The news=record. [volume] (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Oregon) 1907-1910, 1908-12-12
DENATURED ALCOHOL.
Oregon Agricultural College Press

On June Z, 1906, congress passed
a law removing the internal revenue
tax of $2.O7 per gallon on grain al
cohol which had been properly de-
natured or rendered unfit for drink
ing purposes by the addition of GER
tain materials such as wood alcohol
benzine or pyridine. 1t was hoped
that by the removal of this tax alco-
hol could be obtained cheaply enough
to compete with petroleum for light
and fuel. The demand for such alco-
hol can be readily seen when we
note that approximately million
gallons of gasoline are consumed
daily in the country and that the
increased demand for it, due to the
development of the modern explosion
motor, has doubled it's price in the
Hast ten years. Indiana and Ohio
oils contain only about per cent of
gasoline and the per cent of the
lighter distillate of California and
Texas crude oil is very low The
supply of gasoline therefor seems
to be limited but the demand is in
creasiag. Alcohol, it has been dem
onsIrated can meet this demand
Furthermore the annual consumption
of kerosene in the United States ap-
proximates 1 billion gallons, three
fourths of which are probably used
by the farmers. Since one gallon of
alcohol is equivalent to gallons of
kerosene for lighting purposes 375
gallons of alcohol could be used on
the farms of this country each year.
This would require for it's production
140 million bushels of corn, or mil
lion acres-an increase of per cent
over that now grown. If made from
potatoes this 375 million gallons OF
alcohol would require $50 million
bushels or million acres an in
crease of 60 per cent over that now
produced. The present consumption
of alcohol amounts to but 16 millions
per year.
Ethyl or grain alcohol is natural
product formed by the fermentation
of various kinds of sugar through the
agency of yeast organisms. Since
starch Is readily convertible into su
gar by either natural or artificial
means, materials which contain no
table quantities of either starch or
sugar may be utilized for making al
cohol. The more important sources
of alcohol are the cereals, potatoes,
molasses and fruits. In France alec
hol is chiefly made from the sugar
beet, in Germany from the potato
and in America from corn A bushe
of corn will yield approximately ~
gallons of 95 per cent alcohol; {
bushel of potatoes % of gallon ant
bushel of apples 1-3 of a gallon.
The yield depends directly upon the
sugar and starch content of the
material used and in general suga
will yield one-half its weight o.
alcohol.
In the large distilleries it costs
about II cents to manufacture
and place on the market one gal
Ion Of alcohol and the cost of the
raw material used brings this ordi
narily to approximately 80 cents
Allowing for the necessary profit al
cohol will reach the consumer a
about 40 cents per gallon. But alco
hol at 40 cents can compete with ker
osene at 20 cents for lighting pur-
poses since alcohol has twice the
illuminating value of kerosene and in
competition can never demand more
than one-half the market price of
alcohol
For making cheap alcohol a cheap
concentrated raw product and well
equipped plant are necessary. The
plant should have a capacity of at
least 100 gallons per day, the cost
of such a plant being in the neigh
borhood of $4,000. No such plant
can operate successfully on wai,I
products alone especially if such ere
to be obtained for only brief part
of the year. as for example waste
fruits. There must be some more
staple product as basis with the
waste materials handled as a side
issue. For staple in the North
west we must look to potatoes or
sugar beets and damaged grain when
1t can be secured, on which mate
rials together with various waste pro
duets, a plant could be operated
throughout the year. The combina.
uon of starch factory and an al.
cohol plant esems also to be feas.
ible plan for obtaining cheap alcohol.