LIQUEFACTION OF COAL.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 123, 26 May 1928, Page 10

LIQUEFACTION OF COAL.

PRODUCTION OF MOTOR SPIRIT. IS IT POSSIBLE IN NEW ZEALAND? The April number of the "New Zealand Journal of Science and Technology," contains a lengthy report on the important question of liquefaction of coal. The matter is one of the utmost importance to the coal .mining industry in New Zealand.

The development of hydro-electric systems to generate heat, light and power must necessarily lessen the use of coal. At the same time the rapid growth of motor traction means millions of pounds being sent from New Zealand for benzine. If a cheap process could be discovered by which the big coal deposits of New Zealand could be converted into a motor spirit, at a reasonable charge, it would mean not only assured work at full time for mine workers, but also the retaining in New Zealand of the large sums now annually sent away in payment for the benzine imported.

That motor spirit can be extracted from coal has been,proved, aiso that the residue can be converted into briquets useful for firing purposes, but the problem that requires to be solved is whether or not it can be done in NewZealand with the present cost of winning coal.

The article in the "Journal of Science" is by Henry Oscar Askew, and deals with the Bergius process .for the liquification of coal. The writer points out that tiio conversion of carbonaceous materials into liquid products, has been attempted many times. The earliest experiments were by Berthelot in 1870, \\lio examined the products of reaction of a number of materials, including coal, on heating with hydriodic acid.

Besults of later'experiments produced oily compounds, giving a distinct petroetim- ike odour. Bergius and Billwilier bi ought out the patents, wii'idi form the u?*l starting point of the intensive work, \\.iich has since been carried on. not only ( ' erma ny, but in other countries, on the production of oil from coals. Germany has the advantage of beiuo- able to produce coal suitable for the process at a very low cost per ton. 1 he iii st patent was taken out in 101 j to produce liquid or soluble organic compounds from anthracite and bv treat merit with hydrogen at high nressures and hign temperatures. Shortly put' the result of research so far has been to prove that complex: substances can be broken down into simple compounds some of which are oils. With one type of coal the yield of oil was 130 to *140 gallons per ton, but the quantity varies in different measures.

The whole question resolves itself into at what cost per ton of coal can a motor spirit be produced in commcrcial quantities in New Zealand ?