•
MARKETS I I · S· Consumption off H F in 1957 (Short Uses
Fluorocarbons Aluminum fluoride AEC uranium production Synthetic cryolite Conversion to salts Stainless steel pickling and metal cleaning Petroleum alkylation Output of special metals Etching and frosting glass Others Total
Tom} Tons
*%> of Total
42,000 40 5 000 ^7,000* 10,000 7,500
31.1 29.6 11.8 7.4 5.6
7,000 6,000 3,000 2,000 1,500 135,000
5.2 4.5 2.2 1.5 1.1 100.0
β Gross consumption. Net consumption was 16,000 tons, with about 11,000 tons ( lOOÇfc basis) of 10r/i hydrofluoric acid returned by AEC.
The Future for Hydrofluoric Aluminum, AEC needs leveling off, but metal processing, rocket fuel uses to increase T h e market for hydrofluoric acid has grown considcrabiv in recent years, a n d it is slated to exp a n d still more. I Of the two major uses—captive and open market sales—captive uses will grow most. These are the conclusions A. H o w a r d Stuewe and E. William -Zipper, Stauffer Chemical, h a v e arrived at. T h e aluminum industry is one major captive user, w h e r e products are alum i n u m fluoride and synthetic cryolite. Aerosol a n d refrigerant gases (fluorocarbons) are the other. S t u e w e told the Division of Chemical Marketing and Economics that H F uses in these industries shaped u p like this last year: Aluminum 50,000 tons Fluorocarbons 42,000 tons In addition to these major uses, captive production of fluorine salts took another 7500 tons, while noncaptive use of H F in all industries accounted for 35,500 tons. T h e aluminum industry is now making its fluorides to a limited extent from by-product silicofluorides. If produc-
m
ACS NATIONAL ^diççriKir^ Chemical Marketing & Economics
32
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1958
tion b y this route picks u p speed, a n d indications are t h a t it will, then H F consumption by t h e aluminum industry will d r o p or a t !>*»«#• only hold its o w n in the future. • AEC Use Likely t o D r o p . Another big user of H F is t h e Atomic E n e r g y Commission, which last year consumed 16,000 tons in its uranium p r o g r a m . AEC needs are probably leveling off, however, and gross consumption will probably d r o p as A E C returns a smaller per cent of its intake as spent a q u e o u s acid. But while A E C u s e may d r o p , needs in other g o v e r n m e n t p r o g r a m s may increase. Elemental fluorine mad' 1 from H F may b e c o m e a n important oxidizer in rocket fuel systems. • Alkyîation G r o w t h . The sulfuric acid alkylation process accounts for about 7 5 ' < of all U . S. alkylation capacity. T h e hydrofluoric process was introduced during the war, and it has grown a lot since then. Since 1954, H F alkylate capacity h a s increased from 40,400 barrels a d a y to about 85,000 barrels a day this year. Sulfuric units during the s a m e period h a v e increased from 186,600 barrels a d a y to 277,000 barrels a d a y . Each m e t h o d h a s its a d v a n t a g e s . In the sulfuric process a lot of sludge is
m a d e , a n d i.v. > , .e acid is regenerated to prevent pollution. T h i s m e a n s that large refineries near sulfuric acid and sludge acid regeneration plants will use the sulfuric acid process, while those more removed will u s e t h e H F method. • Metal Treatment. Hydrofluoric acid, primarily as aqueous acid, is u s e d to treat ores and refine special metals, most important of which a r e niobium, tantalum, beryllium, a n d various rare earths. Because these are important in defense, production has mushroomed, and so lias H F used^-to process t h e m . Production of these metals may prove to b e o n e of the largest nongovernment, noncaptive markets in the future. E l s e w h e r e in the metals picture, a q u e o u s H F is w i d e l y used to pickle stainless steel, as it resists sulfuric acid. W i t h stainless finding new applications each year, H F uses by that industry will go u p , too. Consumption in making inorganic fluorides is about 75O0 tons annually (lOO'i H F basis); salt, 14,500 tons. Major uses of sodium fluoride are m a k ing rimmed steel, fluormating w a t e r , and chemical cleaning. A small a m o u n t is sold as rat and roach poisons. Use of boron trifluoride as a catalyst is the s u b ject of several h u n d r e d p a t e n t s , b u t commercial applications to d a t e h a v e not approached that level. Because of its extreme reactivity many problems will have t o be solved, S t u e w e contends. However, ingenuity has solved tough problems before, a n d because of the tremendous power t h a t fluorine packs, some d a y its use m a y b e considered as easy as the once difficultto-handle anhydrous hydrofluoric acid is today.
A New Gum from Denmark A seaweed extract, furcel: aran, starts to make inroads *n the gum market; outlook calls for continued growth Furcellaran is a newcomer t o t h e ACS gum NATIONAL American field, but in its MEETING short life it has Carbohydrate been established Chemistry firmly as a competitor of agar agar, gelatin, and alginates. This year production should near 1 million pounds. That's small c o m p a r e d to the total gum market, b u t
m
Ecdof the]
E.ru
Periodic f h a r t of the Atoms. C-opvrtjrtrt \V. M . Welch M f p . Company. Chtrairo
QUALITY CONTROL MAKES A DIFFERENCE Every b a t c h t h e s a m e , p u r e - b r e d q u a l i t y ! That's one of the advantages of specifying Argus Mark stabilizers and Drapex plasticizers. It takes careful manufacturing and con tinuous testing by Argus research t o meet this high standard. Most vinyl stabilizers are com plex mixtures, so that physical specifications such a s specific gravity and refractive index a r e meaningless. T o insure* the consistency and quality of all Argus materials, we make up a sample vinxl formulation for every stabilizer
batch and test it for heat stabilizing action, This constant testing under conditions of actual use is the only way you can be sure of getting consistently top quality stabilizers — the kind that have made Argus Mark M the standard of the industry. If you have vinyl processing problems, \ou~ll find the right answers in our line prod ucts or in basit·. original research done on your product by our Technical Service Staff. Write for bulletins and samples.
