A paper mill has recently proposed the treatment of methanol-containing condensate using anaerobic pretreatment system as an alternative control for hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) 40 CFR Part 63 Subpart S - Maximum Achievable Control Technology. To investigate the potential use of an anaerobic digester and to reduce methanol in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), the fate of methanol in a digester was examined. A series of laboratory-scale experiments were conducted and a mathematical model was developed to evaluate the fate of methanol during anaerobic treatment. From a mathematical model, the losses of methanol through the Styrofoam® cover system and volatilizations were calculated to be almost zero (<0.01%). Since acetaldehyde and methyl ethyl ketone have one order of Henry’s law constants magnitude smaller than methanol, the release of these by-products into the atmosphere is expected to be much smaller than methanol, which was found to have an almost zero loss through volatilization.
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/caer/cea/ecpp/agreement/pca/pca.htm., 2000
Yaws CL, Yang HC, Henry's Law Constant for Compound in Water, In "Thermodynamic and Physical Property Data," Edited by Yaws, C.L., Gulf Publishing Company, TX, 181, 1992
Zehnder JBA, "Biology of Anaerobic Microorganisms," Wiley-Liss, New York, 1988