Section III, 1921 [m] Trans. R.S.C. 



Desinictive Distillation Yields from British Columbia Fir and Alder 



Wood 



By William Agee Hardy, B.Sc. 



Presented by E. H. Archibald 



Although British Columbia is one of the most important lumber- 

 ing districts in the world it is not an appreciable factor in the wood 

 distillation industry at the present time. Several attempts have been 

 made to establish commercial plants both in this Province and in the 

 States of Washington and Oregon, but none of these is now in opera- 

 tion. Pit burning for charcoal, however, has been found profitable 

 to a limited extent during the last few years. 



In this Province the wood distillation industry has the choice 

 of two main sources of raw material: first, the waste from the saw 

 mills, and second, a cut of alder or other second growth wood. There 

 are several places in British Columbia, especially in the Fraser River 

 valley, where large quantities of alder are easily obtained near the 

 banks of navigable water. The yields of acetic acid, methyl alcohol, 

 turpentine and tar which may be expected from Douglas Fir mill 

 waste have been determined by Benson and Darrin {Jour. Ind. and 

 Eng. Chem.7, 916, 1915) on a semi-commercial scale. As to the second 

 source no data is available as to the yields which may be expected 

 from the alder wood of the Pacific Slope. With the mild winters and 

 heavy rainfall it is to be expected that the yields will be somewhat 

 different from those obtained from Eastern woods. It was with a 

 view of obtaining information on this subject that the following 

 investigation was undertaken. 



Selection of Samples 



(Alder Wood) 



Alder wood trees from six to eight inches in diameter were 

 selected from several localities within a few miles of the University. 

 In all cases an average sample of the trunk was obtained by cutting 

 sections at different heights. No branches or limbs were used. 



Samples 1 and 2 are different trees cut in September, 1920, from 

 a tract in South Vancouver, allowed to lie outside in the weather 

 until April and then distilled without additional drying. 



