Tuesday 22 March 2016

The dangers of methanol fires

Methanol, also known as wood alcohol, is a highly toxic chemical used in everyday products to improve our lives. Used in biodiesel production, waste water treatments, racing fuel and even everyday products such as paint, it is a colourless, organic liquid at room temperature that’s completely water-soluble and an easily ignitable hydrocarbon in air. When burning, it gives off a blue flame, but when looking at it in daylight it looks invisible. When it comes to methanol fires, how do you fight something you cannot see?