THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN

AND

JOURNAL OF THE COAL AND IRON TRADES.

Vol. CXV.	FRIDAY, MARCH 22, 1918.	No. 2986.

Power from Waste

In the course of an address before the Manchester
Geological and Mining Society, on March 12, Mr. J.
Drummond Paton, M.I.M.E., M.I.E.E., said that this
country possessed certain sources from which large
supplies of valuable products, derived from an econo-
mical use of waste coal, could be made available for
future use. As regards the future of coal oils, what
was wanted was an intelligent appreciation, by the
consumers of petrol and benzol, of the extreme value of
bastard coal, so that attention might be directed to the
consideration of the correct programme for the develop-
ment of the enormous national resources which had not
yet been properly investigated for the purpose for
which they were admirably adapted. The exhaustion
or diminution of the existing supply of coal in Germany
had forced that nation to consider the economic utilisa-
tion of material, and it was the question of our own
shortage in oil supplies which was “ kicking us ” into
making an investigation of the subject.

The first source from which oil could be obtained was
coal, and it had perhaps not been sufficiently realised
that all oil had its origin in a similar manner to coal.
Even fish oil was derived from marine vegetable matter
which had to come from the land or vid some other
form of vegetation containing similar sources of hydro-
carbon supplies. Examination of a nut taken from a
carboniferous semi-coal bed showed that the internal
structure of the nut was almost in its original state as
it grew in some of the pre-historic forests, from which
he now suggested we should recover supplies of oil for
future use. In the first stage of plant life the germ
absorbed the stored material which was necessary
for its existence and growth, and in a similar way
our industries were absorbing the evident oil supply,
which had been available up to the present time. It
was becoming clear that industry was developing to
such an extent that it would be necessary to look for
supplies in other spheres than those hitherto relied
upon. Having realised the degree to which the tissue
of vegetation formation entered into the production of
our various oils, it was natural that attention should be
turned to coal as the field from which those future
supplies should be obtained; and an examination of the
nature and origin of coal, and the extent to which liquid
hydrocarbons were initially or partially contained in
some form in the constitution of the various coals,
warranted the procedure from which the speaker
suggested that existing sources of supply of oil could be
augmented.

In this connection, he wished to express appreciation
of the work of Mr. James Lomax, F.R.S., of Bolton,
who had devoted much attention to the investiga-
tion of the micro-structure of coal. It had taken
a long time for the official mining experts to
realise the value of that gentleman’s work, but
where science pointed a truth, industry must one day
follow. He had considered Mr. Lomax’s work from
the point of view, not of the geologist or botanist, but,
as an economist in fuel, from an engineering point of
view, having regard to the utilisation of material which
had previously only been examined on a chemical basis.

If two samples of coal of entirely different formations
were handed to a chemist he would probably get
similar analyses, whereas entirely different results
might be obtained from the same class of coal by a
microscopical examination and chemical examination.
What was really wanted was that the material should be
submitted to both a microscopical and chemical exami-
nation. He did not think it had been realised that
certain sections of the coal fields in this country were
specially adapted for certain distillates. Lancashire,
for instance, had the best supply of coal from which
motor spirit could be obtained. In the Staffordshire
and Warwickshire coal field area the humic formation
would give much more of the cresol and disinfectant
series. In Wales the question became one of fixed
carbons, and consequently thermal value and briquetting
would be their venue. In the South Crop some of the
bastard coals contained high volatiles, but the nature of
those volatiles was variable. Throughout Lancashire,
so far as he could gather, there was a highly resinic
formation, and where that was found there would be a
very high value in petrol.

Mr. Paton exhibited a number of slides prepared by
Mr. Lomax, showing sections of various qualities of
coals. Starting with the anthracitic and high steam
value coals, he showed by coloured illustrations the
relative positions of the volatiles, pitch, carbon and
other ingredients in the coal structures, drawing atten-
tion in particular to the conditions under which such
disposition affects the smoke formation in open furnaces,
defining thereby the reason for low smoky value in
anthracite, the heavy smoky formations in coals with
distinct lenticular resinous formations, and showing
from micro examination the foundation of many of the
troubles arising in ordinary furnaces. It was against
the blind adherence to chemical analysis that he pleaded
for a micro-structural examination to define the physical
characteristics and the dispositions of the materials in
the coal itself.

and Inferior Fuels.

Passing from the anthracitic and higher steam coals
to the bituminous, he pointed out the relative zonal pro-
portions of paraffinoids, cresols, benzoids, tar and carbon
values in such formations, and drawing attention to the
zone containing the element which provided the best
coking conditions for high metallurgical coke.

He also directed attention to the fact that the distinct
natural formations of the various fields forecasted the
location of the industries as he had defined, namely,
metallurgical coke in the north-east coast, resinous
formation on the north-west, high carbon values in the
Welsh fields, and large, heavy, humic productions in the
Staffordshire and middle areas.

He pleaded for an intelligent appreciation of the
relative values of the various sections of the fields, also
for toleration between high temperature distillation
men and low temperature distillation men. In certain
sections the formations were distinctly favourable for a
high value metallurgical coke, in others ingrained ash
would prohibit the possible use of coal which yet might
have a 40 per cent, volatile content; such bastard coals,
being so high in ingrained ash, could not be used for
good coke, but were distinctly ideal for oil production.

!5%

25%

3O°%

&

Coke etc

Pat Fuel

Collieries

Reductions (N. Fixation)
Alumina etc

Oils etc
Sulphate

Back to mine for
Hydraulic Stowing

Diagram of Plant for Treating 200 Tons per Hour.

