Aug., 1913
T H E JOCR.Y.4L OF I K D V S T R I A L A N D ENGINEERI,VG C H E M I S T R Y
peat fuel on a commercial scale in this country, so far without success. A careful analysis of the reasons for this failure, however, shows that not the peat, but easily remedied causes, largely due to ignorance and inexperience, were responsible for the failures. Such peat fuel as has been produced has always been sold readily at satisfactory prices. It, therefore, seems worth while to examine into the possibilities of peat as fuel and learn if it may not have a place as an auxiliary fuel, at least, in the parts of the country where it is found to relieve those consumers who are remote from coal mines from the high prices which other fuels now command. Upwards of ~j,ooO,oOo tons of peat fuel are produced and used annually in Europe, and its use for the production of steam and electric power is noticeably increasing in countries where peat is abundant, although as heretofore the great part of the peat fuel is used for domestic consumption. I n the United States peat is found in abundance in the region north of the Ohio River and east of the 100th Meridian. It also occurs in New York and New England and along the Atlantic Coastal plain t o Florida which has large peat deposits and on the Pacific Coast in California, Oregon, and Washington. It will be seen t h a t this distribution is such t h a t the peat deposits are almost entirely in States with little or no coal. The chief characteristic of peat which makes its production for fuel difficult is that it always contains a high water (from 85 to 9o per cent) which must be removed before the peat can be burned. All processes for preparing peat fuel are based on attempts to the water cheaply and certainly, ~h~~ are made difficult by the fibrous and woody material of which the peat is composed and by the peculiar water-holding PojTrer of the organic chemical compounds present. The water mixed of the solid mawith the peat cannot be removed from terials either by pressure or by centrifugal force below about 7 0 per cent. Commercial methods of producing peat fuel are limited a t the present time t o those which depend, in large part, a t least, on drying the peat by exposure t o the air. A few cases are reported the peat is partly air-dried and the moisture farther reduced by the use of artificial heat. The greater part of the peat fuel made and used in Europe is in the form of airdried bricks or blocks which have been either cut from the bog with special spade-like tools, or formed by machines which first grind or macerate the wet peat to a -~ pulp and then shape i t into bricks. Some processes spread the pulp on the surface of a drying ground in a thin sheet and form the bricks by marking the sheet with properly spaced markers. When partly dried, the peat is turned by hand labor, then piled in small heaps for a time, and finally stacked till used: the product is called machine peat. Recently devised machines seem likely t o eliminate most of the hand labor from the methods now in use abroad for making machine peat, and thus do away with one important objection t o its use in the United States. Air-dried machine peat is the kind of peat fuel used in power and industrial works in Europe, with very few exceptions. Briquetting peat has been tried in many countries and the most notable failures at peat fuel production in the United States have been of plants of this kind. A t present peat briquets are made in but very few places in Europe, and the quantity produced is small. A much larger and more costly plant is needed t o make briquets than is required for air-dried machine peat, and more money is required t o run it.
io5
Europe, there are well established peat coke plants, which have been running a number of years. The most promising use of peat is in gas producers for generating power or fuel gas. Plants equipped with properly designed gas producers, with or without apparatus for the recovery of by-products and located near the bogs from which the fuel is taken, are being successfully operated in a number of European countries t o generate electricity for lighting and power purposes in nearby towns. Some of these plants use peat with as high as 60 per cent moisture and are reported to recover enough ammonia as sulfate to pay the cost of getting the fuel and running the plant. The fuel value of perfectly dry peat ranges from about 7 , 0 0 0 to above I I , O O O B. t. u. This is reduced by the presence of moisture and high ash content. It would seem that our peat resources are well worth developing whenever additional fuel supplies are needed for the development of the country. CHARLESA. DAVIS BCREAUOF .MINES WASHINGTON. D. C.
