Imperial Valley press., 1916-10-14
A FUEL EVOLUTION FROM SAWDUSI

A fuel revolution from sawdust is promised by the
chemists. On the authority of such men as Arthur H.
Comey head of the laboratory department OF Du Pont
Powder Company, and Arthur D. Little, The Boston
chemist who has been employed by the Canadian Pacific
alroad at salary of 100000 year it is stated that
alcohol made from sawdust IS going to suppant gasoline
says Richard Spillaen
This is only the beginning of the wonders that have
come out of the chemists convention in New York.
Today in the SOUTH alcohol is being made from yel-
low pine sawdust and after that process is ended the
esue is made into food for cattle. In establish
ment $500 gallons of alcohol being produced daily.
The of production is said to be lower than that Of
making alcohol from corn
Mr. Little says there is longer question of the
commercial success in the manufacture of alcohol fol
automobiles 1t be made it has been demonstrated
from wood waste, from waste suphite liquor and from
mOaSSeS for low 25 cents gallon and at that price
il undoubtedly will be preferable to gasoline 1t is clean
than gasoline. will explode catch fire and will
develop practically much power"
.Ir. Comey says "the manufacture of alcohol from
saWdust is a commercial success"
To anyone who has been around the lumber mills
of the south and knows what nuisance sawdust was
considered this is startling In instances the mill
have tried to the stuff in place of coal wood
to make steam with which to their machinery but
not few had aerial carriers by which the sawdust
carried considerable distance and fed to the fires that
burned week in and week out night and day.
To these men saWdust was much of problem
to get rid of surplus cotton seed to the cot
ron
And now sawdust may rival cotton seed in utility if
AS the chemists explain the process by which alcohol
is made from sawdust it is something like this: The eel
uose in sawGust is extracted Ceuose is the substance
hat forms the cells and consists Of carbon hydrogen and
oxygen This is made to ferment and Of the fermen
tatiOn comes alcohol.
Theoretically, il not commercially, the same thing
be done with all the weeds all the grasses any
every form of plant life. The marsh and the desert
be made to yield power to drive machinery.
There is promise in what the chemists report of the
world coming into possession of the ideal fuel Of
ic abo time 0Irco haZyn
been drawn upon heavily and in such increasing guam
tes that the time when of the big fields would be
exhausted could be measured The cost Of coal has be-
great to be Of real trouble And coal
is far from being satisfactory fuel 1t has tremendous
waste. Most of its energy is lost Its bulk it's residue
and its general character operate against it. q
Gasoline and fuel oil have supplanted it in sone
branches but the oil question has become almost as Sci
that Of coal Gasoline made possible the tremen-
oous growth OF the automobile Now the cost Of gaso-
line makes much further growdth matter Of doubt
unless gasoline prices climbing There is limit
10 the production Of OIL 1t has been reached or almost
reached in the United States Mexico has big oil ter
ptoy but that does not assure cheaper gasoline
when the overwhelming needs Of the world are consd-
cred.