The Washington herald., 1922-06-12
LOWLY CORNCOB
SOURCE OF MOTOR
FUEL SUBSTITUTE
Newly-Found Furfural
Also Takes Place of
Hard Rubber.
is U. S. DISCOVERY
Bureau of Chemistry Reveals
Substance Can Be Used for
Formaldehyde.

The Department of Agriculture,
after six years of trying. has res
cued the lowly corn cob from the
ignominy OF hog-fodder and raised
II to the level of a substitute for
hard rubber and a possible motor
fuel supply.
This has been made possible
through the extraction of a corn
cob by-product known as furfural.
according to DIR. w. w. Skinner,
assistant chief of the Bureau of
Chemistry. The production Of fur
fural on commercial scale at
about 6 cents a pound was made
possible through the work OF DR..
Frederick b. La Forge and Gerald
II. Mains. of the Bureau of Chem
istry.
Used for Many Articles.
The Importance of furfurai pro-
duction on a large scale is appar-
ent," DR.. Skinner said. when IL is
realized that such widely used ar
ticles as printing plates-light. dur
able substitutes for electrotypes-
phonograph records. varnishes, pipe
stems. cigarette holders. electrical
instrument parts formerly made Of
hard rubber. buttons, binders for
brushes. glue, and a hundred other
kindred articles are now being
manufactured from synthetic resin
compounds. These compounds are
made with furfural."
The synthetic resins industry.
since chemists discovered the secret
of making them about fifteen years
ago. has had a remarkable growth.
The raw materials used in this in
dustry are chiefly formaldehyde and
phenol (carbolic acid). These two
compounds, chemically combined.
condense into solid which is
highly valuable as the basis for
making the articles enumerated
Thorough tests have proved fur
fural to be an excellent substitute
for formaldehyde In this work.
Can Re Used as Fuel.
The possibilities of conservation
may he seen when II Is explained
that the source of formaIdehyde is
methanol (wood alcohon. and that
methanol is produced chiefly from
the destructive distillatioa OF hard
woods, such as birch. beech. oak.
maple and elm. The soft woods.
while they are more plentiful In
America. produce such low yields
of methanol that they are Of small
value as source of supply.
The present price of formaldehyde
is to 10 cents per pound for a 40
per cent solution Under methods
of producing furfural now In gem
eral use. the product sells for about
so cents per pound. The present
price of methanol is about 50 cents
per gallon.
DR.. La Forge has reported the
successful use Of furfural as a fuel
in an automobile engine. But, be-
cause of its high boiling point. he
said. IT cannot be used with the type
of carburetor suited to gasoline.
VIII Erect Plant.
The method of producing furfuraI
Is simple: The corn cobs, with some
water. are placed in a cylinder or
pressure cooker and steam at about
l35 pounds pressure is turned in.
After cooking about two hours, the
furfural comes out of the corn cobs
and is blown off with steam, passed
through a condenser and collected
as a solution Of furfural in water
This solution Is then distilled in a
special apparatus for the separation
of the furfural from the. water.
Plans are now under way. II was
announced. for the erection Of the
first commercial plant to utilize this
new process. 1t will probably be
located somewhere in the corn belt
where raw materials are close at
hand.