NEW MOTOR FUEL.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 18911, 28 January 1927, Page 4

NEW MOTOR FUEL.

A GERMAN DEVELOPMENT. An entirely new industry lately nas sprung up in Germany,. • which t promises well to replace, in importance, the chemical and dye industries which held premier place in that country prior to the world war, but which all but disappeared during the war, owing to the fact that many foreign countries; deprived of German dyes and chemicals, established similar industries of theft, own. The new-industry is the extraction from bituminous coal of a practical internal combustion motor fuel. "' The recent success of German engineers in making methyl , alcohol (methanol) out of carbonic oxide and hydrogen created a tremendous impression in the United States, due to the threat which this process naturally holds against the wood distillation industry, which is very large in * that country. Besides charcoal and wood tar, products of relatively little valiie, tho principal products from 'wood distillation are acetic acid and methyl alcohol. Acetic acid has been iproduced synthetically for some time in Germany, and now that German chemists and engineers also have discovered how to, produce methyl alcohol synthetically, the wood distillation process faces extinction through competition. German industry has long been de- , pendent upon imported motor fuels, and it was recognised that her domestic production, of industrial alcohol or benzol would never become great enough ■to make her industries independent of foreign motor fuels. The only hope of independence lay in the extraction of a suitable motor fuel from j bituminous coal, and for long this hope appeared slim enough.

' Rapid Strides Made. However, since the discovery was .made, comparatively recently, that methanol could be made from coal, rapid strides have been made toward an adequate commercial production of the fuel. ■ It is estimated that from 1000 to 2000 tons of the fuel already, have been turned out, and within the next two years it is believed that production at the rate of 250,000 to 300,000 tons annually will be achieved. This is in addition t<> the production of motalin and other substitute motor fuels. Of scarcely less importance than the discovery of the fuel itself is the fact that the great dye plants, which have been partially idle since the war, owing to the fact that the foreign markets for German dyes were greatly curtailed by foreign production, will be. the ducer of the new fuel. Many of the old plants are being remodelled for this purpose, and other large plants are being erected, specially for producing the methanol. A large new plant is being erected which, when completed and in operation, alone will turn out 1000 tons of motor fuel. The new fuel must not be confused with motalin. The Americans use a very poisonous mixture, ethyl gas, in motor fuel, which is said to prevent knocking in the motors. This process -has been improved by the I.G. by using iron curbonyl, which serves the same purpose, at less cost, and with less risk. But motalin is simply a product consisting of well-known motor spirits, with the addition of iron carbony]. Tt is not in itself a new motor fuel.

It is freely predicted that within a short time dyes will no longer be the chief product of the present huge dye and chemical works. (Synthetic nitrogen even now is the principal product.) Rather, the new synthetic Fuel will replace both the dyes and nitrogen as the principal product and the chief source of revenue.

Loss of power is not the only trouble caused l>y leaking valves. The hot flainep that escape past the valves distemper the valve stem, soften the valve spring, corrode stem bearing, and form a sediment that prevents free action.