The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1901-06-12
CHARCOAL eY-PRopucrs.
Processes for Saving Every valuable Eis-
nent In wood.

The profits possible from the sale
discussed In n recent report from
Frank II. Mason. United States con-
sul-general at Berlin. He says that,
colncldent with the development OF
coke manufacture In Germany by the
use of retort ovens, which recover the
ammonia, gas. tar AMI It's valuable
derivatives that are wasted by the
primitive "beehiye" oven process, has
been the Improvement In methods and
apparatus for wood distlllatlon.
through which the production OF char.
coal has been raised from the arcaic,
wasteful, earth-klln process that re-
covered only charcoal and tar. to an
intelligent scientific system, by which
every valuable element in the wood
is saved and added to the wealthpro-
duclng power of the forests. So far
has this been carried that special pat
ented processes have been devised for
using even sawdust aud the rough
outer bark of trees as material for the
manufacture of charcoal and other
prOdccts.
The apparatus for wood distillation
includes cast ana plate iron retorts OF
various types as well as ovens OF
masonry. together with pipes. coils,
tanks. and pans for condensation and
rcctincntion of the several distillates
and utilization Of the gases. The pro-
ducts of wood distillation form four
primary groups. which. with their prln-
cipal derivatives. may be synopized
as follows:
% Uncondenscd gases. which
may be burned as fuel. or, after GER
tain treatment. used for Illuminating
purposes.
t2D Tar. from which are derived
benZol. naphthalene, paralilne, rosln,
and phenyl acid (creosote)
t3D Pyrolisneous acid twood vino
gar). from which are derived acetic
acid acctone, and methyl, or wood
alcohol
ca Charcoal.
The charcoal yield is about one
fourth Of the entire weight Of wood, the
total dstllates one-half, and the
greater portion of these is hydratei
wood vinegar.
The tar is mainly used for the pro-
duction of creosOte and applied to the
antiseptlc treatment of wood. such as
posts. railway ties, paving blocks. etc.
to protect the fibre against decay.
Benzol and other derivatives serve for
a vast range of interesting researches
for new and valuable shades of colors.
BY far the most important by-pro-
duct Is the pyroligneous acid. or wood
vinegar. From this, one lerivative,
known in commerce as Essence OF
vinegar" can be made into table vine
gar by dssolvlng in 20 times its vol
ume of water. OF the direct deriva-
tives from the acetic acid the most
important Is acetone, which Is used as
a solvent in aniline and several other
branches of chemical manufacture. es-
peclally in the production OF smoke
les powder and other explosives. The
next valuable derivative from acetlc
acid Is wood spirit of methyl alcohol
II burns with blush flame of low
Illuminating power, dissolves resins,
gums, and essential oils. ana Is extern
slyely used in the manufacture of lacs
and varnlshes and for the denaturali.
zation of spirits which are to be used
for industrial purposes. Among the
other useful products of wood dlstilla-
tion Is oXalic acid, an important sub.
stance in dyeing and cloth printing.
which was formerly prepared by oxi-
dizing sugar, but is now much more
cheaply obtained from sawdust.-
New York Post.