Methanol Safe Handling Manual Oct 2008 - …

1 METHANOLINSTITUTEM ethanol SafeHandling ManualPrepared by:Alliance Consulting InternationalSan Diego, California, USAP repared for: Methanol InstituteArlington, Virginia, :October 2008 Copyright ProtectedTable of ContentsiTable of Contents1 Introduction to the of the Methanol Value Institute Product Stewardship Institute Contact the General Is Methanol ?.. Methanol Life Cycle (Value Chain).. of Fuel and Miscellaneous Methanol Fuel to Hydrogen Fuel and Storage of E T H A N O L S A F E H A N D L IN G M A N U A LiiTable of Truck and Marine Containers (Totes and Drums).. and and to Sources of Sources of of Protective or High Hazard Space Aid of Methanol Safely: Process Safety Hazard Safety Work of Planning and Safety Process Is a Hazard ?.. Is a Risk ?.. Identification and Risk Assessment Hazard Assessment Detection and Tank Safety Relief , Vehicle Access, and Miscellaneous Ignition vs.

2 E T H A N O L S A F E H A N D L IN G M A N U A LivTable of Ground Space Protection Responder Control Cleanup and Notification and Investigation and Command and to Drinking Treatment and Stewardship and Responsible Stewardship Management Stewardship #1: Leadership and #2: Environmental, Health, and Safety #3: Raw Material Selection and #4: Product Risk #5: Product of #6: Risk #7: Employee Training and #8: #9: Public Concerns and #10: Performance Is Risk Communication?.. Is RiskCommunication Important?.. Communication Complex, Technical and Scientific the Public s Perception of Trust and Building for Opportunities to Get Your Message , Abbreviations and of Safety of the of Methanol / Methyl to Metals, Alloys, Gaskets, and E T H A N O L S A F E H A N D L IN G M A N U A LviTable of and and Ignition Extinguishing Properties [58].

3 97 CRegulatory, Health, and Safety Information for Regulations and Regulations, Standards, and Material and Health & Safety of ContentsviiTrademarksand AttributionsResponsible Care is a registered service mark of the American Chemistry Council in theUnited States and various entities in other Care is a registered trademark of the Canadian Chemical Producers Distribution is a registered trademark of the Canadian Association of to the ManualThis chapterexplainsthe purpose ofthis Manual and provides an introduction to themethanolvalue chain. The Methanol Institute s Product Stewardship policy and contactinformation of theManualWe at the Methanol Institute intend this Manual to serve as a guidance document formethanol distributors and users like you. The purpose of the Manual is to promote the safehandling of Methanol in order to protect your health and that of your co-workers, yourworkplace, the environment, and your may beawastewater treatment plant operator in India, abiodieselplant manager inCanada, a Health and Safety Coordinator at a formaldehyde plant in Mexico, a tanker truckdriver at a chemical distribution warehouse in Algeria, a research engineer developing a fuelcell in New Zealand, an antifreeze production supervisor in East Siberia, or a shippingterminal manager in and your colleagues in the worldwide Methanol supply chaintogether speak dozens of languages and are located in practically every country in the Manual is designed to be a resource for information on Methanol specifically for you whoare responsible for its safe Handling .

4 It presents current information on Methanol s properties,potential environmental and health and safety hazards, safe Handling practices, emergencyresponse procedures,product and distribution stewardship, and risk , this Manual is not intended to be a substitute forapplicable laws and regulations,nor does italterthe obligation ofthe userto complyfullywith federal, state user will have specific circumstances relevant to its own safe use of Methanol , andtherefore must use itsown independent judgment anddiscretion todetermining how best tohandle Methanol safely. In doing so the user must consider its ownmanagement structure,product lines, location, and other factors that areunique Manual s chapter organization and content are intended to provide you with convenientaccess to practical information. Key facts and useful references are highlighted in the technical data,such as Methanol schemical,physical,and thermodynamicproperties,can be found in the appendices.

5 The reference sectionpresentsa list of scientificand technical resources for more in-depth additional convenience,wehave included a glossary of scientific terms and commonlyused acronyms to help you navigate through the regulatory and technical to the Manual ,we have available Fact Sheets on a number of topics related toChapterM E T H A N O L S A F E H A N D L IN G M A N U A L2 TheMethanolValueChainmethanol safe Handling , such as Methanol use as fuel, emergency response, productstewardship, and health understand that expertise in the safe Handling of Methanol is available in every corner ofthe globe. We hope to capture this expertise in future editions of this Manual . Therefore, wewelcome your comments, questionsand feedback, sosendus an email to the most recent edition of this Manual , visit our web site at Methanol Value ChainMethanol is aproduct with many useful characteristicsthatallow it to serve as a fuel or fueladditive, a chemicalfeedstock, a solvent, a refrigerant, and a component or intermediate inmany consumer is also a hazardous chemical with significant toxic,flammable,and reactive properties that can also produce deleterious impacts to humanhealth and the environment when not properly is naturally produced by living organisms, and is also manufactured from a varietyof inorganic and organic sources.

