Starting about the time of World War I, small gasifiers were developed around charcoal and biomass feedstocks to operate vehicles, boats, trains, and small electric generators (Rambush 1923).
Between the two world wars, development was pursued
mostly by amateur enthusiasts because gasoline was relatively inexpensive and simpler
to use than biomass.
In 1939 the German blockade halted all oil transport
to Europe.
Military use of gasoline received top priority,
and the civilian populations had to fend for themselves for transport hels.
Approximately one million gasifiers were used to
operate vehicles worldwide during the war years.
The subsequent development of wood producer gas
units is a testament to human ingenuity in the face of adversity.
Extended accounts make fascinating reading and
inform the reader of both the promise and difficulties of using producer gas.
(Egloff 1941,1943; Gengas 1950; NAS 1983; Kaupp
1984a).
At the beginning of World War 11, there
was a great deal of interest in all forms of alternative fuels (Egloff 1941, 1943).
By
1943, 90% of the vehicles in Sweden
were trucks, cars, and buses in Europe and probably more than a million
worldwide (Egloff 1943).
However, these impressive numbers included only
six wood-fueled vehicles in the United States and two in Canada, where low-cost
gasoline continued to be available throughout the war.
Many articles were written on gasification during
that time (see Chapter 1).
Some photographs of gasifiers fitted to vehicles of that era are shown up.
Most
gasifiers were simply "belted on" and powered by gasifiers.
By the end of the war, there were more than 700,000
wood-gas generators powering regarded as only
temporary modifications for wartime conditions.
However, a few car makers went so far as to
modify the body work for gasifier installation.
Soon after the war, low-cost gasoline became
available again, and most users went back to burning gasoline because of its
convenience.
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