How to process methanol from wood in a simple way?

Answer 1

Take 2 hard glass boiling tubes.In one of the tubes put small pieces of wood, and some water in the other tube.Heat the first tube with burner.First heat gently and then strong heating.Through a delivery tube collect all the gases produced in the first tube under water in the second tube.By means of another delivery tube the gases over water in the second tube is taken out. This gas is simply called wood gas.Though we call it wood gas it is not a simple gas but a mixture of many.You will see drops of black liquid at the bottom of the second tube .This black liquid is called tar.Usually methanol and acetic acid is produced which mix with water in the second tube.Residue left in the first tube is charcoal.


Boiling point of methanol is abt 65 degree celcius and boiling point of acetic acid is 118 degree celcius. Acetic acid is a high boiling liquid then methanol. On the other hand, water has a boiling point of 100 degree celcius.Now apply fractional distillation to separate the three. For fractional distillation visit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fractional_distillation

Answer 2

Heating wood in the absence of air is called destructive distillation. It gives you a smelly black liquid which is a mixture of carbon compounds, many of them flammable, and charcoal. If you subject the liquid to fractional distillation, like crude oil in the refinery, you get methanol and various other liquid fuels like turpentine.