Methanol Safe Handling Manual

1 Methanol INSTITUTE Methanol Safe Handling Manual January, 2013 SINGAPORE 10 Anson Road #32-10 International Plaza, Singapore 079903 + WASHINGTON DC 124 South West Street, Suite 203, Alexandria, VA 22314 + BRUSSELS Avenue Jules Bordet, 142, 1140 Brussels, Belgium + of Contents i Table of Contents 1 Introduction to the Manual .. 1 Purpose of the Manual .. 1 The Methanol Value Chain .. 1 Methanol Institute Product Stewardship Policy .. 2 Methanol Institute Contact 3 About the Authors .. 3 Disclaimer .. 3 2 Methanol General Information .. 5 What Is Methanol ?.. 5 The Methanol Life Cycle (Value Chain).. 7 Methanol Manufacture.

2 7 Sustainable Production .. 10 Recycling .. 10 Reuse .. 11 Waste Management .. 11 Uses of 11 Chemical Intermediates .. 11 Fuel 12 Biodiesel Fuel Production .. 14 Emerging Uses of Methanol .. 15 Wastewater Denitrification .. 16 Direct Methanol Fuel Cells .. 17 Turbine Engines .. 19 Offshore Platforms .. 20 Methanol Specifications .. 21 ii Table of Contents 3 Transportation and Storage of Methanol .. 23 Methanol 23 Ocean-Going Transport .. 23 Rail 24 Tanker Truck Transport .. 24 Methanol Storage .. 24 Docks and Marine Terminals .. 25 Tank Farms .. 25 Portable Containers (Totes and Drums) .. 25 Electrical Classification .. 27 Grounding and Bonding.

3 27 4 Health and 31 Exposure to 31 Routine Sources of Exposure .. 31 Accidental Sources of Exposure .. 32 Routes of Exposure .. 33 Methanol Metabolism .. 33 Effects of Exposure .. 34 General 34 Acute Effects .. 34 Chronic Effects .. 34 Exposure Control .. 35 Engineering Controls .. 35 Ventilation .. 35 Exposure Monitoring .. 36 Personal Protective 37 Respiratory Protection .. 37 Chemical-Resistant Clothing/Materials .. 37 Safety Precautions .. 38 Routine Operations .. 38 Special or High Hazard Operations .. 39 Confined Space Entry .. 39 Hot 39 First Aid 40 40 Table of Contents iii Skin 40 Eye 40 Accidental Ingestion .. 40 5 Managing Methanol Safely: Process 41 Employee Participation.

4 43 Process Safety Information .. 43 Process Hazard 44 Operating Procedures .. 44 44 Contractors .. 45 Pre-Startup Safety Review .. 45 Mechanical 46 Hazardous Work 46 Management of Change .. 46 Emergency Planning and Response .. 47 Incident Investigation .. 47 Process Safety Audits .. 48 Trade Secrets .. 49 Implementing Process 49 What Is a Hazard ? .. 49 What Is a Risk ? .. 50 Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment Methods .. 50 Process Hazard Assessment Documentation .. 51 6 Fire Safety .. 53 Fire Detection and Protection .. 54 Vapor Control .. 55 Storage Tank Safety Features .. 55 Pressure Relief Systems .. 56 Heat Detection .. 56 Smoking, Vehicle Access, and Miscellaneous Ignition 56 Fire Control.

5 57 Fire vs. 57 Extinguishing Materials .. 57 Fire Ground Safety .. 58 Confined Space Fires .. 58 iv Table of Contents Fire 58 Outside 58 Personal Protection 58 Fire Responder 58 Methanol -Gasoline Blended Fuels Fire 59 Properties of Methanol -Gasoline Blended Fuels .. 59 Methanol -Gasoline Blended-Fuel Fires .. 60 Response to Methanol -Gasoline Blended-Fuel Fires .. 60 7 Emergency 63 Spill 63 Spill 64 Release Containment .. 65 Site Control Zones .. 66 Spill Cleanup and Remediation .. 66 Spill Notification and Reporting .. 67 Incident Investigation and Recordkeeping .. 67 Incident Command 67 Communications .. 68 8 Methanol Incidents and Safeguards.

