396 The Philippine Journal of Science 1920 
ever, the steam needed for the spraying just about offset the 
extra steam obtained by the use of the molasses as a fuel. 
Molasses has been burned in Steele ovens. In this process 
it is allowed to run over inclined plates, where it comes in 
direct contact with the hot gases from the fire. The molasses 
becomes charred on its way to the grates and, once ignited, 
maintains the fire. The gas created is often sent into the ba- 
gasse furnaces to be burned there. Sometimes the charred mo- 
lasses is treated in a current of air and steam, making producer 
gas which is utilized for power. 
When the molasses is burned by itself, it is of course possible 
to recover the potash. However, this process is profitable only 
when the factory uses the potash in the soil ; a very high market 
price for potash could make this process profitable commercially. 
In all burning processes, valuable materials are invariably 
lost; namely, sucrose, glucose, and fructose, which form about 
55 per cent of the weight of the molasses. 
3. THE MANUFACTURE OF ALCOHOL AND THE RECOVERY OF POTASH 
FROM THE WASTE 
In the manufacture of alcohol the three substances sucrose, 
glucose, and fructose do not constitute waste because they are 
converted into alcohol. Eventually it is possible to recover the 
potash from the waste, so that all valuable materials in the 
molasses are recovered when it is used in making alcohol. This 
utilization of waste molasses is of especial interest at the present 
time, because alcohol, when properly denatured, becomes an eco- 
nomical fuel for farm tractors used in cane fields. It may be 
of interest to state here that many of the planter’s troubles — such 
as rinderpest, shortage of labor, and delayed planting — can be 
avoided by the use of tractors. 
On Negros Island the area available for sugar planting could 
produce, say, 500,000 tons a year; about 200,000 tons are pro- 
duced at present. Estimating that 10 tons of cane will produce 1 
ton of sugar, and that 1 acre will yield 20 tons of cane, 100,000 
acres (about 40,350 hectares) will produce 200,000 tons of 
sugar. The molasses weight is about 25 per cent of the weight 
of the sugar produced; therefore, 200,000 tons of sugar would 
yield 50,000 tons of molasses which, at 12 pounds to the gallon, 
amounts to 8,333,333 gallons. Taking the high figure of 3 
gallons of molasses to 1 gallon of alcohol at 180° proof, we 
find 2,777,777 gallons of alcohol as the possible yield from the 
waste molasses now produced yearly in Negros. 
