Motorists in Nigeria have been recently thrown into confusion when it was disclosed by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Ltd, NNPC, that adulterated petroleum products with a high concentration of Methanol imported from Belgium had been discovered in the country.
Methanol is a non-drinking type of alcohol also called wood alcohol and methyl alcohol. It is used in the making of fuel, solvents and antifreeze. Poisonous for consumption, it’s a colorless liquid, volatile and flammable. Methanol is also used to produce many other chemicals, including acetic acid.
Afripost.ng brings to you what you need to know about Methanol
Use as antifreeze
Methanol has chemical properties which allow it to lower the freezing point of a water-based liquid and increase its boiling point. These attributes lead methanol to be used as an antifreeze in windshield washer fluid to keep the cleaning fluid from freezing. It is also injected in natural gas pipelines, where it lowers the freezing point of water during oil and gas transport.
Use as Solvent
Methanol is primarily used as an industrial solvent to help create inks, resins, adhesives, and dyes. It is also used as a solvent in the manufacture of important pharmaceutical ingredients and products such as cholesterol, streptomycin, vitamins and hormones.
Use as fuel
Roughly 45 percent of the world’s methanol is used in energy-related applications. Methanol can be used as a type of vehicle fuel or marine fuel for boats. It can also be blended into gasoline to produce an efficient fuel known as methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) which can have lower emissions than conventional gasoline. (This is where Nigeria finds itself at the moment.) Methanol also is used in biodiesel, a renewable type of fuel made from plants or animal fats that can be used in place of, or blended into, conventional fuel.
Food
Methanol occurs naturally in many foods, including fruits and vegetables. Dietary methanol helps to regulate human gene activity . It is also created in the human digestive system to