The person guarding the stall was a gentle-looking middle-aged man. He was very tidy and clean, much cleaner than most people in the gathering place. He wore glasses, and his collar and cuffs were severely worn. There were two patches on his sleeves and the hem of his suit. He was dressed decently for the gathering place, and his face was not as meaty as the other poor people. Obviously, this person was a commoner who could receive relief.
He carefully looked at the expression on Zhang Xiaoqiang's face. When he first saw Zhang Xiaoqiang stop beside him, he looked slightly happy. Then, when he saw Zhang Xiaoqiang frowning at the titles of the books, his heart sank. His lips trembled as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he lowered his head and did not have the courage to speak.
"What the hell are these things of yours?
What are they used for? "
After pondering for a long time, Zhang Xiaoqiang finally admitted that he was not cut out for this and could not understand the meaning of the covers.
The man carefully looked at Zhang Xiaoqiang and saw that Zhang Xiaoqiang was staring at the covers in a daze, as if he really could not understand them. The disappointment in his heart was indescribable. However, he did not show any impatience and carefully explained to Zhang Xiaoqiang.
"These are some books related to the indirect liquefaction of coal. They explain the theoretical knowledge of the conversion of coal into oil …"
"Wait, you mean, these things can convert coal into oil?"
Zhang Xiaoqiang was shocked. In his opinion, oil was a very complicated thing. Without a drilling rig, refining equipment, and a series of purification processes, there was absolutely no way he could turn oil into diesel or gasoline.
"No, no, no, this refers to the relevant theoretical knowledge. The indirect liquefaction of coal is to first react with oxygen and water vapor at high temperatures, causing all the coal to be gasified and converted into synthetic gas, which is a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. Then, under the action of a catalyst, it is synthesized into liquid fuel …"
The man spouted a lot of information. Zhang Xiaoqiang did not quite understand, but at least he understood one thing. Converting coal into refined oil for his vehicle required a very troublesome process, as well as a lot of equipment and personnel. Many of the relevant professionals were also needed. It seemed that it was impossible in a gathering place that lacked everything.
"Sigh, I say, this thing of yours is too troublesome. I thought you could get a stove, a pot, and some steel pipes to produce oil. There is no market for this thing in the gathering place!"
Zhang Xiaoqiang said casually, but in his heart, he had made up his mind to recruit this man. It seemed that this guy was the legendary high-tech talent?
When the man heard Zhang Xiaoqiang's casual words, it was as if his spine had been pulled out. He fell to the ground on his butt and said slowly, "I also know that my entire life's work is on this. When I heard about escaping, the first thing that came to my mind was to bring the books and materials with me. At this point, I also didn't expect …"
Hearing the man speak so bleakly, Zhang Xiaoqiang also sighed. He was troubled by the man, and he missed the hundreds of gigabytes of romantic action movies hidden in the computer at home. Those were his ten years of hard work, and he had selected the best of the best. Almost half of them were already out of print and could no longer be found in the market.
"I know what you mean by setting up a furnace and setting up a pot to produce oil. That's the crude oil refinery method that caused a stir in the past. That method doesn't use coal, just scrap rubber tires. I remember that 3 tons of scrap tires can produce 1 ton of oil. At the same time, there's also a by-product, which is nearly 1 ton of steel wire …"
Zhang Xiao Qiang had heard of crude oil refinement methods, such as gutter oil.
He had never heard of using scrap tires to refine oil. He also couldn't think of what kind of oil could be refined from scrap tires. Could it be lubricant?
"You tell me about the indigenous method of refining oil. If you explain it clearly, I will buy all of your books."
Zhang Xiaoqiang was full of interest. It seemed that at the end of the world, the most common things were scrap cars and old tires. As long as the oil refined could be used, it could also be considered as an industry, right?
"Uh … I personally suggest that it is best not to use tires to refine oil. That thing is quite polluting to the environment. During the refining process, it will produce waste gas, waste water, and residue, which are all highly toxic substances. The harmful gas will cause serious pollution to the atmosphere. Waste water and waste gas will destroy the soil and water sources. Around the refinery, not even a blade of grass will grow, and trees will wither …"
The man seemed to be very conservative. He had a deep hatred for this kind of thing. Under the situation where his stomach was still growling, he actually gave Zhang Xiaoqiang a lesson.
"Don't talk to me about those rules. What kind of world is this?
The living people are dying. Protect the environment?
Help the zombies protect the environment?
Hurry up and tell me, or else I won't buy your books … "
Zhang Xiaoqiang was very annoyed with this kind of person. He didn't understand the actual situation and just talked about it. Under the absolute suppression of survival, everything that was irrelevant had to give way to survival.
"You can refine fuel oil, for example, diesel …"
"Wait, say it again!" Zhang Xiaoqiang was afraid that he didn't hear it clearly, so he asked again.
"I said that the oil refined from rubber tires is mainly fuel oil. It can be directly refined into diesel."
"Let's not talk about other things. Tell me honestly, do you know how to refine oil?
It is the indigenous method of refining oil! "
Zhang Xiaoqiang was a little nervous and also a little excited. The main fuel consumption in the convoy was diesel. Military vehicles, transport trucks, and diesel generators. Up until now, one-third of the diesel reserves of the convoy had been used, and this was just a small convoy. In the base, the demand for diesel could be said to be endless. Two-thirds of the diesel generators could only be used as decorations because there was no diesel, and the base's demand for electricity was quite terrifying.
When the man heard Zhang Xiaoqiang's question, he was obviously stunned. He looked at Zhang Xiaoqiang seriously and saw Zhang Xiaoqiang looking at him with a serious face. After a while, he hesitantly nodded and then said, "It is easy to refine diesel, but the equipment should be professional. At the very least, the refining equipment should be made of good materials. Otherwise, it is easy for the exhaust gas to leak and kill the operators. The quality of the refined oil is also not very good. It will cause the oil nozzle to be blocked, the engine will be damaged, and in the worst case, it may lead to an explosion …"
Zhang Xiaoqiang nodded thoughtfully. He didn't think it was a big deal. Compared to the profits that he was about to get, those problems were small problems. However, when he heard that there would be an explosion, he felt a little guilty. The explosion would cause casualties. It was not worth it to kill people because of inferior oil.
"Do you have a way to purify inferior diesel?
Do not be afraid of consumption. I don't need to sell it for money. I only need to ensure that it is safe and will not cause an explosion … "
When the man heard this, he was already sure that Zhang Xiaoqiang had plans to take him in.
Although he didn't know Zhang Xiaoqiang's background, judging from Zhang Xiaoqiang's clothes and equipment, the man in front of him might really have some ability.
Thinking that he might be able to get a job that could feed him, the man's heart became hot.