METHANOL (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Sci and Tech)

News-CRUX-10     24th June 2024        
QEP Pocket Notes

Context: The Kallakurichi illicit liquor tragedy, which has resulted in over 50 deaths, follows a distressingly familiar pattern of methanol poisoning, echoing similar incidents that occur periodically across various states in India.


Methanol

  • About: It is a wood alcohol (CH3OH) that can be used as renewable energy, marine and auto fuel, and as fuel cells.
  • Physical Characteristics: Methanol appears as a colorless, fairly volatile liquid with a faintly sweet pungent odor similar to ethyl alcohol.
  • Production: Methanol is primarily produced by combining carbon monoxide gas and hydrogen in the presence of a catalyst. Increasingly, syngas derived from biomass is also used in its production.
  • Applications: Methanol is used in chemical synthesis, as a fuel additive, solvent for paints and plastics, and in various consumer products.
  • Treatment of Methanol Poisoning

oEthanol Administration: Ethanol competes with methanol for enzymes, preventing its toxic metabolites.

oFomepizole Administration: Slows down the enzyme action that converts methanol to toxic substances like formaldehyde.

Regulation of Methanol in India

  • Legal Classification: Methanol is listed in Schedule I of the Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemical Rules 1989 in India.
  • Food Safety Standards: The Food Safety and Standards (Alcoholic Beverages) Regulations 2018 specify permissible methanol limits in different alcoholic beverages.
  • Quality Standards: Indian Standard IS 517 outlines quality requirements for methanol, and the Tamil Nadu Denatured Spirit, Methyl Alcohol, and Varnish (French Polish) Rules 1959 govern packaging and labeling requirements.
QEP Pocket Notes