6 69 Overview of Methanol Incidents .. 69 Common Causes of Incidents .. 71 Routine Operations and Maintenance .. 71 Transportation 71 Pipeline Incidents .. 71 Key Findings .. 72 Conclusions .. 72 Safeguards .. 73 Process Safety 74 Corrosion Prevention .. 74 Hot Work Permit Program .. 74 Fire Prevention and Response .. 74 Employee Training .. 74 Table of Contents v 9 Environmental 77 Environmental Fate and Transport .. 77 Air Emissions .. 78 Groundwater 78 Impacts to Drinking Water .. 79 Biological Effects .. 79 Climate Effects .. 79 Waste Treatment and Disposal .. 80 10 Product Stewardship and Sustainability .. 81 Product Stewardship and Responsible Care.

7 81 Product Stewardship Management System .. 82 Product Stewardship Practices .. 82 PSP #1: Leadership and 83 PSP #2: Environmental, Health, and Safety Information .. 83 PSP #3: Raw Material Selection and Procurement .. 84 PSP #4: Product Risk 84 PSP #5: Product Security .. 84 PSP #6: Risk Management .. 84 PSP #7: Employee Training and 84 PSP #8: Selling .. 84 PSP #9: Public Concerns and Issues .. 85 PSP #10: Performance Indicators .. 85 Responsible 85 Sustainability .. 86 A Primer on 86 Alternative 87 vi Table of Contents 11 Risk Communication .. 88 What Is Risk Communication? .. 88 Why Is Risk Communication Important? .. 89 Risk Communication Basics.

8 89 Communicating Complex Technical and Scientific Information .. 90 Understanding the Public s Perception of Risk .. 91 Earning Trust and Building Credibility .. 91 Looking for Opportunities to Get Your Message Out .. 92 12 Glossary .. 93 Terms, Abbreviations, and Acronyms .. 93 13 References .. 109 List of 109 A Process Safety 115 Technology of the Process .. 115 Equipment .. 116 B Properties of Methanol /Methyl Alcohol .. 117 Physical Properties .. 117 Solid .. 117 Liquid .. 117 Vapor .. 119 Chemical Properties .. 119 Reactivity .. 119 Decomposition .. 120 Incompatibilities .. 120 Corrosivity to Metals, Alloys, Gaskets and Plastic .. 120 Structure and 123 Combustion and Ignition Properties.

9 123 Fire Extinguishing Media .. 124 Table of Contents vii Thermodynamic Properties .. 124 C Regulatory, Health, and Safety Information for Methanol .. 125 Regulations and Codes .. 125 International Regulations, Standards, and Guidelines .. 127 Hazardous Material and Health & Safety Information .. 131 D Database of Methanol -Related Incidents (1998-2011).. 133 Methanol Incidents by Sector, Location, and Cause .. 133 Incident Description and Reference or Source .. 139 E Technical Bulletins .. 149 viii Table of Contents Trademarks and Attributions Responsible Care is a registered service mark of the American Chemistry Council in the United States and various entities in other countries. Responsible Care is a registered trademark of the Canadian Chemical Producers Association.

10 Responsible Distribution is a registered trademark of the Canadian Association of Chemical Distributors. Purpose of the Manual 1 Chapter 1 1 Introduction to the Manual This chapter explains the purpose of the Manual and provides an introduction to the Methanol value chain. The Methanol Institute s Product Stewardship policy and contact information are also included. Purpose of the Manual We at the Methanol Institute intend this Manual to serve as a guidance document for Methanol distributors and users like you. The purpose of the Manual is to promote the safe Handling of Methanol in order to protect your health and that of your co-workers, your workplace, the environment, and your community. You may be a wastewater treatment plant operator in India, a biodiesel plant manager in Canada, a Health and Safety Coordinator at a formaldehyde plant in Mexico, a tanker truck driver at a chemical distribution warehouse in Algeria, a research engineer developing a fuel cell in New Zealand, an antifreeze production supervisor in East Siberia, or a shipping terminal manager in China.