Abstract
THE third memorandum of the Fuel Research oo- Board on fuel for motor transport* deals with the production of power alcohol from tuber and root crops in Great Britain. Potatoes, mangolds, and Jerusalem artichokes are the only practicable raw materials which could be grown for this purpose, but it seems unlikely that potatoes would prove of economic value in this respect. One ton of potatoes produces 20 gallons of 95 per cent, alcohol, so that every pound sterling it costs to grow a ton of potatoes is equivalent to is. on a gallon1 of alcohol for raw material alone. Co-operation between the potato grower and distiller has been suggested as a means of utilising the distillery residues for cattle-feeding, and so reducing the net cost of the power alcohol. In the southern counties the mangold is superior to the potato in that it is easier to grow, harvest, and store, and is less liable to disease and failure, while the manufacture of alcohol from it is simpler as the carbohydrates are in the form of sugar. The comparative cost per gallon for the raw material works out at 75. for potatoes and 35. gd. for mangolds. The latter cannot, however, be grown in the north of England and Scotland owing to its susceptibility to frost. The distillation residues would appear to have considerable value as an ingredient in a feeding material rich in carbohydrates but poor in protein.
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Power Alcohol from Root Crops. Nature 115, 890 (1925). https://doi.org/10.1038/115890a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/115890a0