The Hawaiian gazette., 1914-12-11
BY 5. 5. proK

BY s. s. PECK
4 vi the sugar factory the raw mate
rial entering the process is the cane,
which j. then divided into four final
products, lagasse, presscakc, molasses
and sugar. The lagasse and prcsscafc
are entirely utilized The. folintr fur
nishes, or should furnish, all the heat
necessafy IN tho factory. The press.
cake is am Efficient fertilizer, and is ali
used as such.
The molasscs finds use both rs food
for stock or as fuel, but the bulk Of ii
is waste product. Ia some places Il
is u tropb'ssomc waste, since It must
be gotten rid of,by running into irriea.
tion ditehes. with more or less harms
full results TO fhe Game watefcd by
tbcAc ditehcs; ,ifi Other places more con
.vcuicntly situated, the sea receives the
bulk Of this final product
Alcohol Manufactnre
I Thu suggestion Of tin inc Of mn.
lasscs for mnn1factiire Of Spirit is not
d new ono. There arc perhaps economic
argumciits against its employment for
this purpose on these Islands, but there
ATE other arguments which may posi-.
lly oiitwcigh the oh ieetions. #1
The larger part Of the alcohol pfo-
gluecd intthe United States comes from
Pfaiiis, and ilr Germany. from potatoes:
On order 10 produce this alcohol, the
crop whether It be corn, rye, or pota-
toes. must belur0wn,. harvested, pass
through sonic preparation. such as husk
ing, then treated with acid or other
starch into glucose. at cost Of labor,
fuel and uniting material, and Is then,
and only thcn, in a condition to be
eonpared with orr waste molasses and
really for the fettncntation proeess II
needs no explanation 60 show that ail
these preliminary Operations are costly
oncs, aud that much nifty 30 satrincod
Ia the wag Of nrircs or marketing ex.
pehses and still leaso a profit to q
anolhsses edistifery.
Al Gallon CT ltoiasscs
For the purpose Of iIIustTation. a
gallon OF molasscr has been diluted and
fcrIhehted, and the product of distilla-
ton u exhibited herewith. Naturally,
working under laboratory conditions
with small capacity for disti'latior. the
work has not been very perfect. Never.
,thcless, ninety-throe per cent Of the
possible alcohol. az obtainAd' from an.
alysis Of the sugars IN the nolasses,
was recovered.
Allowance was made for tic non fer
ntdhtable reducing bodies always pres.
eht in Hawaiian nlolasses, and for tho
by-prodhtts always produced during al.
eohOlie fermentation BY repeated dis.
tillations an alcohol Of ninety per cert
strength was obtained Ii will be no.
ticed that there is present IN this M.
eohol none Of the odor 50 noticeable in
alcohol from niolasses. There has beeti
no chemical treatment used to destroy
these o1ors, simply process Of frae.
tionai distillatioh; aud there IS no rba.
son that in n property equipped still a
product equal to or superior TO this
should not be obtained in one distilla.
Ftfon.
Some Values Determined II
AS the result of this experiment. the
gallon of molasses yielded distillatc
equivalent TO ~ gallon Of ninety-foul
per cent alcohol. The wholesale price
of colbgne spirits Of this grade is $3.50
per gallon, from which tie internal
revenue tax (abdht &2.l3) must be de-.
Quoted, leaving 70 the distiller thirty
seven cents per gallon Of alcohol, ed,ir.
Nalent to fifteen aud half cents Iier cal.
Ion Of ni0lasses. This means sq6 Der
ton of molasses, aud H. would seem that
between this faure Rud 80, tie preseut
selling price Of mQlasses, there IA d
lnlargiif' far, more than sufficient TO I,ay
for the expenses attending the manu-
faafnfnA akt1 ~ - a
ss On II denatnfod alcohol isT 70 be
Rrodueed. with thc old dcneturant OF
100 ethyl to ten wood, alcohol the ton
OF molasses would be worth 1891 Al,
Iowance ~ made In this fR'ire for the
cost of the denaturant There. is of
course still a considerable value to the
lees or residue from distillation, a
point which viii lie taken up later.
Objections to Alcohol Manufacture
{ Threc arguments lraye been in gen.
ieral' presented against the manufacture
of aicohol from moiasses. as follows,
The red tape OF the iaternal' revenue
department As a matter Of fact, this
Is largely imaginary This department
does indeed make a multitude OF do.
minds, and the first reading of its re.
JquirenentsHleavcs ono with, sense OF
dizzincss; Lut intelligent stltdy of the
laws, and particularly an understand.
ing of the why's aud wherefores oil
them, clarifies the situation wonderful
ly Actually this regulations are u6t
any more stringent or complicated than
those which surround the large bank.
ing and Insurance corporations. and
they are continuing to 10 q very pro
ftable and satisfactory business.
The costs of operation. These have
in previous estimates eheen greatly
overestinated. Some have heeu hssed
GU results from aistilieries whore corr