Building a future for a region short of raw materials: Fehling and industry in Württemberg

A vision of the future, Part 1: Saving energy 150 years ago

In an extensive report on the state of the chemical industry in Württemberg in the late 1840s, Fehling singled out high energy costs as the main problem for the development of a competitive industry. To tackle this, Fehling recommended a widespread shift from using wood to using coal as a fuel and pointed out the urgent need for a more efficient construction of home heating, ovens and stoves. The Central Office for Commerce and Trade then promptly commissioned him to develop improved models.

Together with Andreas Faißt, Fehling compared the energy consumption of various types of oven. Their findings eventually led them to recommended a new model developed by a mason from Bietigheim. This oven, which had separate baking and firing sections, only needed 16 pounds of wood to make 100 pounds of bread, compared with the 26 pounds needed by traditional models. Faißt and Fehling calculated the corresponding figure for the entire city and came to the conclusion that a change to the new model would save 5808 pounds of wood every day in Stuttgart alone.

Even 25 years after the study of ovens, making the best use of various types of fuel was still an important topic for Fehling. The article on fuels in the "New Handbook of Chemistry", which he published from 1874 onwards (see Monumental publishing projects), was written by Fehling himself. The entry meticulously lists the combustion properties of specific types of wood, as well as coal and charcoal from various regions.