The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1923-02-14


Washington. d. O-Savants have
shown that If the atmosphere were
not i~mpregnated with dust there would
be no cloud effects, no radiant sunsets,
no soft afterglow of harmonious color
ings which lend a halo to the quiet of
eyentide. Also, there could be no
condensation of moisture as in rain,
mist or fog without nuclei such as
dust particles.
That is one of the stories of the
usefulness of dust, but government
scientists and others are more inter
ested Just now in determining what
can be done with dusts of specific
kinds that have long constituted big
items of waste in various industries.
Perhaps the most interesting de-
velopment of the experimental work
that has been going on is in connec-
ton with the problem of what to do
with sawdust. Ever since the first
saw bit it's way through a piece of
timber the enormous waste in sawdust
has been a matter to worry over. In
time it was found thai this debris
could be made commercially valuable
as the basis of various manufactures.
Oxalic acid is produced on a large
scale from sawdust, and sawdust is
also used in the carbonating stage of
the process for the manufacture of
soda ash.
Alcohol From Sawdust.
But now it has been discovered that
sawdust can be converted into a food
and by carrying the process a step fur
Their alcohol may be, produced.
The sawdust food is n for beast
and not for man, but nevertheless it
is useful and may become a factor in
farm economics. Sawdust alcohol will
not be used for beverage purposes, but
there is a great need for a new motor
fuel to take the place of gasoline or
to supplement the supply of that arti-
Gle which is not keeping pace with the
demand, and alcohol seems to hold
out the greatest possibilities in that
direction.
White pine sawdust is used in this
process. 1t is treated with dilute sui
phuric acid and cooked under pressure
with steam. This brings about Il
chemical change in which the sawdust
is partially converted into glucose, "a
simple sugar which is both digestible
and Of food value. There is from Il
to Is per cent of glucose in this mix
ture. which is then ne%utralized with
live thA cr4rar dfGGnlxn6 and thn co
luton filtered off and boiled down I'M
der reduced pressure until it is of the
consistency of molasses. This mo
lasses is then mixed with the partially
dried sawdust residue and the result
is a product closely resembling bran.
Farmer Had Right Idea.
Thus il would appear that the tight.
listed farmer who tried feeding his
mules excelsior and sawdust as sub
stitutes for grass and bran mash had
the right idea. His trouble was that
he did not prepare the stuff properly
In producing alcohol from the bran
mixture the essential step is to lei
the sugar in it ferment. 1t is esti-
mated that three to four hundred mil
lion gallons of alcohol could in this
way be derived from sawdust, shay
ings and bits Of lumber that are
wasted each year in the mills of the
country.
The debris of the lumber industry
is by no means the only dust that is
being conserved and put to useful pur-
poses. Coal dust is another notable
example, and in view of the present
shortage in the coal supply as a re-
suit Of the strife its utilization is espe-
clally important.
For years the -ulm or dust produced
in sizing anthracite for the market,
was regarded as practically worthless,
although it was for the most part per-
fectly good coal. 1t could not be
handled or shipped economically, how
ever, and the consumer did not know
how to use it, so it was permitted to
go as waste. Smaller and smaller
sizes of anthracite were found use
full until now the dust itself is being
burned, either through a powdered-coal
burner which sprays the pulyerized
IuEl llilO Lltt lui ltdtt VI EDpAs Vi III
the form Of %briquettes.
A corporation recently formed has
an establishment at Alexandria, Vir-
GINA, where a new process of prepar-
ing a fuel that is an amalgam of coal
dust and crude oil is being exploited.
1t is claimed hat a wholly satisfac-
tory substitute for anthracite for do
nestle purposes is being produced, and
it is also said that it can be marketed
at q price that is altogether inter
esting in these days when the ~so-called
law of supply and demand is sending
the cost of anthracite skyward.
Other Materials Used.
Briquettes are made of other ma
terials in the campaign against waste.
Metal filings and turnings are sub.