GAS-L: Wood gasifers, then and now

[Reedtb2@cs.com]

Dear Prof. Wichterle:

Thank you for your cautionary comments on WW II Gasifiers.  1 kG of 
hardwood/km is a high value with those old cars, but they probably also 
consumed 0.4 kg of gasoline/km.  

We have come a long way since then, at least here in the U.S.  Those cars 
would have emitted a few % CO and unburned hydrocarbons on gasoline if they 
could have found any.  I believe a few power plants in Eastern Europe still 
had significant emissions even in the 1990s, but the air is quite clean here 
in Denver. 

We (at the Community Power Corporation, CPC) have built a "Tarfree, Turnkey" 
gasifier for village power around the world based on 21st Century technology, 
microprocessor control and improved knowledge of the gasification process.  
Automatic startup and shutdown  (< 10 minutes).  Tar levels are below 50 ppm 
and there is no liquid effluent.  We are shipping the first unit to the 
Philippines on February 1.  For further information, see our web page at 
WWW.GOCPC.COM.


In a message dated 1/25/01 2:01:34 AM Mountain Standard Time, 
Kamil.Wichterle@vsb.cz writes:

> During the world war 2, all civil cars in the central Europe were run on 
> wood gas. They were stinking monsters spoiling roads with tar and air with 
> heavy smoke. By my estimate they consumed 1 kg of hardwood per kilometer. 
> Starting procedure took hours. Probably this is not a good way to future.
> Kamil