First methanol recovery is usually fine, but starts to get darker later. I have read that this may be water or glycerol distilling but wasn't sure. Does anyone know what this is and how to avoid it?

Thanks

Hey Renroh,
I think what you are referring to is after a while of distilling the glycerin will bubble up and come through the condenser tube. Try using less glycerin in the still or perhaps a less aggressive heat source. You can also add a reflux column to your still and this pretty much eliminates the problem.

mcguyver

Don't overlook that your catch bucket could be less than clean, too. I commonly get a slight brown ting to my recovered methanol, not because any glycerin is getting in there (I have a reflux column), but because I have a limited number of barrels and at some point WVO have been in every one of them.

I have recovered a few hundred gallons over the past few months. I have a clear tube on part of the recovery pipework so that is where I see the stuff. I always thought it was just glycerol and the recovery tank was too full, but had no common experience to confirm. Thanks for the confirmation.

Ross