THE PASSING OF PETROL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17954, 5 June 1920, Page 10

THE PASSING OF PETROL

A SCIENTIST'S DISCOVERY.

"SUN-POWER" THE SOLUTION.

The high prices ruling for petrol in Britain have directed attention to possible substitutes. Professor Harold B. Dixon, F.K.S.. who is a member of the InterDepartmental Committee on Alcohol Motor Fuel, and is in charge at the Manchester University of all research and experiments in connection with the discovery of a suitable alternative fuel to petrol, claims some very real progress as a result of his investigations. Some motor-power authorities are prophesying the approaching independence of the British Empire in the matter of imported motor fuel' and the numbering of the days of the 7s 5d tin of petrol. Incidentally it may interest non-petrol users to know that at present tho New Zealand price is more than double the figure which has aroused such indignation in Britain. Professor Dixon is still conducting inquiries into the different values of ordinary alcohol, ether, benzole, and various mixtures of all three. In his opinion, according to the Manchester motoring- correspondent of tho Daily Mail, we " can rid ourselves permanently of tho petrol incubus and more than fill the enormous demands of motor transport all over tho Empire by taking sun-power as it comes and not by draining away the limited store of old sun-products still available." "My researches so far," said Professor Dixon to tho correspondent, " have con--vinccd me that we oan get all tho motor fuel we. need from a single tree or other form pf vegetation. I say ' tree,' because I beliove the mnhua tree, which -rows freely in. India, yields, a large proportion, of alcohol from its flowers when they are treated. But a good yield is also obtained from molasses, of Ivhieh there is a hugo supply in the West Indies and other accessible parts of the Empire. " Pure alcohol, as you know, needs a higher compression in tho ordinary motorengine than we use to-day. It is also difficult; to start up from cold. _ut mixed with either benzole or, what I regard as infinitely more practical, ether, it, becomes as tractable a fuel as any we have now. Ether is produced, of course, from tho alcohol itself.

"I am still experimenting with compressions to find out exactly at what point different strengths of th« alcohol mixtures are most, officient all ronnrl."

'How long would it be before -such a supply of fuel could begin ?" Professor Dixon was asked.

" That does not worry me at all," he replied. "From the moment the Government. sanction its manufacture and when the raw material and plnnt is available, it is only a question of ordinary chemical nroeess to extract fie stuff. A few weeks. It does not take long to make." Tt. is expected that the committee's report will be presented next month.