Methanol can be obtained from wood by a process called destructive distillation. In this process, wood is heated in the absence of air or oxygen, which causes it to break down and release volatile compounds. Methanol is one of the compounds released during this process and can be collected by condensation. This method has been used historically for producing methanol, which is also known as wood alcohol, as well as other chemicals such as charcoal, acetic acid, and tar.