Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-12-07

results with the least possible delay, Mr..
Thomas W. Pritchard. a practical expert
| in wood distillaton. has been engaged
J by the Forest Service to devote his entire
time to the work Mr.. Prtchard, who
| is a trained chemist. has for several
years been connected with successful dis
tillation plants in the South. lie has
already begun his work with the Forest
Service, and will at once communicate
with the owners of wood ii illation
plants throughout the country to first
determine the degree Of success to which
the business has reached. he viii then
closely examine the methods which have
resulted most successfully, and attempt
to extend their use. He will pay par
Iticular attention to the extent TO which
llumbermcn may adopt wood distilaton
as a means of turning into useful products
the tops. slabs, and other waste of saw
mills, which are often at present total
loss.
Destructive dstillation consists in driv-
ing out all the liquid matters in the wood
and collecting and condcnsing them
afterwards. Intense heat is employed,
and the original form Of the wood is
changed chemically into various liquids
land pure carbon. The wood IS closely
placed in Il steel retort, with the doors
tightly sealed and fires are started in
the furnace beneath
In a few hours distilation begins. Tile
liquids are driven from the wood. are
!changed to vapors. and pass off through
Il pipe at the top OF the retort, which lead,
1 to IA condenser or worm, Immersed in
water. where they are condensed i'm the
order of their gravity. Again restored to
LIQUID form, they then pass through the
rest OF the coil and run into collecting
tanks. Tho gas. the lishtcst of the prod
,ucts. rises TO the top of the coil and is
pipcd off.
i The liquid products are redistilled in n
secondary still into the various oils and
by-products. Thus. the thin, amber-col-
orcd OIL. which is one Of the products of
the first distiliation. is changed in the
second still into wood spirit or turpen-
tine, n light oil. and It heavy oil, the
iresiduum being tar. The process, which
is the one carried on at several success
full plants is only one of those which the
Forest Service is to take up critically.
| The OUTFIT for Il plant with Il capacity
.of LOO cords of wood every Sc hours, which
is as small as can be proiitably handled
Consists of a "battery," or two rctorts
l
retorts are set in brickwork, about 1000
bricks being required for battery"
In addition are needed a coil or condenser
of copper, Il copper still of Il capacity of
1000 gallons. a second condenser, sufficient
icOllecting and storing tanks. a boiler of
not less than 10 horsepower, and pumps
TO handle the products. All piping should
be, if possible, of copper, except after the
Second
be brass-lined
From such plant the yield should be
Approximately from 20 to 100 gallons of
oil or tar per cord. and from 10 to Is gal
Ions of wood turpentine. There are also
produced about % bushels Of charcoal and
pyrolgneous acid in quantities about
equal to the Oil The amount of products
~ in direct ratio TO the resinous con-
stituents in the raw material The value
OF the products is variable. If properly
made, the tar should bring the average
market price OF pine tar. and the spirits
sell for from Is to cents below the
market price of spirits of turpentne. Ii
no tar is made, and oil is produced, the
latter must he made into special prepara-
tons, such as wood preservatlves. paints.
stains, dsnfectants, or any one of Il
dozen products. The demand for wood
creosote oil in the state in which it comes
from the still is limited.
The application of wood distillation to
the utilization of waste material both from
the lumber mills and from the cut-ovcr
coniferous forests of the South is beyond
question. Any mill waste which is rich
in resinous products can be used, and
, the very best results are obtained from
the down timber and stumps in the cut
, over pine forests. Most of the lumber
, men have timber holdings which contain
material suitable for distilation The
great saw-mills of the Pacific coast have
, a large proportion of such material in
The slabs which now have little or no use.
by using the down timber in the woods
the fire risk is greatly minimized. since
any and all material suitable for wood
distllation Is necessarily of most in
, llanlmable nature. In many cases even