The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1923-01-20

! :. !
Washington, d. Q-Savants have
shown that If the atmosphere were
not impregnated with dust there would
be no cloud effects, No radiant sunsets.
no soft afterglow Of harmonious color
ings which lend halo to the quiet OF
eventide. 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 IL in connec-I
ton. with the problem Of what to do
with sawdust. Ever since the first
saw bit its way through a piece OF
timber the enormous waste In sawdust
has been a matter to worry over. In
time it was found that 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 food
and by carrying the process step fur
ther alcohol may be produced.
The sawdust food is one 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 q great need for q 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. It Is treated with dilute sui
phuric acid and cooked under pressure
with steam. This brings about q
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 IA
to Is per cent Of glucose in this mix
ture, which Is then neutralized with
lime, the sugar dissolved and the So
luton filtered off and boiled down un-
der reduced pressure until 1t Is Of the
consistency Of molasses. This mo-
lasses Is then mixed with the partially
dried sawdust residue and the result
is q product closely resembling bran.
Farmer Had Right Idea.
Thus 1t 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 let
the sugar in 1t ferment. 1t Is esti-
mated that three to four hundred mil
lion gallons Of alcohol could In this
way be derived from sawdust, shaw
ings and bits Of lumber that are
wasted each year In the mills Of the
country. :,
The debris Of the lumber industry
10 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 re-
suit Of the strike its utilization Is espe-
cially important. B.
For years the culm or dust produced
In sizing anthracite for the market.
was regarded as practically worthless,
although 1t was for the most part per-
fectly good coal. It could not be
handled or shipped economically, how
ever, and the consumer did not know
how to use 1t, so 1t was permitted to
20 as waste. Smaller and smaller
sizes of anthracite were found use
full until now the dust itself 10 being
burned, either through powdered-coal
burner which sprays the pulverized
fuel into the furnace or firebox, or In
the form Of briquettes.
A corporation recently formed has
an establishment at Alexandra, vir-
ginia, where a new process Of prepar-
ing fuel that Is an amalgam Of coal
dust and crude OIL is being exploited.
It is claimed that wholly satisfac.
tory substitute for anthracite for do
nestle purposes is being produced, and
It Is also said that It can be marketed
at price that Is altogether inter-
esting in these days when the so-called
law Of supply and demand IL sending
the cost Of anthracite skyward.
Other Materials Used.
Briquettes are made Of other ma
terials n the campaign against Vaste.
Metal flings and turnings are sub