Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1905-12-11
WOOD DSTILLATION.
Important Results Being Oh
tained BY the Forestry SER
vice Through Scien>
tific Processes.

Wood distillation has been tried in
this country 90 extensively Of late.
and has been brought 20 prominently
to the attention OF the Forest Service
a. Q means Of utilizing waste in lum-
bering, that q careful and thorough In
vestigation Is to be made by the Ser
vice, covering both what has been &C
complained In this industry and what
may be done to reduce 1t to more
scientific principles and to place 1t
upon q sound commercial basis. The
various processes now In use will be
studied and compared, as well as the
resulting products and the Uses to
which they are or may be put.
To push this study to early and use.
ful results with the least possible de-
lay. MI. Thomas W. Pritchard, q prac.
tical expert In wood distillati0n, has
been engaged by the Forest Service
to devote his entire time to the work.
Mr.. Pritchard, who is q trained chem
ist. has for several years been con-
nected with successful dtstillation OF
plants in the south. He has already
begun his work with the Forest Ser.
vice, and will at once communicate
with the owners Of wood-distillation
plants throughout the country to first
determine the degree Of success to
which the business has reached. He
will then closely examine the methods
which have resulted most successfully,
and attempt to extend their use. He
will pay particular attention to the
extent 70 which iumbermen may adapt
'1od distillation ~ . means Of turning
into .~ssful products the tops. slabs.
and other waste Of saw-mills. which
are often al ,. --sent . total loss.
Destructive dist. 'lation consists In
driving out all liquid m ,>tsers 10 the
wood and collecting and con 'snslng
them afterwards. Intense heat Is sm'
ployed, and the original form Of the
wood Is changed chemically into var
ious liquids and pure carbon. The
wood is closely placed In a steel re-
tort. with the doors tightly sealed, and
fires are started in the furnace he.
neath.s
In a few hours d~ist..1Ation begins.
The liquids are arsven from the wood,
are cna..ssed II vapors, and pass of
-.roNEh a pipe at the top Of the retort
Witch leads to a condenser or worm
| immersed in water. where they are
| condensed In the order Of their gray
ity. Again restored to liquid form
they then pass through the rest Of tn,
coil and run into collecting tanks
The gas, the lightest OF the products
rises to the top Of the coil and is pipe,
off.
The liquid products are sredistille,
in a secondary still into the various
oils and by-products. Thus. the thin
a~mhercolored oil, which Is one Of tn,
products OF the first di~stillation, 4
changed In the second still into WOO,
spirit of turmntine. d light oil. and
heavys the residuum being tar. Tn,
process, which is the one carried OF
!, at several successful plants. is onl!
one of thoye which the Forest Servic,
Il to take up critically.
The outfit for a plant with q capa
city OF 100 cords OF MOO every thirty
! six hours. which is as small as can bt
profitahiy handled, consists of 4 bat
terry" or two retorts holding five
| cords of wood each, These retorts
are set In brickwork, about 10000
bricks being required FOR a battery.
In addition are needed a coil or con
icnsor Of copper. 4 copper still Of
Continued on page a,