Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
2
Methanol: Fate and Transport
in the Environment
RULA A. DEEB, TODD L. ANDERSON, MICHAEL C. KAVANAUGH,
and LAUREN A. KELL
ARCADIS U.S., Inc., Emeryville, CA, USA
2.1
INTRODUCTION
2.1.1 Release Scenarios
In the United States in 2007, methanol ranked fourth among all
chemicals reportedly released by industry to the environment as noted
in annual Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) reports required by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) (USEPA, 2009). These
releases were primarily from paper, chemicals, and wood products
industries (USEPA, 2009). As shown in Table 2.1, methanol releases
from industry in 2006 and 2007 in the United States were primarily to
the atmosphere; however,
15-19% of methanol was directly dis-
charged into groundwater, soil, or surface water during these years.
The total reported volume of methanol released to the U.S. environment
represents
1.5% of the total U.S. production volume. In 2001, the
United States produced an estimated 3.5-4million metric tons (mt) of
methanol (DeWitt, 2002), with roughly 1.5-2million of this being
“merchant” (for transport/sale) and the remaining 2million metric tons
created and used at the same facility as a feedstock for other products
(DeWitt, 2002). Monitoring of methanol in the atmosphere, surface
water, or groundwater is generally not required; neither the Clean Air
Act (CAA), Clean Water Act (CWA), nor Safe Drinking Water Act
