Power Alcohol

POWER ALCOHOL Whilst alcohol can be used like petrol (gasolene) in motor en gines, it cannot be used with maximum efficiency by itself in en gines of modern motor vehicles because it requires a higher degree of compression than such engines are usually designed to stand, and also because, unless special arrangements are made, a motor engine will not start readily from the cold on alcohol. After mix ture with benzol or petrol, or with ether in varying proportions, it can, however, be employed successfully. In the event of its pro duction proving a commercial possibility it should, therefore, form a valuable addition to the liquid-fuel resources of the world.

In the appended table are given some comparative figures in connection with commercial petrols and alcohol, taken from a paper by H. R. Ricardo published in the Automobile Engineer Miscibility.—Alcoholof the strength usually employed as a liquid fuel, viz., 95% by volume, will mix with ether in all pro portions, and motor fuels consisting of alcohol and ether are in use; e.g., Natalite. Alcohol will not form a stable mixture with benzol or petrol under all conditions of temperature, but in creased miscibility at low temperature can be obtained by the ad dition of a third substance, and higher alcohols," of which butyl and amyl alcohol are the best, and many other liquids, have been patented for the purpose. If anhydrous or absolute alcohol is employed, miscibility with petrol is obtained under all practical conditions of use.

Absolute Alcohol.

Theproduction of absolute alcohol is based on two main processes, (1) the use of solid and liquid de hydrating agents, and (2) dehydration by distillation of alcohol in the presence of liquids immiscible with water, such as benzene. The high latent heat of evaporation of alcohol explains very largely its anti-detonating effect on petrol, and this property will lead to its more general use as an anti-detonant.

Production of Power Alcohol.

Investigationsstarted by the British Government in 192o have shown, according to the official memorandum, that :—"The production of alcohol in any considerable quantities from vegetable materials grown in the United Kingdom is not economically possible owing to :—(1) in sufficient acreage, (2) the high cost of cultivation and harvesting, (3) the high cost of manufacture, and (4) the fact that the most suitable raw materials are also important food stuffs." In a further memorandum, issued in 1925, the conclusion was reached that, of the materials considered for the purpose, viz., potatoes, mangolds and Jerusalem artichokes, the last named would seem to be a possible source, but in an emergency only. Another offi cial memorandum, issued in Dec. 1921, suggested that there were possibilities in some of the dominions, colonies and protectorates of making alcohol from molasses, and from suitable root and tuber crops, but not for export to this country in view of the low price of petrol.

An investigation has been made as to the possibility of employ ing cellulosic materials such as the grasses of Australia and Africa, and the waste vegetable products such as maize and rice straw, corn cobs, rice husks, sisal hemp waste, etc. A report made by the fuel research division of the department of scientific and in dustrial research, was issued in July 1927. The results of this work have established the details of a process consisting in a weak acid hydrolysis of the material, which converts the hemi cellulose of the plant into simple pentose sugar, and the subse quent fermentation of the sugar, by means of a special micro-or ganism, into a liquid consisting of about 9o% of alcohol and o% of acetone—a more efficient fuel for internal combustion engines than alcohol alone.

Alcohol can also be produced from carbide, but this would only be possible commercially where very cheap power is available. The ethylene contained in coal and coke oven gases can be con verted into alcohol, but even should it be possible to work out a cheap process, the ethylene that could be made available from these sources, would not be likely to add very much to the world's liquid fuel supplies. The progress made recently in the liquefac tion of coal and in the catalytic synthesis of organic liquids from carbon monoxide and hydrogen makes it probable that the liquid fuel requirements of coal-producing countries will be met by these means in the not very distant future.

Power Alcohol in the British Empire.

Substantialefforts to manufacture and use power alcohol have been made in British Guiana, several sugar plantations producing it. The use of the mahua flower (Bassia latif olia) to produce power alcohol has been taken up by the Hyderabad State Government, and a factory has been erected at Kamareddi. The possibilities of making alcohol in Malaya from the juice of the nipa-palm have been the sub ject of investigation. The chances of success would appear to be promising. A large factory for the production of an alcohol ether motor fuel has been built in Mauritius. In Natal a motor fuel composed of approximatelY 55 parts of alcohol and 45 parts of ether, and known as "Natalite," is manufactured from mo lasses and, to some extent, from maize. Motor fuel was being produced successfully in 1923 in N ew Zealand from waste pota toes, grain, fruit, molasses and various shrubs and roots. In Queensland a factory in the Mackay sugar district has been built with an output of about a million gallons of 95% alcohol a year. In South Africa, also, a good deal of attention has been devoted to the question of producing industrial and power alcohol from crops.

Power Alcohol in Other Countries.

Argentinahas a "Car burante Nacional" composed of so% of 98.4% alcohol, and 5o% petrol by volume. An alcohol-ether motor fuel is produced in Cuba from molasses. Czecho-Slovakia produces a composite fuel known as "Dynalcol," a mixture of approximately 3 parts of alco hol to four parts of benzol. Work is being done at Strendstruf in Denmark on the cultivation of special potatoes of high starch content. In France a law was passed in 1923 prescribing a "Car burant National." It requires all importers of petrol, benzol, benzene, toluene and coal distillation products, either alone or mixed, to purchase from the state a quantity of absolute alcohol corresponding to a minimum of o% on the quantity of petrol, etc., imported during the preceding month. The alcohol is to be used exclusively in motor fuels consisting of not less than 95 and not more than io5 parts by volume of absolute alcohol to oo parts by volume of hydrocarbons. The law has, however, become inoperative because users of the Carburant National are not sat isfied with it, and it entails a considerable loss to the state.

Recovery in the alcohol industry in Germany awaits a restora tion of the potato production to something like pre-war standards, when about 75% of the alcohol made was distilled from potatoes, of which 2,5oo,000 tons, unsuitable for other purposes, were util ized, producing an average of 77,000,000 gallons annually. The price whieh alcohol manufacturers may offer for potatoes is lim ited by the Government in the interest of conserving the potato crop for human and animal consumption. The national liquid fuel in Germany, "Monopolin," is composed of 45% petrol, 45% alcohol, and io% benzol.

In the Hawaiian Islands the surplus of molasses is used to some extent for the production of alcohol for domestic purposes and for power. In Japan there are one or two motor fuels of which alcohol is an ingredient to about so%. There are three plants in the Philippines for the manufacture of alcohol, and two liquid fuels are produced from it. One is a mixture of alcohol and ether, the other a mixture of alcohol and petrol. In Sweden a mixture of 25 parts of alcohol, obtained from sulphite lyes, and 7o parts of benzol is being sold under the name of "Bentyl" for use in motors. There are several distilleries in Norway capable of supplying alcohol from sulphite lyes up to 25% of the motor fuel requirements. (R. Ro., F. L. N.)