution. The chief uses of it are due to this strong reducing property. 

Pyrolysis liquid is referred to by many names including pyrolysis oil, bio-oil, bio-crude-oil, bio-fiiel-oil, wood liquids, wood oil, liquid smoke, wood distillates, pyroligneous tar, pyroligneous acid, and liquid wood. The crude pyrolysis liquid is dark brovyn and approximates to biomass in elemental composition. It is conqsosed of a very complex mixture of oxygenated hydrocarbons with an appreciable proportion of water from both the original moisture and reaction product. Solid char and dissolved alkali metals from ash (34) may also be present. 

In the early 1950s, the country had a moderately developed fermentation industry with an annual production of alcohol of about 10 million gal (compared with 88 million gal in 1977). Nearly 50% of this was used for fuel. The production of glycerine at this time from soap manufacturing was nearly 5000 tons. A little methanol was produced by wood distillation at Bhadravati, Mysore, while CaQ was nonexistent. During that period, important chemicals such as phenol, phthalic anhydride, urea, acetic acid, and organic and various solvents required by the dyestuff, pharmaceuti-... 

Derivation A by-product in the wood-distillation industry, also synthetic. 

Properties Crude, yellow to red hquid. A mixture of materials from wood distillation. Crude product contains methanol, acetic acid, acetone, furfural, and various tars and related products. D 1.018-1.030. Miscible with water and alcohol. Use Smoking meats. 

Wood distillation products Insecticides and fungicides (agricultural)... 

Wood distillation (original process). Pyrolysis of acetic acid (1920-30) or ethanol (1930) or by acetylene-steam reaction (1930-40). 

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