London Industries and Iron gives the following technical item in its current notes :
"According to Herr P. Fritzsehe, the gases of coke ovens are specially suitable for the recovery of alcohol. He has gone carefully into the matter, and, on reducing to alcohol the ethane contained in the issuing gas, he found a content of i to I'8 per cent. by volume, and upon studyittg the speed with which sulphurie acid absorbs ethane, he conclude~l that the absorption process is perfectly practicable, the apparatus for ethane recovery from cokeoven gases being considerably smaller than that for benzol separation. Herr Fritzsehe calculates that for the production of 26" 5 gallons, equal to 176 pounds of alcohol, Io7 pounds of ethyl sulphate, 771 6 pounds of concentrated sulphurie acid and I, Io2 pounds of water are required.
"Apropos to the above item, it may be commented that the presence of ethane in the gases of the coke ovens has been known, and that the reaction with sulphuric acid is also not new. Herr Fritzsche's merit lies in pointing out that the quantity of ethane in the issuing gases of the ovens may be sufficient to make the problem of making it a source of alcohol a commercial possibility."
W.