OF LENGTHENED SUBSTITUTION OF MEKER BURNER FOR BLAST LAMP IN CARBON DETERMINATIONS For some time several platinum crucibles mere in use in this laboratory for the determination of carbon by direct combustion. Blast lamps were used as the source of heat, the usual precautions being observed for flame regulation. The crucibles were used continuously until the bottoms began to crack or became appreciably Pervious to gas. They were repaired in every by the Same Company, the weight of the newly repaired crucibles and the thickness of the bottoms being uniform. The average working life under these conditions covered five hundred to six hundred combustions per crucible, the maximum being about nine hundred. X k e r burners were substituted with entire success for the blast lamps. After five thousand combustions had been made in each crucible, one became slightly pervious t o gas. The use of this crucible was discontinued shortly afterwards, the others being in good condition, R. J. WYSOR,Chief Chemzst BETHLEHEM STEELCo. SOUTH BETHLEHEM, P.4.
I
PEAT CHARCOAL OR COKE
Machine peat may be coked in proper retorts and wood alcohol, acetic acid, ammonia and tar and tar derivatives may be recovered as by-products. The charcoal thus obtained is equal to first-rate wood charcoal for metallurgical work. I n
SYNTHETIC TANNIN Consul Benjamin F. Chase, Leeds, England advises that what is said to be a successful synthetic tannin has been discovered by Dr. Edmund Stiasny, assistant professor of the leather industries laboratories of the University of Leeds. The new tannin, which is called Neradol, is made from tar distillation products, the synthesis being carried out by sulfonating cresylic acid and combining i t then with formaldehyde. The white color of the Neradol-tanned leather and the brightening and bleaching effect of Neradol when used in combination with other tannins (vegetable and chrome) are especially noteworthy. The Leather Trades' Review states: Neradol is somewhat similar to ordinary tanning extract, and forms a light brown solution in cold water. It is a pure tannin of 30 per cent strength according t o the hide powder method, and can be used in smaller quantities to obtain the same effects as those a t present produced by the ordinary agents. Dr. Stiasny has made a series of tests on hides and sheep and calf skins and has recently showed samples of leather ranging . from light glazed kid to sole leather produced either with synthetic tannin alone, or with it in combination with vegetable tannin, chrome, or wood-pulp liquors. In every case the product appeared to be satisfactory, the leather being supple, fine, and
706
T H E J O U R N A L OF I N D U S T R I A L A N D E N G I N E E R I N G C H E M I S T R Y
strong in the case of the light skins, while the sample of insoling belly was flexible and clear and light in color. However, the synthetic product is not likely t o greatly interest the sole-leather manufacturer while it is the custom t o sell such leather by weight, as the new tannin does not give weight; in fact, i t produces a light tannage, and is, therefore, more likely t o find commercial application in the manufacture of light leathers. But it is said to be useful in the early stages of sole-leather tanning to prevent drawn grain. FUTURE USES OF THE NEW TANNIN It is quite possible, especially when it can be produced more cheaply-the price is stated t o be about .$97 per long ton-that the adoption of Neradol tannage may have t o be seriously considered by those interested in chrome tanning. Meanwhile it is probable t h a t this synthetic material may be uSed in conjunction with both vegetable and chrome tannages, as it is claimed t h a t i t considerably hastens the process, and that, contrary t o the general effect of quick processes, it improves the quality of the leather a t the same time. It is stated that it has been already used on a fairly large scale in the German tanning industry. An advantage of the new tannin is t h a t it can be prepared in a uniform manner, and the material is not subject t o chemical changes. An interesting experiment recently carried out consisted in placing a piece of calf pelt, which was badly discolored, in a solution of the synthetic tannin. After a few minutes the discoloration had completely disappeared, and the pelt was almost white. In about two hours the pelt was struck through with the tannin. The time occupied in tanning the various samples shown by Dr. Stiasny varied from two days t o a few weeks. The combination tannage of Neradol, wood pulp, and vegetable tannin on a stout sheepskin took four days.
