Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 113, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 May 1918 — Mix Wood and Coal in Making Gas. [ARTICLE]

Mix Wood and Coal in Making Gas.

At various points in Switzerland and France wood and sawdust are being mixed with coal in making gas, because of the coal shortage. For example, 10 per cent of sawdust is added to the coal in the vertical-bulb retorts in Geneva, while as an alternative for the sawdust, logs are sometimes used, In such cases the retorts contain about 260 pounds of coal instead of 1,240 pounds. The acid products from the wood have caused some trouble because of corrosion, but this has been largely overcome by alternating charges of wood with charges of coal. In another Swiss city, 375 pounds of sawdust is mixed with 66 pounds of coal in retorts that usually take 990 pounds of coal. —Popular Mechanics Magazine.