COAL CARBONISATION

Grey River Argus, 16 May 1935, Page 6

COAL CARBONISATION

MR. FORBES’S VISIT To British Research Station (Aus. and N.Z. Cable Assn.) (Supplied and released by N.Z. Govt.) LONDON, May 14. With a view to obtaining information regarding the utilisation of coals Mr Forbes visited the British Government Fuel Research* Station, and, under the guidance of the Director, made a detailed inspection of the various experiments which were being conducted, He closely questioned the Director on the work of the Station and learnt that great headway had been made in the last few years in the methods of extracting various fuels from coal. The Director expressed the opinion that new methods for carbonisation or hydrogenation of coal should be submitted to complete official tests before adoption. Latest developments indicate that a self-contained scheme for low temperature carbonisation, plus hydrogenation of tar produced, also utilising the gas produced for making hydrogen, is a definite possibility. He was not able to give an outline of the production costs, as they varied with local conditions, and they would have to be fully investigated before it would be wise to embark on any scheme. Mr and Mrs Forbes also visited the Imperial Chemical Industries’ agricultural experimental farm near Maidenhead. _ Thev were most interested in the "’irivehtigations into the use of fertilisers, renewals of pastures during grazing, packing for winter feed of grasses cut when short hot airdried and baled, retaining greenness and food value to an extent hitherto unknown in hay, and the attempt to evolve a simple, cheap apparatus to make the process available, even to the small farmer. M'r Forbes expressed the opinion that the experiments were important both to Australia and Now Zealand.