PETROL FROM COAL

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 22, 26 January 1934, Page 5

PETROL FROM COAL

HYDROGENATION PROCESS

LOCAL POSSIBILITIES

The bydrogenation of coal whereby New Zealand might become • independent of imported petroleum products was discussed by Mr. W. Donovan last night when ho delivered his presidential address to the annual meeting of tho Institute of Chemistry.

Tho establishment of such an industry in. New Zealand, hesaid, would require a capital expenditure of at least £12,000,000 and entire freedom from excise duty. The State would be deprived of revenue and the consumer would obtain no financial benefit. On thß other hand, the production of a million tons of coal a year and the working of the plant would require considerable labour.

The speaker pointed out that the i00,b00,000 gallons of petroleum products annually inix-orterl into this country at a cost *c of £.3,000,000 could hot be wholly replaced by similar products of New Zealand origin. Ho. discussed the possibility of the manufacture of ethyl alcohol and of benzol, bjit the most complete and most promising method of the production of petroleum- substitutes in non-petroleum-bearing countries was by the hydrogenation of coal. Public attention had been focused on that by the announcement that Im? perial-Chemical Industries", had ..decided -to* erect plant for the annual production of 30,000,000 gallons of petrol by the hydrogenation of coal, and that the British Government hacl guaranteed remission of excise fox a period on the petrol produced. :