¶ Wood Technology (2)
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Index Entry
Wood Technology:
"advance on being bombed out of their oil fields. It was obvious that they could plan to use oil to a certain extent but that eventually their most vulnerable position was their oil supply. This was an ‘oil warfare’ in a big way. Therefore the Germans set about finding other important sources of energy. They went to wood technology. The chemistry of wood developed in many directions in Germany. They suddenly discovered that here was nature’s most important trick in impounding Sun energy-- and in a most useful way, for therefrom you could release energy in many useful directions.
"They immediately brought it to the one great “Grand Central Station " of energy, in its most stable storage form, which was alcohol. From alcohol of various kinds you could make foods-- first for cattle, then for people. You could make high octane gas or synthetic rubber or plastics. The chemistry of wood began playing such an important part that the scientists in Washington were talking about it constantly and there was a book published called ‘The Nigger in the Woodpile’ which was what Germany had.”
¶ Citations
- DESIGNING A NEW INDUSTRY, (RBF Reader, p.215), 1946
