EDITORIAL. 
WASTAGE FROM COAL. 
It is stated that by the consumption of raw instead of carbonized 
coal, the sum of £200,000,000 is lost annually to Great Britain. In 
other words, the value of the by-products which would be obtained by 
the economic treatment of coal, and which, under prevailing methods 
are dissipated, reaches this enormous sum. By failing to save the 
benzol, which would be sufficient for Great Britain’s requirements, it 
is estimated that £20,000,000 is lost. A loss of 6,000 cubic feet of gas, 
suitable for the enrichment of illuminating gas or other purposes, is 
lost with every ton of coal burnt. ‘Three times the present supply of 
electric power cotild be produced for sale at half the present unit were 
power production and distribution re-organized on a scientific basis. 
These are only a few of the items which it is estimated are wasted under 
the present methods of coal consumption. The wastage of large 
quantities of sulphate of ammonia, and of other valuable products, 
which form the bases of high explosives, dyes, paints, antiseptics, drugs, 
&c., are other items which stand out with startling prominence. 
LOW TEMPERATURE CARBONIZATION. 
To what extent this wastage can be averted by the adoption of 
different processes of consumption has, however, yet to be demonstrated. 
Cheap power and coal economy are still the subjects of inquiry by official 
scientific committees. Some interesting sidelights were recently thrown 
upon the trend of developments in Great Britain by Sir Douglas 
Mawson at a conference with the Executive Committee of the Advisory 
Council of the Institute of Science and Industry. He stated that it 
had been decided to proceed with the erection of a number of huge power 
stations throughout Great Britain for the supply of electricity. Already 
several private companies are engaged upon the low temperature 
carbonization of bituminous coal, under which the by-products are 
conserved and the coke is utilized for fuel. By this means high yields 
of tar and of benzol are obtained, and a smokeless fuel, excellent for 
steaming purposes and for home consumption, is produced. Sir Douglas 
Mawson also explained that a great deal of research work was being 
done along geological lines, as it has been found that certain coals yield 
much greater by-products than others. For commercial purposes these 
were first tested, and subsequently mixed in the required proportions. 
Tn South Wales there was a comparatively large industry in the manu- 
facture of briquettes from coal dust, the dust being first washed and 
then, mixed with pitch. rib 
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