United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Air and Energy Engineering
Research Laboratory
Research Triangle Park NC 27711
Research and Development
EPA/600/S7-85/004 May 1985
<&EFyV Project Summary
Survey of Town Gas and
By-Product Production and
Locations in the U.S.
(1880-1950)
Robert Eng
This report presents data compiled
from available literature identifying
plants that manufactured town gas from
fossil fuels (e.g., coal, oil) and which
existed in the U.S. from 1889 to 1950.
The results are the first step of a
preliminary study to investigate the fate
and potential environmental impact of
by-products (such as tar) from the
manufactured gas industry. A list of gas
manufacturing sites and company
names was compiled by reviewing pub-
lished gas statistics. It is estimated that
more than 1,500 manufactured gas
facilities existed between 1889 and
1950. In addition, available gasifier/
process information and gas and by-
product production data are reported.
Based on these data, a rough (order of
magnitude) estimate for the total pro-
duction of tar by the U.S. manufactured
gas industry was developed. It is esti-
mated that about 15 x 1012 cu ft (425 x
1012 L) of gas was manufactured in the
U.S. from 1880 to 1950, producing
about 11 x 10s gal. (42 x 10* L) of tar as
a by-product. Of this estimated tar
production, some tars were consumed
at the plant site or sold and any excess
discarded. Excess quantities of other
by-products, such as coke and ammon-
ia, may have been disposed of also.
However, this study focused on tar
because it is considered the more po-
tentially significant waste disposal prob-
lem. The explanations and assumptions
used in compiling the data, as well M
those used in developing the tar esti-
mates, are also discussed in this report.
This Project Summary was developed
by EPA's Air and Energy Engineering
Research Laboratory, Research Triangle
Park, NC, to announce key findings of
the research project that is fully docu-
mented in a separate report of the same
title (see Project Report ordering infor-
mation at back).
The Report
Prior to the widespread use of natural
gas, the U.S. relied, in part, on town gas
produced from fossil fuels (predominantly
coal) for heating and lighting during the
1800s and early 1900s. The manufacture
of town gas typically resulted in the
production of by-products (including tar)
from the gas purification processes. The
potential environmental impact of the
disposal of solid wastes from the manu-
facture of town gas has become a recent
area of interest.
The purpose of this study is to review
and summarize pertinent data available
in the open literature on the manufac-
tured gas industry so that a preliminary
assessment can be made of the quantities
of solid wastes that may have been
disposed of at gas manufacturing sites.
The following steps (listed chronological-
ly) were taken to accomplish this purpose
within the scope of the project: (1) a
literature search was performed to iden-
tify possible sources of data, with special
attention to sources containing detailed
site and by-product information, (2) based
on the available information found in the
open literature, data were compiled on
plant location, manufacturing process
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type, and gas and by-product production
rates, (3) a rough estimate for the total tar
produced in the U.S. manufactured gas
industry was developed based on the
compiled data, and (4) a summary report
was prepared to present the data and
provide documentation of assumptions
used in the development of the data
tables and the tar production estimates.
Details of the first three steps are given in
the report.
The Approach and Results is divided
into four parts. The first part is concerned
with the source of data and the general
approach taken to compile useful data.
The second part presents the summary
data tables and discusses points to con-
sider in using the data, as well as
corresponding explanations of column
headings and assumptions made in data
compilation for each table. This part also
includes maps showing the plant sites
reported for the year 1889 to give the
reader an overall visual impression of the
breadth and number of these sites. The
main map is broken down into 10 indi-
vidual maps, each showing a separate
EPA region. The third part discusses the
steps and assumptions used to develop
the tarproduction estimate. The final part
briefly discusses gas manufacturing by-
products/wastes other than tar.
The primary source of information in
this study was Brown's Directory of
American Gas Companies (referred to
hereafter as Brown's), an annual publi-
cation (since 1887) that contains statistics
for the U.S. gas industry. Based on the
scope of the study and the available time
and information, data were compiled from
Brown's for every tenth year beginning in
1890 and ending in 1950, for a maximum
of seven years of data for each site.
The section on Site Identification
Tables and Maps in the report presents
the summary data tables and correspond-
ing discussion for each table. One table
shows site tallies and total gas produc-
tions by state/territory for the time
period, 1880 to 1950. The table presents
two important pieces of information for
each state: the total number of sites
reported and the estimated manufactured
gas production, both between 1880 and
1950. Approximately 1,500 manufac-
tured gas sites were identified from 1889
to 1950. Because the number of sites is
based solely on the total number of entries
found in every tenth Brown's publication, (
the total number of sites is probably
underestimated. Another table shows
average production rates for plants having
an average total production greater than
200 x 10« scf/yr (5.3 x 109 std L/yr).
The report's appendix, which repre-
sents the detailed product of this study,
shows data reported for each plant in
each decennial year, as well as the
average production rates for gas and
by-products.
Robert Eng is with Radian Corporation. McLean, VA 22102.
William J. Rhodes is the EPA Project Officer (sea below).
The complete report, entitled "Survey of Town Gas and By-Product Production
and Locations in the U.S. (188O-1950)." (Order No. PB 85-173 813/AS; Cost:
$34.00, subject to change) will be available only from:
National Technical Information Service
5285 Port Royal Road
Springfield, VA 22161
Telephone: 703-487-4650
The EPA Project Officer can be contacted at:
Air and Energy Engineering Research Laboratory
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Research Triangle Park, NC 27711
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