ARGUS CHEMICAL N C York and Cleveland CORPORATION4 / X New Main Office: 633 Court Street, Brooklyn 3 1 , Ν. Υ. Rep's : H. M. Royal, Inc., 4814 Loma Vista Ave., Los Angeles; Philipp Bros. Chemicals,
Branch: Frederick Building, Cleveland 1 5 , Ohio
Inc., 10 High St., Boston; H. L. Blachford, Ltd., 9 7 7 Aqueduct St., Montreal.
SEPT.
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MARKETS
MANUFACTURE IN EUROPE Long established Dutch Chemical Manufacturer offers: Availability o f l a r g e tonn a g e capacity plant in Holland for use b y Client exclusively. — or=^ Manufacture of products for American firms in joint venture or a n y other form of cooperation with owner, including sales through their own W o r l d Wide Organization if desired. Holland provides p r e f e r ential access to the Europ e a n Common Market for the future. The plant is located n e a r Amsterdam, with a direct outlet to the sea. It has an efficient p o w e r station, a d e q u a t e water, large-scale equipment a n d buildings a n d g o o d office facilities. Confidential projects will h a v e full protection. For further information, communicate with: M r . G . S. F u r m a n G e o r g e Uhe C o . , Inc. 7 6 Ninth Avenue N e w York 1 1 , N e w York
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furcellaran *s outpwt has grown at about 107* a year latuely. Those involved closely with it figure that it will eon* tinue to grow at this pace for the foreseeable future. Behind furcellanui^s rise are two properties: If s a gelling agent and a viscosity control agent. Being a natural colloid similar t o agar agar, it is safe for human consumption. Hence» it has gained most in the food field, R. E. Schachat and 3Martirt Glicksman of General Foods told the Division of Carbohydrate C&eimstry. But, it is developing promising outlets in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, and its viscosity control piropcrties m a y make it useful in industrial applications as well. • M a d e In D e n m a r k . Today, furcellaran is produced in Denmark b y Industrial Seaweed Chemicals, Ltd., and by Latex I n d u s t r l Chemically it is a potassium salt o»f the sulfuric ester of a high molecular weight polysaccharide. Typical analysis reveals a polysaccharide content between 6 3 a n d 68r.·*, the rest being water plus potassium and calcium salts.
Furcellaran Production (Pounds)
Year
1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958° 1960°
65,000 131,400
157,600 360,000 520,000 740,000 1,000,000 1,200,000
° estimates.
Source:
G enteral F o o d s .
It is imported to t h e United States by D u c h é Uni—Cum; current price is about $1.50 a pound- U. S. consumption, it estimates, should near 400,000 pounds amnually within two or three years-up 300% over today's level. Other major consuming countries include Germany,. England, France, Holland, Belgium, and Denmark. T h e only commercial source of furcellaran today i s the red alga Furcellaria fastigiata, Schachat points out. It is found primarily in northern European waters, especially in the 600-squaremiie area between Denmark and Sweden known a s the Kattegat. The weed floats free? and grows at depths of
20 to 3 0 feet. Trawlers collect the alga with nets, although some drifts on shore and is also collected for processing. Processing follows conventional extraction practices, explains Schachat. T h e red alga is first set out to bleach in the sun for three days. Then it is preserved in lime for about three weeks, after which t h e material is neutralized to remove impurities and get furcellaran into a soluble state for extraction. T h e material is gelled and then frozen. W h e n thawed, water and other impurities separate first, leaving furcellaran behind. T h e remains are bleached and the product prepared for packaging. T h e final extract is a white, odorless powder that is soluble in hot or warm water. It foims agar-like gels a t low concentrations, a n d the strength of the gel can be increased b y adding potassium salts. Furcellaran is extremelyviscous and, says Schachat, has t h e advantage over other gums, such as carra geenan, of being more stable to heat a n d more resistant to acid hydrolysis. However, he continues, its present high viscosity limits wider use today. It is used n o w in puddings, diabetic products, reducing products, food preservation, toothpaste, a n d bacteriocides. More u s e is expected in t h e future as its properties become known and local legislation which governs use of gelling agents is changed.
• Hercules P o w d e r , Wilmington, following its recent announcement of a firm price policy for naval stores, h a s issued following prices for wood rosins for the last q u a r t e r of 1958: Grade K, $7.S0 p e r 100 pounds; Grade M, $7.80; Grade N , $7.90;; Grade WG, $8.25; Grade W W , $8.60. N e w prices a r e effective October 1. • Ciba Co., Inc., New York, reduced average price of epoxy solid resins by 5 cents p e r pound, and 12 to 15 cents for t h e liquid products. The reductions a r e retroactive to August 15, 1958. Ciba's new epoxy plant and research center at Toms River, N. J., will be in full scale operation early in 1959. • Foremost
Food a n d
Chemical,
El
Dorado Division, Oakland, Calif., issued a new price schedule for fatty acids dated September 15.
