[Bioconversion] How do you make Methanol along with Charcoal?

[AJH]

On Sun, 30 Apr 2006 17:52:00 -0600, Thomas Reed wrote:

>Dear Silva:
>
>I think you are confusing the making of methanol by pyrolysis, in which 
>case you get a 2% yield amongst all the other products from hardwood and 
>0% from softwoods - with making methanol from synthesis gas - CO + H2, 
>in which case you get a >50% yield. 

Tom this conversation migrated over from [gasification] where I
posted:
 "In the past the charcoal industry was a major source of acetic acid
and methanol with other gases being burned in huge single cylinder
engines to power the plant.

 The FAO in
http://www.fao.org/documents/show_cdr.asp?url_file=/docrep/X5328e/x5328e0d.htm

suggest that the yield of methanol can be 16kg for every tonne of air
dry hardwood carbonised, which in turn ought to treat about 200 ltr of
bio diesel."

So the yield tallies with yours, 1.6% verses 2% and hardwood was
specified. That's why I didn't think it likely that the process would
be worthwhile.

However this is farmyard scale whereas the route through production of
syngas (either oxygen blown or alternating production of watergas with
producer gas) is more industrial scale and thus impractical by a
backwoodsman.

Andrew Heggie