6 Most Methanol is produced from natural gas in largeintegrated chemical manufacturing plants located in regions where hydrocarbon feed stocksare plentiful,such asthe Persian Gulf,theCaribbean, South America, Africa, ,in particular, most Methanol is produced from Methanol is consumedthroughout the world, the largest users are in regions that have highindustrial development,such as Western Europe, North America, and Asia (Japan, China, Taiwan, and South Korea).World consumption in 2007 was 40,341,000 metric to the geographical distance between the major manufacturing centers and the principalusers,as much as 80% of the world s annual Methanol production is transported betweencontinentsby trans-ocean is received and stored in marine terminals andtrans-shipped viatruck,rail,and bargeto chemical production facilities and bulk distributors,where it is stored in tank farms and repackaged into smaller containers. Tanker trucks andtrailers complete the distribution network, deliveringmethanol to the wide range of final usersin the Methanol value recently developedindustrial uses of Methanol includeitsapplicationas a denitrification agent in wastewatertreatment plants andas a reagent andsolvent inbiodieselproduction facilities.

7 New applications of Methanol are emerging withtechnological innovations, such as fuel cells for vehicles andconsumerelectronic is amenable to recyclingby removing impurities through distillation and introducingthe recovered material back into the process. Waste Methanol has high caloric value and canbe used to recover energy though thermal destructive processes which generate heat to fuelother Institute Product Stewardship PolicyAs the global trade association for the Methanol industry, product stewardship is our Institute's Product Stewardship Committeeis responsible for Methanol healthand safetyinitiatives, including product risk evaluation, exposure risks throughout the supplychain, education,and training on proper Methanol product stewardship toolsdeveloped by the committee and its individual members will benefit the global methanolindustry. The committee will closely coordinate with other working committees to providemaximum support to E T H A N O L S A F E H A N D L IN G M A N U A InstituteContact InformationTheMethanol Institute is located nearWashington, For additional information or to findout more about the Institute and its programs, please contact:Mr.

8 Gregory DolanVice Presidentfor Communications and PolicyMethanol Institute4100 North Fairfax Drive, Suite 740 Arlington, VA 22203(703) the AuthorsTheMethanol Institute s Product Stewardship Committee commissioned the preparation ofthis Manual toAlliance Consulting International, an environmental and health and safetyprofessional services firm based in San Diego, California. The project team consisted ofPatricia Beach, MS, CIH, Health and Safety and Product Stewardship specialist;Robert , MS, MBA,Process Engineeringand Reliabilityspecialist;and Enrique Medina, MS,CIH, Environmental specialist, editor,and project additional information onAlliance Consulting International, please contact:Mr. Enrique Medina, MS, CIHP residentAlliance Consulting International3361 28th Diego, California92104(619) 297-1469(619) 297-1023 part of its commitment tomethanol product stewardship, the Methanol Institutehasprepared this Manual .

9 Our intention is to improvetheawareness of safe and environmentallysound practicesforthe Handling of methanolthroughout the global distribution chain. Theinformation, procedures, recommendationsand data presented in thisManualareinformational onlyand the Manual is designed to provide general guidance Institute and the report authorsassume no liability whatsoever with respect to theaccuracy and completeness of the information, procedures, recommendationsand datapresented in thisManual and disclaimall liability arising out of the use of such information,procedures, recommendationsand of this Manual must still use its ownindependent judgment anddiscretionin ensuring that it handles methanolsafely/communicates appropriately, and in doing so mustdevelop the specific systemsthatbest fit its management structure, productlines, location, and other factors that areunique encourage you to research the local codes and regulations that may beapplicable to the Handling of flammableand hazardous materials such as isnot a substitute forapplicable laws and regulations.

10 Nor does italterthe obligationofthe user to complyfullywith federal, state andlocal E T H A N O L S A F E H A N D L IN G M A N U A L4 DisclaimerM E T H A N O L S A F E H A N D L IN G M A N U A LTechnologyoftheProcess52 Methanol General InformationThis chapter summarizes the character of Methanol as achemical compound, the life cycle orvalue chain of Methanol , and uses of Methanol ?Also known as methyl or wood alcohol, the simple answer is that Methanol is a colorlessorganic liquid at room temperature and correct, this description is a smallpart of what a handler must know and understand in order to transport, store, and usemethanol is a remarkably useful material thatmeansdifferent things to different , Methanol is a fuel, to others a fuel additive, to still others a chemicalfeedstock, asolvent, a refrigerant, or a component of future applications of methanolinclude its use as a hydrogen carrier for fuel cell technology applications and as a turbine fuelfor electric power particularhazards of Methanol that matter most toyour facility depend in large partonhow you use it and how much you to control a small amount of Methanol can beproblematic.