The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1943-08-02
u. S. LOOKS TO
PRODUCTION OF
OIL FROM COAL


that develops synthetic petroleum
is an up-and-coming industry of the
future in the United States.
It's an industry that's been pro-
viding Germany with we'll over 6
third OF ali her wartime require
ments for the Lutfwaffe, tanks anc
all. The same process of develop.
ing liquid fuel from coal Is, in Eng
land, functioning on a small scale
but still providing her with enough
fuel to operate 100 four -motorec
bombers nightly over Europe during
the present air war.
The synthetic petroleum pro-
duced by this newly-developed pro-
cess-called hydrogenation-ca BIZ
used for diesel fuel, kerosene, low
and high octane gasoline, sulphur
drugs, phenol and plastics, among
other things. Its qualities are prac-
tically on par with the petroleum
found on the commercial market
today.
But the United States has done
little to date in developing this new
industry except permit the De-
partment of Interior to operate a
small-scale laboratory in Pittsburgh
for the past five years.
Hearings on Bill to Open
However, a bill introduced by
Senator Joseph C. O'Mahoney, D..
Wyo., authorizes the construction
and operation of two or three addi-
tional demonstration plants to
study the production of synthetic
liquids fuels from coal. If the bill
is passed, it will be the first con-
crete step taken by the government
to lay the foundation for the prom
ising new industry.
with petroleum reserves drop
ping towards dangerous Levels
Secretary of Interior Harold L.
Ickes has declared in support of the
bill this research obviously should
be undertaken at once-to protect
the nation from possible disaster in
this field, such as 1t suffered from
synthetic rubber"
Hearings on the O'Mahoney bill
will open tomorrow at the Pitts
burgh laboratory. Rep. Jennings
Randolph, D., w. Va, and O'Ma-
honey will be present, along with
representatives of the Interior De-
partment and leaders of both the
oil and coal industries the bulk OF
whom are repeatedly in support of
the suggested expanded program.
For the last several years, Int
rior officials declared, petroleum
consumption has been greatly in
excess Of the discovery of new re-
serves, and the nation is faced with
the threatened exhaustion of the
country's oil reserves within the
average persons lifetime.
On the other side of the ledger
however, the country has about
1000, 0OO, OO0,OO tons of coal I'M
derground enough to last this
country thousands of years.
Sufficient for 1000 Years
The officials explained that the
process of INCORPORATION, when
fully developed, can produce suffi-
cient petroleum from coal for the
next 1000 years, land still leave
enough coal for the same industrial
purposes for which it Is used
today"
The main objective of the Pitts
burgh test plant has been to study
the INCORPORATION of coal from the
more important bituminous and
Ignite very shallow coal beds)
found throughout the country.
It's experiments have proven,
among other things, that one ton
of coal from North Dakota can pro-
duce either 80 gallons of crude oil
or 272 gallons Of gasoline. One
ton of coal from the Utah fields Is
capable of producing u gallons of
crude oil and So gallons Of gasoline.
And these are only samples which
can be duplicated hundredfold.
According to 1ckes, 1.-The day is
fast approaching when petroleum
must be supplemented as an indus
trial and domestic fuel and as a
source Of gasoline, fact which adds
emphasis to the hearings on the
O'Mahoney bill.
Seek Private Development
After the additional test plants
provided under the bill are eStab-
lished and operating, officials de-
clared that they hoped that the
few remaining production kinks can
be ironed out" and that private in
dustry will then soon folio with
large-scale development.
1t was also stressed that passage
of the O'Mahoney bill will not mean
that the Interior Department is en-
tering into the petroleum industry,
but it will demonstrate to the oil and
coal indusry that the gasoline age"
can very practically be extended in
definitely by this new process which
has proven so successful up to now
in other countries.
Synthetic petroleum extraction
from coal was first invented and
put into commercial produce
ton in Germany, with Japan fol-
lowing closely on its heels