Available Supplies of Creosote.
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By the Editor.
I have been deeply interested—in COITIMOD with all motorists—by the proposals which have been widely discussed of late concerning a new process for cracking creosote. Hitherto, there has been no process of this kind that has succeeded in producing a high percentage of such a spirit from ordinary liquid creosote, nor one that has given a high enough yield to enable one to say that it held out even prospects of commercial success. It has _always been my private opinion that, sooner or later, somebody would seriously tackle the question of cracking creosote, with a view to the production of a suitable motor spirit. I am personally aware that a considerable amount of research work has been undertaken in this direction, and the claims that have been made for the Lamplough process may duly lift it out of the above category of non-successes. Every coal-tar distiller in the country will be glad if that anticipated issue be the result, There is, theoretically, no reason why success of the kind should not be achieved; but I haVe certainly never heard of any process which has been successful hitherto in cracking creosote so as to obtain a liquid fuel which could be used in an internalcombustion engine.
A fundamental consideration is that of available supplies of the raw material. One has, therefore, to pay heed to the present uses of this commodity. Creosote is very largely used as a liquid fuel for firing boilers, for heating furnaces, and for heating bolts, rivets, etc ; it is usually atomized by a sprayer and burnt in one or other of the types of burners winch are sold for the purpose. English railway companies are large customers for creosote, for %the purpose of pickling the sleepers, telegraph poles, etc.. Another use is for rendering" pitch, te., for softening it for the purpose of grouting paving-stones in road construction. although this use is more prevalent in the north than in the south. It is also used as an absorbent oil in the washers in the recovery of benzole from coking ovens, and, to a small extent, as a cheap lubricant for brick-making machinery.
Between 35 and 40 million gallons of ,creosote are exported each year ; 27,000,000 of these go to the U.S.A., and are used there for treating sleepers. The foregoing uses may be taken as sufficient to account for the present annual production ot close upon 60 million gallons per annum ot liquid creosote, and I will next make a few incidental references to the possibilities of increased yields in the near future. There is an annual increase of consumption of coal by gasworks of approximately 5 per cent., and the whole of this coal would 3rield its proportion of tar, from which creosote is obtained. Activity in the gas industry may add to this normal increment.
The figures of production for 1912 are not yet available, but 1911 will serve for the purpose. The total of coal carbonized in the year 1911 was 34,460,640 tons. Of this it is estimated that 14,302,640 tons were coked at gasworks, and 8,427,440 tons at coke-works recovery ovens, leaving a balance of 11,730,500 tons carbonized at coke works with beehive (or non-recovery) ovens. On the above basis, we have a production of tar at the gasworks of 715,132 tons, and at the coke ovens of 421,372 tons, or a total of 1.136,504 tons. The approximate yield of tar is 212,326,248 gallons, on the low assumption of 112 lb. of tar per ton of coal carbonized. Were the coal which is now coked in beehive ovens to be treated in recovery ovens, there would, on the basis of the same average yield, be another 586,528 tons of tar produced per annum. bringing the total production of tar up to 1,723.032 tons per annum—equivalent to 322,206,984 gallons. B2 This is without allowing for the average 5 per cent. increase per annum in respect of the gasworks, for each of the years 1912 and 1913. The inclusion of that extra would be approximately another 71,513 tons of tar, or, reckoning 187 gallons per ton, an extra of 13,372,931 gallons for 1913. The outlook for any increase due to the conversion of beehive to recovery ovens is at the moment not alluring, owing to the serious fall in the price of coke during the past 12 months, and to the consequent reduction of output of the coke ovens. For this reason, it is riot safe to reckon that the output of tar for the year 1913 will be so high as it was last year, so far as the coke ovens are concerned.
Turning, now, to the yield of creosote, this is about 22 per cent. of the tar ; some coke-oven tar yields more than this, but I will take the lower figure. It provides, on the 1911 basis, 57 million gallons per annum of creosote, or, on the highest possible yield of tar for the same year, if recovery ovens had been substituted for beehive ovens, about 86 million gallons per annum. The next question is, assuming that the whole of the creosote would be suitable for cracking by some efficient process, how would such a fresh demand be reflected in the price ? The points to be noted in relation to this aspect of the case, are the following: (1) If any process were able to bear as much as od. per gallon for the creosote, it is probable that the sale of nearly all the oil which is at present sent out of the country for creosoting timber would be stopped, as the alternative zinc-chloride process of pickling the sleepers would be substituted ; (2) the further introduction at gasworks of vertical retorts, from which a much thinner tar, containing more creosote and less pitch, is obtained, might be encouraged, but I. only look upon this as a possibility ; (3) the new demand would not urge the substitution of the recovery oven for the beehive oven, with the present low price of coke as a factor.
There is no doubt that buyers of creosote for cracking purposes would be able to obtain an enormous quantity at 5d. per gallon, and, possibly, over 80 per cent. of the present production if they were to pay 7d. per gallon. It has yet to be shown whether the Lamplough process can, provided it be hereafter proved satisfactory on a commercial scale, result in a yield of so much as 40 or 50 million gallons a year of good motor spirit from creosote, but it is obviously a matter of estimate to determine at the present time how much of the creosote will be free and suitable for treatment by that process. Time will be required before the facts can emerge.
If we accept the normal production of creosote in this country at 60 million gallons per annum, if people who desire to adopt any new cracking system can get. hold of half of it, and if the yield from any new process is--on a commercial scale—more than 65 per cent. of good motor spirit, it looks as though it might be possible to obtain fully 20 million gallons per annum of motor spirit from the raw material under discussion. Of course, if the same parties were, in competition, able to get hold of the whole output of creosote, which, with petrol prices as they are, cannot be regarded as absolutely out of the question, the anticipations in regard to a total of 40 million gallons per annum will duly be fulfilled. Taking into account, however, the avowed intention of Mr. Lamplough's supporters also to produce spirit from shale oil, his process and like ones may, on development, account for the large annual production of motor spirit which has been foreshadowed-40,000,000 gallons per annum —by relying upon the two classes of raw material.