ALCOHOL IN INDUSTRY. Owing to its very high price, duty-paid alcohol cannot be used for most industrial purposes (even in "wet" countries) ; exhaustive experiments were therefore carried out in England about the year 1853 to ascertain whether it would be possible so to treat alcohol as to enable it to be used industrially without any risk of the revenue being defrauded. Industrial Methylated Spirits.—Theexperiments of 1853 resulted in the legislation of 1855 which authorized the use, f or purely manufacturing purposes, of duty-free spirits mixed with so% by volume of wood naphtha (an impure methyl alcohol), the product being unfit for beverage purposes and known as "methylated spirits." By the Revenue Act of 1906 "methylated spirits" became "industrial methylated spirits" and the volume of wood naphtha was reduced to 5%. Methyl alcohol (q.v.) was selected because it is very difficult to remove even by distillation, and because its presence can readily be detected. Industrial methylated spirits are for use in industrial and other operations for which mineralized methylated spirits are unsuitable. By the regulations dated Dec. 7, 1925, a pharmaceutical chemist may be authorized to obtain industrial methylated spirits for sale as such or for other specified purposes under defined conditions.
Industrial Methylated Spirits (Pyridinized).—Regula tionsdated Dec. 7, 1925, authorized industrial methylated spirits, having the same composition as industrial methylated spirits, with an added 2 of I part of crude pyridine, to be used in the manu facture of "finish" for sale.
From1861 to 1891 methylated spirits were allowed to be sold by retail in Great Britain in small quantities for domestic purposes, but use in large quantities or in manufacture was only possible under excise super vision. In 189o, a new form known as "mineralized methylated spirits" was introduced, free from revenue supervision, for general use, the difference consisting in the further addition of of 1% of mineral naphtha. Mineralized methylated spirits in 1928 are a mixture of 90 parts by volume of alcohol, 92 parts of wood naphtha, and 1 part of crude pyridine, adding to every Ioo gallons of the mixture gallon of mineral naphtha and not less than s oz. of powdered aniline dye (methyl violet).
Followingon a report by a departmental committee in 1918, clauses were inserted in the Finance Act of 1920 legalizing the use of alcohol for power pur poses under the name of "power methylated spirits." The regula tions were issued in 1921, and such spirits are prepared according to the following formula:-92 parts of alcohol, 5 parts of benzol, z part of crude pyridine and 21 parts of wood naphtha, together with 1/4 1/40 oz. of Spirit Red III. dye in each I oo gallons of the mix ture. Spirits so prepared are sold free of duty and restriction when mixed with 25% of petrol, benzol, denatured ether or some other approved substance.
TheFinance Act of 1902 made it possible to use duty-free spirits in any art or manufacture when it is proved that the use of methylated spirits is unsuitable or detrimental. The spirits must be rendered unfit for use as a beverage before and during use. Frequently a suitable denaturant is found in some acid used or produced during the manufacturing operations, or the alcohol is a constituent of some mixed solvent. Thus the employment of pure alcohol denatured with 2% of pure methyl alcohol is allowed in the production of insulin without onerous excise restrictions. The use of pure duty f ree spirits by "universities, colleges and other public institutions for research and teaching" are laid down in regulations issued in May 191I.
Underthe Finance Act of 1921 an allowance of 5d. per proof gallon, equivalent to about 8d. per bulk gallon, is made on spirits used for preparing industrial methylated spirits and power methylated spirits; or on spirits received for use in the arts and manufacture. Imported spirits used for the manu facture of mineralized methylated spirits are charged a differen tial duty of 2S. 1 od. or 2S. I id. per proof gallon if foreign, and 4d. or 5d. per gallon if empire. When used for other purposes, em pire spirits are free of duty, while foreign spirits are charged 2S. 6d. per proof gallon. A rebate under the Finance Act of 1921 amounting to 8o% of the present duty is made in the case of duty paid spirits used for medicinal and for scientific purposes.
Apartfrom its use as a bev erage, alcohol is the raw material for the manufacture of vinegar, ether and chloroform, and enters into the composition of many dye stuffs. It is largely used as a solvent for the preparation of pure chemicals as well as for cleaning purposes. Various scientific operations require its use, as does also the preservation of museum and hospital specimens.
