New Britain herald., 1918-01-11
SUBSTITUTE FOR
 COAL IN SWEDEN
Country Turning to Peat When
 Coal Supply Is Inadequate
GU. s. Consul Wallace J. Young.
 Goteborg)

GOteborg)
 The present scarcity of fuel in Swe- den, especially for traffic and indus trial needs, has brought forth many plans for production of substitutes for acoal and better utilization of do-
 mestic fuels. especially the vast de- 9posits of peat. Experiments with the manufacture of ordinary peat fuel, peat powder, peat coke. peat gas, and the like have been continued
 The latest effort in this direction is mentioned in the "Goteborgs Handels och Sjofarts Tidning," Goteborg, for November 1, 1917, in an article the translation of which follows:
 '"The organization instrument has lately been filed for company in Malmo, the purpose of which is to produce peat coke and by-products according to methods invented by pr. w. Wielandt. The capital stock, which IS to be not less than 5,000,0OO crowns ($1. .34O,000) and not more than 15,- 100000 crowns (s4,020,000), has all ready been subscribed privately.
 The Wie1andt method originated in 1902, when two German scientists, Prof. Paul flooring and pr. w. Vie lduuL, COHInCnCed, III olueilU LII s, ellSlI extensive Investigations regarding the chemistry of peat, which up to that time had been almost unknown. On the basis of the experiences gained by the analyses in the laboratory experi- the first factory for peat destil- lation was built at Elisabethfehn in 1905. There were regularly produced coke and by-products, such as sul- r,h a a of 91r0h01 ic acid, tar, motor oils lubricating oils, creosote, paraffin (soft for match factories, hard for candle factories) and asphalt (pitch). Further, the peat gases were economically taken care Of for production of power (elec- tric) and for heating of the ovens and distilling retorts.
 "The coke that can be produced by the Wielandt system is an excellent fuel with about twice the ca1oric value of ordinary peat fuel or peat powder It burns without smoke and with lit tie draft, and leaves no slag. It is therefore an excellent household fuel, and can, alone or mixed with charcoal, be used in the production of high grade iron. It is considered to be especially useful in the electric smelt- ing of iron.
 ing to the value of the byproducts obtained. Tn manufacturing on a, large scale, the cost price will probably he from 10 to 12 crowns $2.6S to s3.22) per ton.
 "The by-products play an import ant part; for instance, the creosote. which is used for the preservation of wood (railroad ties, etc), and the other by-products, such as oils, para fin, etc, are equally important.
 Improved Peat Producing Methods.
 t"The chief requisite for an economic production is sufficient quantity of air-dried peat at a low price. In us ing the Wielandt automatic excavat- ing machines not more than 80 men are required for an annual production of 100000 tons of air-dried peat. Otherwise a force of 804 men would be required for the same production. MT. John Hallmen, the manager of the Government Peat School, who has seen the Wielandt establishments and has thoroughly studied the system, states that this method ought to be of assistance in solving the peat ques- ton in Sweden, especially as the by products obtained are of great 1mpor- tance to this country. These by-prod- ucts can be obtained in such quantities that they ought to be a considerable contribution toward the supplies need ed in this line.
 There are in Sweden more than B. 100000 hectares (12, 1855, 22O acres) of peat bogs. If it be calculated thar only per cent. of these were sulta bic for the Wielaindt industry, this would give 100000 hectares (49,209 acres), net If the bogs be calculated to be 25 to meters (S.2 to 9.S feet) deep, about 1000, 0,000,0O0 tons of air-dried peat can be dug from them. If profit of only 20 crowns ($5.36) per ton were gained in utilizing the Vie landt method, this would yield a di-