SELECTED PAPERS 



Let us first of all consider the alcoholic fermentation of sugars. The 

 enormous economic significance of biochemical alcohol manufacture, 

 so universally practiced by primitive and by the most highly civilized 

 societies alike, does not need extensive illustration. Simmonds esti- 

 mates the average annual production by the seven most important 

 producing countries over the period 1 909-1913 as more than 436 

 million Imperial gallons of 100 per cent alcohol. If one realizes that 

 the practice of single-cell culture methods has convincingly shown 

 that potentially one single yeast cell, of which around 2.10 10 make up 

 one gram of compressed yeast, suffices for the production of so vast a 

 quantity of alcohol, this will provide a striking demonstration of the 

 macro- achievement of a mzVro-organism. 



The above-mentioned estimate of 436 million gallons includes, 

 however, 310 million gallons that have served for human consump- 

 tion. One might therefore be inclined to think that an extension of pro- 

 hibition over the rest of the world, following the example set by the 

 U.S.A., might cause irreparable damage to this industry. But if such 

 an extension were to be introduced gradually, such consequences need 

 not be feared on account of the general situation that I have already 

 indicated, viz., that the potential exhaustion of fossil fuels cries out for 

 substitutes derived from the present-day plant kingdom. As mentioned 

 earlier, one cannot sustain high expectations with respect to future 

 petroleum production. In even stronger measure does this apply to 

 the production of petrol; as is known, this occurs in reasonable 

 amounts in some crudes only. In view of the undreamt-of expansion of 

 automobile traffic it will be evident that serious concern is felt in var- 

 ious circles in connexion with the possibility that the petrol production 

 might not keep pace with the increase of motor vehicle traffic. For a 

 considerable time a search for petrol substitutes has already been in- 

 stituted, and universally the conviction has been gained that industrial 

 alcohol offers the best prospects. In 1918 the British Government 

 therefore appointed an 'Alcohol Motor Fuel Committee' that was 

 charged with making a study of an eventual large increase of the al- 

 cohol industry, and at the same time of the difficulties inherent in the 

 use of alcohol in petrol combustion engines. Aided by national com- 

 mittees in different parts of the Empire, this committee has issued a 

 report in which it calls attention to the particular suitability of the 

 tropical and subtropical regions for an increased carbohydrate pro- 



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