Abstract
ONE hundred and fifty million tons of “wood waste” are produced annually, most of which, it is claimed, finds no useful application. Possible methods for the utilisation of this material are its destructive distillation to give valuable products, its employment directly as a fuel, its use in paper production, or its fermentation to produce ethyl alcohol. The first application, and wood distillation generally, although forming the subject of an ancient industry, has not hitherto been taken as the sole title of an English text-book. On account of the important economic problem involved the author has much to justify his r effort, and from many points of view his book is a success. The descriptions of plant and processes for wood distillation and of stills and evaporators employed in the recovery of the distillation products are lucid, and while technical details have been considered, exactness in statement has been maintained.
The Destructive Distillation of Wood.
By H. M. Bunbury. Pp. xx + 320. (London: Benn Bros., Ltd., 1923.) 35s. net.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
REILLY, J. The Thermal Decomposition of Wood. Nature 112, 157–158 (1923). https://doi.org/10.1038/112157a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/112157a0