Passing from the coking coal, he referred to the
intermediate stages of coal in the bastard, semi-cannel
and finally the shale states, showing by a zonal propor-
tional examination of the carbon elements in the micro-
structure, that, even in the lowest orders of low grade
shales, there may be a high content of the valuable
paraffinoid series. This being the zone furnishing the
petrol section, it became a question not of the total
value of the volatiles in any individual shale, but more
of the zone in which they were located, whether the total
volatiles would make such a shale an economic proposi-
tion to work.

Details were given of the initial troubles which had
arisen, under low-temperature distillation, through the
emulsification of certain sections of the distillate. By
reason of subsequent investigations which he had had
to carry through on the question of the hydrogenation
of oils for edible fat, the speaker said he had come to
the conclusion that certain of our shales or bastard
coals had had initially a high fructiferous origin (as
evidenced by some of the slides which showed bunches
of fruit and distinct plum and nut formations). From
these zones he hoped to recover a distillate sufficiently
pure and uncontaminated that it would not poison the
catalyst, and therefore would enable an edible fat to be
secured from such material, and eventually to obtain
margarine from coal.

A description was also given of the various values of
torbanites, cannels and other possible strata, mentioning
the extent to which some of these had been abandoned
and lost in general mining areas; and the speaker asked
whether the waste involved in the present methods of
burning coal should be allowed to continue in vievr of
the possibility that it was robbing the country of the
basis from which an ample supply of oil could be
secured if proper means were taken to develop it ? To
his mind, so far as he had yet investigated, the paraffin
oil series was quite apparent, the cresol and the medium
oil series were also equally evident and, finally, the
benzenoids and the material in the higher order of
hydrocarbon were apparent. Passing on to the tarry
or thicker material and from that to the fixed carbon,
and finally the ash content, it was a simple mental
calculation to realise the relative zonal proportion of the
various constituents revealed by micro-structural exami-
nation.

In many cases the coal which was abandoned and lost
in mining, had a maximum quantity of oil in its sections

of construction. This loss took place in the mines that
were worked as well as in the mines that were not
worked, and the speaker had known cases where
more coal had been left in the mines worked than had
been actually brought to the surface. Surely, it was a
matter for national action, and he pleaded for joint
action on the part of those interested in the various
industries concerned in the conservation of the existing
coal supplies.

The hydraulic method of stowing would enable this
great national loss to be avoided ; but apparently we,
in this country, had not yet realised the extent to which
hydraulic stowing would enable us to economise, not
only in the direction of the wastage of coal but in the
direction of human labour. Labour would have to
realise that the extraction of coal would eventually
become a machine process, and one of the means to that
end was correct stowing. The manner in which that
problem had been tackled on the Continent could be
gathered from the fact that in one mine in Silesia, on
a 200 yds. face, 2 metres thick, the speed of extraction
was 3 metres in 24 hours, on 8 hour shifts, giving over
1,000 tons per day, and the stowing was done at the
rate of 2,000 tons in six hours in one operation.

Some years ago the speaker suggested to Mr. James
Lomax that it might be possible to take one of his
slides, and by a process of slow distillation, while light
was projected through the

slide, show the disappearance
of each of the various
sections as the distillation
process proceeded. Under
those conditions they would
then have been able to note
the disappearance of the
yellow zone, or the paraf-
finoid, then the disappear-
ance of the humic acids and
cresols as a second order,
and finally the benzenoid
and tar sections. He was
not convinced that that was
the correct order of emis-
sion. but had partly assumed
it, since benzol and various
other fractions were by no
means confined to the higher
fractionising temperatures
or processes. He was unable
to exhibit sections which
were under treatment along
that line of investigation,
but Prof. George Knox had
taken the matter up, and
had evolved a system under
which it would be possible

to note the various stages of distillation.

Realising the proportionate values of the various
constituents of coal, the temperature at which they
were produced and their nature, one could appreciate
the individual relations of the low-temperature vacuum
system and a high temperature distillation system to
coal. It was quite apparent, if one wished to secure the
individual constituents as they existed in coal, they must
be removed at a temperature under conditions which
maintained them as nearly as possible in their original
formation. All processes of distillation must pass
through a cycle of heat from zero to the maximum
temperature at which the system worked. Con-
sequently there would be, and always was, a section
or proportion of the constituents liberated and
carried forward in their most natural form; but
it was quite evident that in a system where
the temperature on the outside of the wall was some-
where over 2,000 degs., there was always a possibility of
fractionation of the lighter elements.

The question arose whether the distillates under low
temperature conditions, which were mainly of the
paraffin oil series, were equal in value to what might be
produced if a higher temperature system of distillation
were used.

After defining, by means of diagram and slides, his
own idea of lenticular distillation effects, Mr. Paton
went on to say that about eight or ten years ago, when
he opened his campaign on the question of the utilisa-
tion of inferior coals, his initial investigations were
along the lines of low-temperature distillation. Subse-
quent research confirmed his belief in the value of the
system and the enormous possibilities of its successful
application to the lower grades of coal. Looking at the
actual results of which data were given, one realised
the importance of the system in connection with the
recovery of oil. He did not consider the coalite type of
fuel was the most advantageous line along which to
develop, but advocated the complete destruction of the
lower grade coal, so as to obtain valuable by-products
and easily transported gas or distributive power.

The process of low pressure carbonisation of coals,
cannels, shales, etc., consisted of carbonising the
material in a short period of time, so that the lighter
gaseous hydrocarbons, which condensed as tar oils, were
not destroyed by a high temperature as in the case of
gas works carbonisation, nor were those hydrocarbons
permitted to come into any appreciable contact with the