INTRODUCTION Formaldehyde is a key chemical component in many manufacturing processes.

Formaldehyde (CH2O) is known as the first series of aliphatic aldehydes. Formaldehyde can be produced by oxidation of methanol with air in the presence of catalyst. Formaldehyde may be produced at a relatively low cost, high purity, and from a variety of chemical reactions, making formaldehyde one of the most produced industrial chemicals in the world. In addition, commercial uses of formaldehyde have widespread industrial applications, which showcase how important the chemical is in our everyday lives. Formaldehyde has a colorless and distinctive pungent smell even can be detected in low concentrations. It is a highly flammable gas, with a flashpoint of 50C. The heat of combustion is 134.l kcal/mol or 4.47 kcal/g. Formaldehyde is soluble in a variety of solvents and miscible in water. Formaldehyde usually sold as 37 weight percent solution in water known as formalin. The reaction of formation is shown below: CH3OH + O2 HCHO + H2O

APPLICATION 1. Photography Formaldehyde is used in low concentrations for process C-41 (color negative film) stabilizer in the final wash step,[17] as well as in the process E-6 pre-bleach step, to obviate the need for it in the final wash. 2. Woodworking and cabinet-making industries Urea-formaldehyde is used in the glues that bond particle board together. The particle board is used underneath wood veneer and plastic laminate. Cabinets, bank counters, and veneered and laminated woodwork all use particle board containing urea-formaldehyde under the plastic laminate and wood veneer
3. The textile industry

as finishers to make fabrics crease-resistant. 4. Automobiles to make components for the transmission, electrical system, engine block, door panels, axles and brake shoes. 5. Medical application An aqueous solution of formaldehyde can be useful as a disinfectant as it kills most bacteria and fungi which including their spores. 6. Tissue fixative and embalming agent Formaldehyde preserves or fixes tissue or cells by a mixture of reversible (short exposure time and low temperatures) and irreversible (long exposure time and higher temperatures) cross-linking of primary amino groups in proteins with other nearby nitrogen atoms in protein or DNA through a -CH2- linkage.

Conclusion The process flow diagram (PFD) for the production of formalin from methanol is converges. The process consists of passing methanol through a reactor that produces formaldehyde in low concentrations. The resulting product is a combination of formaldehyde, water (a byproduct) and unreacted methanol. At stream 17, component mass flow rate for methanol, oxygen, formalin, water and nitrogen are 85.08346, 5.669592, 46530.04, 47741.23 and 142.9435 tonne/yr respectively. Temperature is 62.50978C whereas pressure is 17 psia. Supposedly, this process produce 50 000 tonne/yr but it only produce 46530.04 tonne/yr. Which mean the error is 6.94%. It may happen because, there are some error occurs on the pump because maybe the liquid pressure drops below the vapor pressure, and then liquid boiling will occurred. As a result, vapor bubbles may reduce or stop the liquid flow. Total mole and mass flow rate for this stream are 480.3217 kmol/hr and 10788.24 kg/hr respectively. For stream 15 methanol, formalin, and water are 25.14511, 169.2153, 319.1779 kmol/hr respectively recycled back to the inlet of fresh methanol.

REFERENCES

Formaldehyde Production and Manufacturing Process Retrieved at 3rd June 2012 from http://www.icis.com/v2/chemicals/9076014/formaldehyde/process.html Formalin Production Retrieved at 3rd June 2012 from

http://www.che.cemr.wvu.edu/publications/projects/formalin/formalin12.pdf Rene J. Buesa (2008) Histology without formalin? Annals of Diagnostic Pathology 12., Retrieved at 3rd June 2012 from http://www.scribd.com/doc/46111945/Formalin-in-Histology.