ALCOHOL AS FUEL

New Zealand Times, Volume LII, Issue 12229, 29 August 1925, Page 9

ALCOHOL AS FUEL

PRODUCTION GROWING, v Ow : knowledge of the sources of the production of alcohol in quantities sufficient to make it interesting to speculate upon the possibilities of ultimately producing within the Empire ,a spirit which can he used for motor fuel, as a promoting solvent in the manufacture of' high explosives and in the production of poison gases, is growing. Prom the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew (London) there'has just been isßued a bulletin which contains a review of these sources—a welcome publication, because many were fearing that interest in the _ subject had waned and research had diminished. The chief useful eonroes are fruits, wood; coffee, artichokes, sweet potatoes, and molasses. Among fruits the prickly pear is available to tho extent of millions of acres-in Queensland and New South Wales, but it is necessaiy for profitable distillation for the fruit to be conveniently obtainable in quantities of not less than 10 tons to an aore; this weight would produce 110 gallons of spirit. From 1000 kilos of oofiee pulp 127 litres of alcohol can be distilled, whilst 100 kilos of acorns will give from 8J to 20J litres. In South Africa the , intensive cultivation of the sweet potatoes is advised, a possible yield being from 6 to 7 tons per acre, affording 35 gallons of alcohol to the ton. A ton of sugar will yield 40 gallons of molasses, from which 16 gallons of alcohol of the first quality can be obtained. From western larch no fewer than 33 gallons to the ton of dry wood is yielded—almost 10 gallons a ton more than - the yield obtained from any other wood;