PETROL FROM COAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 54, Issue 92, 29 January 1934, Page 8

PETROL FROM COAL.

HYDROGENATION PROCESS. ! ■' (Per Press Association). WELLINGTON, Jan. 27. The hydrogenation of coal whereby New Zealand might become independent of- imported petroleum products was discussed by Mr W. Donovan when he delivered his presidential address to the annual meeting of the Institute of Chemistry. The establishment of such ah industry in New Zealand, he said, 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 the 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 100,000,000 gallons of petroleum products annually imported into this country at a cost of £2,000,000 could not be wholly replaced by similar products of New Zealand origin. He discussed the possibility of the manufacture of ethyl alcohol and of benzol, but 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 Imperial 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 had guaranteed remission of excise for a period on the petrol produced.