MAKING ETHYL ALCOHOL.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 746, 19 February 1910, Page 14

MAKING ETHYL ALCOHOL.

- FROM SAWDUST. [By J. W. Ellis.] ; ? For: many' years'■ chemists' l 'have . produced alcohol, from, the sugar derived from wood' oellul'ose, ' with .the aid generally, of acids, but, up to lately, no-means had[ v be«'n discovered ; bywhich, it could. produced.; on'-a commercial basis; It would, however, seem , that a correct and cheap process, has at last been discovered. r :When 'laitely' in Chicago I'got in- touch with the patentees', of the new process, Messrs. Malcolm 1\ Ewen and George. H. Tomlingson, both engineers, of l Chicago, t and';had';;a ,long .'and' interesting talk 'with Mr; t Ewe'n 1 regarding' their discovery. . . have .;be6n ; .'working jfully five years, making almost continuous. 'experjments,- under the prptajtioiTof; a.. piitont .issued ..in 1901, r and,' about -two "years; ago;: they' Erected' a,' plant 'in-< Chicago /to ' demonstrate that a 'pure high-class 1 alcohol--.'could- be produced on a. practical-economic;;basis. from woo.d waste. . This plant has 'a'.capacity' of sixty tons of dry sawdust, etc., per day, and some thousands of gallons of a pure ethyl alcohol 18S-90;; proof- have been ,)■ made ; and sold, the . whole operation;'' of cofirse, being under the supervision:'of a States. Govern-, "ment.ga'ugefj .wEo"'concludes his final report, as follows:—"The' alcohol produced was-'all gauged by ino'in. my. official capacity; -ana was a potable.', alcohol of .-very. colour,"'and, ; in ;'my , .opinion, s an "'extremely fine' grade, of ethyl,; alcohol., I .would, further ,say that the,fermentations were regular, and : the' 1 yieldiof ;f alcohol very unifonn."

It is claimcd that "this trial-plant has proved;"that'.this; very,.- : high grade . of'p'otablcfvilfbh'6l>Kiiiib&?fflhftUfac . allowing '. for-, cost pf the;'wppd waste, ' at ■frpm...4d. ..-to-'- sd. gallon ia casks at the' factpry, and ,the'-analysis' shows.the product to bo purer -than grain alcohol, aiid .to; be ,free fr.bm't'fuSeh'.oil.V,; If these eliims- prpye'/cprfect,; it - wouldi'seem certain: 1 .-that the. sawdust product will su-pcr^doi.tho^alcohbl.-.made.irom-grain, as thelatter ' oosts to pro'diiro S (6wi&g.' to - the prica." of.' average of.-;l'sV';4d.; per; gallon; ;'But, -.beycnd competing .successfully' with, the alcohol used .ordinary spiritous -liquors; it is- claimed that' owing ,to : ;its;loiv..cost,- the-alcohol (when :denatur'aliscd) will be ;used,. 'hotJ pnly in place of- the artiole. known as,'.wood;alcohol,. and; used' iii''.miuiy..'.iiif' dustriosy bu'i ;also;;as;: a. fuel. '■ .-.'Gemany "already" 5 liseS • nv&c"tom ' potatpfls.; ' and, 'after' ' an . ex-, funded r and-'. series- of . that al..cohol was.-a more than coal :'o'r? o'il,' : .but"'tha't-its present;cost was too high- to make, its adoption, advisable. - Alcotiol snotor-carr. ■ ha.v-0 been already successfully used in Europe "and America, and; it" is generally recognised that, ■ given denatured alcohol at' ; ' a : low • prioo, all locomotives. and stationary, •.and "marine . ongines .'coilld substitute. :alcphol "for I coal with,- excellent; Tesults; in'economy/ conyenience, and. efficiency. '

It is claimed'that-tMs new cheap- alcohol ; when ' denatured . will meat success-' fully, ill as a' power anil heatand 'as' 'an; illuminant,-. not; only roal, '-but- also electricity,; gas,- ' gasoline, and vkerosene.-'Eegardiiig, the manufacture of';this; novel and';'remarkable'.product,' not only : sawdust, 'but. 'shavings, -.slabs, ti^t(^ > -::.aiid'^a]iy. < '']di£d'" of. wood''waste. atn.b6;.usod,;-ahd' fromirepieated .trials; are 'skidS t» -p'rCducV an 'average 'of -20 . gallons .per 20001b. (or .short- ton) of dry waste.' ; ; The . process *of : turning 'the wood cellulose ...into., the. sugar., solution required -to make alcohol is ' verjr 'simple. ; The; wood. 'waSte.'is taken ;straight -from l the 'saw■millß.or,.refuse,,heaps,^and; is dumped into -'ar brick-lined iteel. digestb'r, it :.is .filled, I ..with waste, sulfurojis is i :live?stejlm,'! r !'ahd ~ the ■ steam till ■; the : required heat •is obtained:' /The .time taken, of course, . a little,, but from ten to fifteen .minutes is enough-, as a rule. Tho steam is the treated matOTal...coiaveyed ito la; diffusion battery as used(iiV6ugar\beet;,factories, where the sugar is washed out into a clear solu-. Hon -. 'containing .-about' 12, per cent.. of sugar.This■ is..pumped. into .fermenting vats,- where yeast, is. added, 'and .'it .-then "readily : ferments.' i After, this the' process. does not' differ 'from the regular distilling process. ' ;; The iproduct ethyl alcohol' must not be confused with wood alcohol, as it is proof a pure-sugar,. solution, ,*int6 .which part of ihe- wood? is''first'"cbnvetted; ; ; 'and 'it -.is the I'same,; chemically!.' and physically,. "as t the ethyl .'made-.., from r grain: .'One . would ..naturally , - ask,- what progress . has .been/;ma;de;.in developing' this' wonderful discovery,"' and ■ why more, has;not been heard .of :it/ .Mr. ;Ewen.-tells'me v that the;position;!is-:that'.they.'.have/issued a license,; to.'.ihe' -B.i Jy Dppdnt ; .'.de, 'Nemours ,Powder,Co.;(said to be the largest powder company' in 'America) to -erect a plant, at the,.sawmills ; of the Atlantic Coast Lumber. -Association,.'at Georgetown;- S.C., .U.SJA..i.The-powder,:company have voted a,.: large ' its .lerection, - and the Standard< Alcohol Company! who now' own . the patents, feel'so". sure of- the success' of ' this i commercial' plantj : :that.. they. do not intend.-; to .'--issner W limore • lioenses tUI . this.. independent„.plaat.. is . in. full;.. and successful oparation., Mr. ,John'M. . ; Ewen, presidents of- the, .company, ..is chairman of - the■ Chicago Harbour -Commission, and icity.'.enpneer; ii ;'charge--ofS the ' large im'provemeiife.'being" made iff'jthe Chicago. Harbour,.was; given .a-'isairiple/ «f', the : alp6hol;;''and;''as .far as, Iji'can judge, it seems..reasonable.^;to,y. esgect that -its larga.quantih-es, " and 'eventually free - a great,;_qutotity;i.of : ,gr'ain : 'fdr;: human confsumption', /as rwelllas make' its j presence "felt >in' .many,-industries/ and inits 'de-natured-form', prove a:real"benefit to the world at . large, and incidentally- a good .side line for the larger sawmillers.