COAL DISTILLATION

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 52, 24 November 1928, Page 15

COAL DISTILLATION

AN INTERESTING FILM. An industrial film of more than ordinary interest was screened at the De Luxe Theatre yesterday morning. The picture was “shot” at the coal distillation plant recently erected close to the New Mount Colliery, near Ashby-de-la-Zouch, in Leicestershire, and jointly owned by the “L. and N.” Coal Distillation, Ltd., and the Leicestershire Colliery and Pipe Co., Ltd. The film is a remarkable demonstration of the working of the plant in producing primary oils, gas, smokeless fuel and other by-products of coal. The coal is treated to remove surplus moisture, and then charged into rotary retorts driven by electric motors. The retorts are heated by gas and the primary oils extracted. From the discharge chamber of the retorts, the residual coal is autqmatl’iy conveyed to a quenching plant and after a certain amount of mixer is added, It is crushed and then fed into powerful presses, which convert it into ovoid or block briquettes as required. At the end of last year a representative ran- of samples of New Zealand coals was sent to England and tested by the “L. and N.” Distillation process. All samples were successfully treated, including brown coals from the Waikato, Otago and Southland districts, as well as bituminous and subbituminous coal. In each case definite evidence was obtained that the “L. and N.” process can pr< fitably treat New Zealand coals, and that the residual fuel obtained, besides being smokeless, equals the original raw coal in calorific value, besides producing large percentages of primary oils and gas. The “L. and N.” process is covered by i itents taken out 1 / Mr. Harold Nielsen, a distinguished Danish chemist, and Mr. Bryan Laing, of Sunderland.