I/EC
October 1960, Volume 52,
No. 10
APPLIED JOURNALS, ACS 1 155 Sixteenth St., N.W. Washington 6, D. C. Director of Publications, C. B. Larrabee Editorial Director, Richard 1. Kenyon Executive Editor, James M. Crowe Assistant to the Director o f Publications, Joseph H. Kuney Assistant to the Editorial Director, Rodney N. Hader Director o f Editorial Research, Robert F. Gould INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERINGCHEMISTRY Editor, Will H. Shearon, Jr. EDITORIAL HEADQUARTERS WASHINGTON 6, D. C. 1155 Sixteenth SI., N.W. Phone REpublic 7-3337 Teletype W A 23 Associate Editor: William H. Gay Assistant Editors: Joe H. Olin, Joe 6. Pullen, Elspeth W. Mainland Manuscripf Department Associate Editors: Stella Anderson, Head, Katherine 1. Biggs, Reviewing, Ruth Reynard, Editing, Ruth M. Howorth, Eugenia Keller Ediforial Assistant: S. S. Rogers Layout and Production Joseph Jacobs, Art Director; Melvin D. Buckner (Art); Leroy Corcoran (Layout) Editorial Reference: Barbara A. Gallagher BRANCH EDITORIAL OFFICES WASHINGTON Associate Editor: Louis A. Agnello CHICAGO 1, ILL. Room 926,36 South Wabash Ave. Phone Slate 2-5148 Teletype CG 725 Associate Editors: Arthur Poulos, James H. Krieger Assistant Editor: Donald Soisson HOUSTON 2, TEX., 718 Melrose Bldg. Phone FAirfax 3-7107 Teletype HO 72 Associate Edifor: Bruce F. Greek NEW YORK 16, N. Y., 2 Park Ave. Phone ORegon 9-1646 Telefype NY 1-4726 Associate Editors: William Q. Hull, Harry Stenerson, D. Gray Weaver, Walter S. Fedor, Laurence J. White, Earl V. Anderson SAN FRANCISCO 4, CALIF. 703 Mechanics’ Institute Bldg., 57 Post St. Phone EXbrook 2-2895 Teletype SF 549 Associate Editor: Richard 0. Newhall Assistant Editor: Joseph Sturchio EASTON, PA., 20th and Northampton Sts. Phone Blackburn 8-91 11 Teletype ESTN Pa 7048 Associate Editor: Charlotte C Sayre Editorial Assistants: Elizabeth R. Rufe, Barbara A. Conover EUROPEAN OFFICE Bush House, Aldwych, London Cable JIECHEM Phone Temple Bar 3605 Associate Editor: Albert S. Hestet Assistant Editor: Brendon F. Somerville Contributing Editors: H. Carl Bauman, James B. Weaver, W. S. Connor, P. H. Sterling Advisory Board: R. 1. Bateman, A. S. Brunjes, David M. Clark, James M. Church, Lauchlin M. Currie, Joseph C. Elgin, Sam E. Emison, E. J. FOX, George Harrington, Gustave Heinemann, Rafael Katzen, Joseph H. Koffolt, F. Drew Mayfield, George Thodos, Richard C. Waugh
For Coal-A
Helping Hand
As this issue of I&EC went to press a Director of Coal Research had not been appointed to head the Office of Coal Research, newly created by Public Law 86-599. We hope that no time will be lost in selecting this man, and his staff, and in putting to work the initial $2 million authorized by the Congress. A revitalization for coal is a great thing. There has been a good deal of work over the years-gasification in place, hydrogenation, new approaches to oxidation, to name a few. IJEC’s pages have certainly had their share of the results of this research. But we do not recall offhand any spectacular success, economically or productionwise, either in power generation or chemicals production. Coal needs to be revitalized. We need fresh thinking. We need approaches that have never been taken before. Perhaps that is one of the best reasons for establishing the Office of Coal Research separate from the Bureau of Mines. This means that there does not have to be research colored by a rule book or a policy already set up. By the same token, the Office of Coal Research is directed by law to “cooperate to the fullest extent possible with other departments, agencies, and independent establishments of the Federal Government. . .” And the Office of Coal Research will certainly be missing the boat if it does not take advantage, to the fullest extent, of the years of research experience of the Bureau of Mines. We have no torch to bear as to the nature of the results-for power, or for chemicals, or for some use no one has yet thought of. There are so many angles. Our torch is simply for the maximum use of brains, and the most open-minded approach. We were talking recently with a man of long experience in the Bureau of Mines, and were much interested in his praise of the “research mindedness” of the United Mine Workers of America. Last spring at the ACS meeting in Cleveland, Michael F. Widman, Jr., Director of UMW’s Research and Market Department, gave some thoughts on intelligent utilization of our coal resources and what research and development can do to improve the position of coal among competing fuels. One of the interesting angles Mr. Widman talked about was coal-fired diesel locomotives. At this same meeting F. J. Zimmermann, president of Salvo Chemical, discussed his process for complete combustion of industrial wastes under water-a process which could possibly be applied to coal slurries to produce steam. In this issue of I/EC, Dow Chemical research workers report possible commercial applications of “coal acids,)’ water-soluble polycarboxylic acids made by oxidizing alkaline slurries of bituminous coals. They feel that controlled oxidation should be looked at more closely as a process for making inexpensive chemicals directly from bituminous coal. Just a short time ago a publication in the petroleum field announced a change of editorial scope to include material on coal utilization, as a part of a whole field which might be termed “hydrocarbon processing.)’ We hope things are looking up for Old King Coal. The Director of Coal Research has a real challenge. The rest of government, private industry, labor, and associations have a real responsibility to help him meet this challenge. The ACS, its Division of Gas and Fuel Chemistry, and its publications are certainly at his service.
P RIIIARCH V
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