INDUSTRIAL ALCOHOL

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 10288, 24 May 1919, Page 8

INDUSTRIAL ALCOHOL

PRODUCTION FROM WOOD

WASTE.

"WELL WORTH INVESTIGATION

Dr J. S. MacLaurin, Dominion Analyst, gave evidence before the .Industries Committee, of the House of Representatives yesterday as to the production of alcohol for industrial purposes from waste wood and other materials. The price of petrol before the war was Is 8d a gallon, and one gallon of petrol is equal to one gallon of absolute alcohol. To compete with petrol,, therefore, alcohol should be sold at Is 3d to Is (3d per gallon. It could bo produced from wheat and potatoes, starch, sugar, wood, and calcium carbide. Wheat and potatoes, however, in New Zealand were out of the question at anything like the present prices. Damaged wheat • and inferior potatoes might be used, if available in sufficient quan-. tity near the factories; but otherwise transport would bo prohibitive. Alcohol could'be produced from molasses at i comparatively small cost; but the 'amount of molasses made in New Zealand was far too small to produce alcohol in any quantity, and importation was .impracticable., The production of alcohol from sawdust, and other waste wood was well worthy of consideration, as a great deal of wood was now wasted in the Dominion. , Alcohol had been made on a commercial scale in America at BJd to Is per gallon; and it averaged 15 gallons of .alcohol per ton of dry wood which was equal to 20s to ! 25s per ton. At that cost the production of alcohol from wood should be practicable in New Zealand. As yet, however, there had not been sufficient investigation in regard to New Zealand timbers to draw any very exact conclusions. A large quantity of waste material from the flax-mills might also be used. The production of alcohol from waste wood was well worth investigation. To prevent abuse, the production of industrial alcohol would have to be a Government monopoly or the alcohol would have to- be produced In bond.