Arthur R. Butz – The Hoax Of The Twentieth Century

Arthur R. Butz, The Hoax of the Twentieth Century
Sludge gasification (Schlammvergasung) was a postwar development and is
not relevant here.
In the technical literature, aeration of sewage is classified as one form of “gas
transfer,” 604 because a specific biochemical effect of the oxygen is sought; the
specific purpose of the aeration is to make the aerobic bacteria more vigorous.
This biochemical motivation is so emphatic that I have seen the word “Begasung
“ used to designate Belüftung. 605 In this connection, I have also seen the terms
“Belüftungskammer” (aeration chamber) and “Belüftungsschacht” (aeration
shaft). 606
Chlorination is normally accomplished by converting stored liquid chlorine to
the gaseous form, that is, Vergasung, 607 and then injecting the gas into the sewage
or effluent, that is, Begasung.
In the anaerobic digestion of sewage, a number of gases are produced (sludge
gas or Faulgas), especially methane, which has various uses as a source of energy.
This gas production is normally referred to, however, as Gaserzeugung
rather than Vergasung. Moreover, since the gas is produced at the top of a digestion
tank, it is not likely that the process could be viewed as taking place in any
sort of “Keller.” However, the process of useful gas production does not end
there, and there are sufficient complications to allow various combinations and
hence appearances of diverse technical terms. After the digestion, the removal of
impurities, especially hydrogen sulfide, is required, if the methane is to have practical
use. The removal was normally via dry scrubbing in a “Raseneisenerzfilter,”
608 that is, filtering in iron oxide, as was common in the gas industry.
As already remarked, sewage treatment consists of the acceleration of natural
processes, so gas production also occurs spontaneously in the very sewers before
the sewage reaches a treatment plant. This process is called “Kanalvergasung”
and was studied in Germany before the war. For example, there was a 1933 doctoral
dissertation on the subject. 609
Ventilation is often adequate to prevent unwanted effects, such as explosions,
but in the event ventilation does not suffice, there is the Gerlach device, which
removes gases by suction and has both mobile and stationary versions. 610 In this
case, the role of the plant is not to perform Vergasung but to counter it, that is, it
does Entgasung because of the undesired Vergasung.
Sludge incineration was practiced in Germany since early in the century, but
greater interest in this method of sludge disposal was aroused when large and
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606
607
608
609
610
422
Metcalf and Eddy, Inc., Wastewater Engineering (3rd ed., 1991), p. 276.
H. Kretzschmar, Technische Mikrobiologie (Berlin and Hamburg, 1968), p. 217.
J. Brix, H. Heyd and E. Gerlach, Die Wasserversorgung (1963), pp. 323, 329.
H. Kittner, W. Starke and D. Wissel, Wasserversorgung (Berlin, 1964), p. 424.
K. Imhoff, Taschenbuch der Stadtentwässerung (Munich and Berlin, 1943, 10th ed.), p. 207.
K. Dau, Über Kanalvergasungen und ihre Verhütung (Würzburg: Dissertationsdruckerei und Verlag
Konrad Triltsch, 1935).
H. Franke, ed., Lueger (cited above), Vol. 10, p. 693.; F. Gerlach, “Die Beseitigung von explosiven
und gesundheitsschädlichen Gasen aus Kanalisationsbauwerken,” Gesundheits-Ingenieur,
Vol. 52, No. 8 (1929), pp. 118-122.;. K. Dau, Über Kanalvergasungen (Würzburg: 1935), cited
above, p. 61.