IMPORTS OF OLIVE OIL NOT ADULTERATED Following the receipt of several inquiries as to whether a large part of the olive oil imported into the United States is adulterated with cotton-seed oil, the Department of Agriculture has made a special investigation into the state of the olive oil admitted. The government’s interest in the matter is two-fold: first, to protect the people from getting adulterated olive oil; second, t o protect the reputation of olive oil in the interest of olive oil producers in California, Arizona, and other olive-growing sections. Since 1900, the Department, through its various port laboratories, has examined samples from 2 149 importations of olive oil. Of these, only ten were refused entry, and only three of these were refused entry for containing cotton-seed oil. These cotton-seed oil adulterations date back to 1908, when two shipments were found to be adulterated, and 1909, when one shipment was found to be adulterated. Since that time, there has been no shipment which has given evidence of cotton-seed oil adulteration. I n 1910, seven shipments of olive oil were refused admission because adulterated with peanut oil, and since that time there have been no cases discovered of either cottonseed oil or peanut oil adulteration. The addition of cotton-seed oil t o olive oil, the government specialists report, is very easily detected. Indications therefore are that all olive oil admitted t o the country and branded as olive oil has been pure olive oil, and has contained no cotton-seed or peanut oil. Occasionally the government discovers shipments of sardines in which the olive oil contains some cotton-seed oil. The experts point out that it would be illogical for the importer to bring into this country olive oil adulterated with cotton-seed oil, and pay a duty of 50 cents a gallon on the cotton-seed oil that is contained in the mixture. Similarly, nut oils are admitted under the tariff act, and the specialists say that i t would be absurd for an importer to bring from Holland olive oil adulterated with peanut oil, and pay ’ a duty of 50 cents a gallon on the mixture, when he could bring
Vol. 5 , No. 8
them over separately and avoid paying any duty on the a u t oil. U. S. DEPT.O F AGRICULTURE, OFFICE O F INFORMATION
CRISIS IN GERMAN POTASH INDUSTRY Consul Talbot J. Albert, Brunswick, says that all the German commercial newspapers of May 23, 1913.report a serious financial crisis in the potash industry. The funded securities of the leading mining companies of the Potash Syndicate, which had been regarded as gilt-edged and were selling a t high premiums, have fallen below par. The obligations and stocks of other mining companies have fatten, some of them t o more than onehalf of their former quoted value. A number of newly established companies have become insolvent. The cause of this alarming condition of the industry is overproduction. The potash law passed two years ago primarily for putting a n end t o the concessions granted by certain mining companies t o American importers accomplished that object, but has failed t o limit the production of potash. The allowance under the law of sales quotas t o new mining companies entering on the stage of production led t o a rush on the part of old companies t o sink new shafts in order to maintain their quotas and t o the establishment of a great many new mining companies. The consequence has been overproduction and a general collapse of the industry. It will probably take several years t o equalize the supply with the demand for potash. Legislation is now pending to amend the potash law so as to regulate the production, but so far it has been found impracticable t o frame the necessary regulations.
POWER FROM WASTE HEAT Consul Walter C. Hamm, Newcastle, England, states that West Hartlepool, which can claim t o be the first municipal authority to produce electricity by means of waste heat, will open its new generating station in the course of two or three weeks. The two turbo-generators, each of 1,500 kilowatts, will be driven by exhaust steam from the furnace-blowing engines of the Seaton Carew Iron Co., adjacent t o whose works the station is built. In return for their exhaust steam, which has hitherto been blowing to waste in the air, the Seaton Carew Iron Co. will receive free from the corporation the supply of electric current they need a t their works. Expenditure on coal will practically be eliminated. The coal bill for the present electricity station is about $20,000 a year, and, as it is anticipated that the consumption of current will largely increase under the cheaper rate now possible, the ultimate saving by the use of waste heat will be very considerable. Should the supply of exhaust steam not be available, either through a breakdown of the blowing engines or through the iron works being idle, a supply of high-pressure steam will be obtainable from the Seaton Carew Iron Co. The total expenditure involved in connection with the new scheme is $188,500,the plant alone having cost $15o,ooo. The old generating station will be maintained as a stand-by, and also as a town sub-station. There the current from the new station will be transformed t o the voltage required for distribution to the town ~~
GERMAN RECORD PRODUCTION OF RAW IRON Vice-Consul General DeWitt C. Poole, Jr., Berlin, writes that the production of raw iron in Germany during May, 1913, surpassed all previous records. The total output amounted t o 1,641,600 metric tons, as compared with 1,587,300 in April, 1913, and 1,492,157 in May, 1912. The various sorts produced during May were: Foundry pig, 309,892 tons; Bessemer, 29,406; Thomas, 1,049,524; steel and spiegel, 207,227; and puddle, 45,551.