Out of a total of rather over 4 million bulk gallons of industrial methylated spirits used during the year 1926-27, 21 million gallons were employed for varnishes, "finishes," stains and paints. Of this quantity "finish" accounted for nearly 300,00o gallons of pyridinized spirits. The balance was distributed under 6o headings. The other chief uses were ether, 271,400 gallons; oil-cloths, leather-cloths and similar substances, 241,212 gallons; soap, 172, 661 gallons; and hospitals, asylums and infirmaries, 104,387 gal lons. Mineralized methylated spirits are largely used for burning in lamps and for cleaning purposes. The quantity used in a year is about 11 million bulk gallons. Power methylated spirits must be mixed with petrol or benzol, or denatured ether, and when so mixed may be distributed and used without restrictions for power purposes.
The following table gives the quantity in bulk gallons of the various descriptions of methylated spirits issued in the United Kingdom during the years specified: A great extension has occurred in the use of methyl alcohol for industrial purposes, apart from its use for denaturing, namely, from 38,00o gallons in 1913-14, to 300,00o gallons in 1926-27.
The regulations governing the use of industrial alcohols in the British dominions, colonies and protectorates are generally similar to those of the Imperial Government. In Australia there are four classes, and the principal substances used as denaturants are wood naphtha, pyridine, benzene, benzine (petroleum) and crystal violet. In Canada there are three grades of "denatured alcohol" and seven grades of "specially denatured alcohol"; wood alcohol is the main denaturant, but benzine, iodine, benzol, nitrobenzol and other substances are used. There are f our kinds of "methyl ated spirits" used in New Zealand, the denaturants being wood naphtha and also pyridine, mineral naphtha, turpentine and shellac, according to the intended use. "Methylated spirits" in the Union of South Africa are denatured with crude methyl alcohol and pyridine bases, or with Simonson oil and pyridine bases. For denaturing motor fuel the same denaturants are employed. In Kenya Colony "industrial alcohol" is denatured with crude methyl alcohol with or without pyridine bases, or, when used as a fuel for internal combustion engines, with sulphuric ether and pyridine bases. "Denatured spirits" in Mauritius, including spirits used as motor fuel, are denatured with wood naphtha and pyridine, or kerosene and pyridine. In India the generally accepted official formula prescribes the addition of o•5 % light caoutchoucine and o. % pyridine bases of mineral origin. In the West Indies methyl ated spirits are always denatured with wood naphtha or methyl alcohol with, in some cases, the addition of mineral naphtha.
TheNetherlands legalized the use of denatured alcohol in 1865 ; in 1872 France permitted its use under a special tax, and in Germany its employ ment was authorized in 1879, the other European countries f ol lowing—Austria in 1888, Italy in 1889, Sweden in 1890, Norway in 1891, Switzerland in 1893 and Belgium in 1896. Alcohol was used in Germany for many years before the war in increasing quantities as a source of heat, but its application for light and power started about 1887. In 1895 a distillation tax was imposed from which a refund was paid on alcohol used for other than beverage purposes.
In France a formula for general use has been approved which prescribes that to i oo litres of spirit, which must not contain more than 1 % of essential oils and must indicate at least 9o% alcohol at 15° C., must be added 5.5 litres of "Methylene type regie." The latter must indicate at least 90% alcohol, contain 25% acetone and at least 2.5% pyrogenous impurities produced by wood dis tillation. Should the use to which the alcohol is to be put justify such a course, a special formula for denaturing is allowed.
In Germany, apart from special substances added to denature alcohol for use in medicaments and foodstuffs, the materials added to alcohol destined for industrial use are as follows:-2.5 litres of wood spirit, or 1 litre of pyridine bases, or o•02 5 litre of ani mal oils, or 1 litre of turpentine oil, or 2 litres of toluene, or 2 litres of benzine, or o•5 kilogramme of centralite, for too litres of denatured spirit. For internal combustion engines 1•25 litres of a mixture of 2.5 parts wood spirit to 1 part of pyridine, 0.25 litres of methyl violet solution and from 2 to 20 litres of benzol may be added to too litres of spirit. For special industrial pur poses other mixtures are allowed, the chief denaturants being shellac, camphor, carbon tetrachloride or ether. The use of duty free pure alcohol is allowed in public hospitals and scientific in stitutions, and for the manufacture of fulminates, fuzes and smokeless powders.
France denatured 12 million bulk gallons in 1922, and 19 million bulk gallons in 1925. The quantity of alcohol used for industrial and other purposes in Germany is on the increase; in 1924-25 it amounted to nearly 24i million bulk gallons, whereas in 1925-26 it reached nearly 262 million.
