TASMANIA

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 7 January 1928, Page 7

TASMANIA

FRESH OIL RESOURCESCREATED BY NEW RETORT. HOBART, Dec. 16. Notwithstanding years of /research and the expenditure o.t very Uu'g capital, a way ha-s not yet been found to enable Tasmanian oil shales to he treated on a commercial basis. The .shale vie Ids 40 gallons of oil per ton, but it has been found most difficult to gist a satisfactory retort. It is essential that all the ore should be thoroughly cooked or heated, because faulty cooking results in fully 10 gallons of oil per ton of shale being lost. The quantity of shale in Tasmania varies, and it has been found that a retort might work quite for an hour, and then cease to do so. _ - A demonstration has just been given of a new retort which it is claimed overcomes the difficulties previously experienced. One of the/ di/iculties, that of separating the oil from rhe water, has been overcome. It is understood that as the. result of the demontsration, at which the Government was represented new capital will be introduced to try out the retort on a commercial basis. The Hi rector of Mines. Mr A. Mclntosh Reid, mentioned at the/ demonstration that there had been proved to b? in one area 17,000,000 tons of shale, this being the area upon which experimental production i® being carried out. Altogether there was a proved shale area, in Tasmania of 42.000,000 tons, while there was a nrobable quantity of 100.000,000 tons, the largest deposit in Australia. The content of oil ie probably not ess than 4,200,000,000 gallons.