Originally Posted by Murphy2000
I think Fabman will probably know more about the in's and out's of methanol recovery than I do..
However, here is some food for thought.
Why bother even recovering the methanol? It is energy intensive and the returns are minimal..
Energy intensive? I don't think so. When I was using vacuum to recover my methanol I was using a Gast Vacuum pump with a 1/4 hp electric motor. Since 1 hp= 750 watts, I was using 187.5 watts PER HOUR. My electric costs are 6 CENTS PER 1,000 WATTS. I could process 50 gallons of glycerol in less than 3 hours at a cost of approx 3 1/2 cents!
Even though I buy my Methanol 600 gallons at a time [2- 300 gallon totes] at wholesale cost, [ just bought 2 yesterday, $.32/pound] by recovering the methanol I save almost HALF of my raw methanol costs................
Most people don't use as much Methanol as I do, but pay more than I do, so the savings will be more for somebody that pays a higher price per pound.