Minerals are Indispensabl to the @e
k e y of the QtavUaof the chemical indu8trJb:q United States. .?r The.enoc)oousexpaneion in domestic mineral pn tion from 1870 to 1947, depicted on opposite ,& shows the annual value of all minerals and the t main groups-fuels, m&als, and nonmetals. Thedl,
numb& of homo owners for the convenience of oil
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INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
portion accounted for 'by nonm3tsllic minerals other th%;fp& TOB% only to the extent of 10 to'$S% for the -e period. Trenda in dollar value of production . do not always portray aeeurately the d. . q-titative trend of output h a u s e of . , &e+fluctuatingnature of prices. This && applies particularly to 1947, '.' .''I' *hen prices increased substantially. ... '. Thus a comparison.pf the 1947 peak with previous years shown on the chart exaggerates the level of production last year. From 1922to 1947,for example, the total value.of mineral gutput of the United States rose 167% but.$he quantity producad advane;B1! llO~o,according to Bojwd index of the r&ralproduetion. . , son with year 1945 ahoy$ y6 creme in the total value but 19% riae in the physic@,'$ Nevertheless, the q produced in 1947 fl. the Rrn.,.irn.+& ]
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I N D U S T R I A L A N D E N G I N E E R I N G CHEMISTRY
963
fernalloying minerals is d e c t e d by the position of tungsten, msnganese, chmmite, and nickel in the chart. During the war 6elf-su5ciency improved substantially in nitrates, mercury, potash, bauxite, ilmenite, and flake graphite and minor improvements were made in aeveral other commodities; however, expanded production of copper, lead, and zinc failed.to meet the greatly inflate3 w a needs. ~ With minor exceptions, the nation did not improve ita position significmitly in those mineralsin wbich it is normally deficient. Difficultiesin meeting war needs ‘a&dfesrs in some circles that depletion of our mineral resourceS was dangerously advanced. With a view to summaxizing the available information on thii subject the United Ststes Department of the Interior, through ita Bureau of Mines and Geological S w e y , undertook to study the nation’s mineral rezerves at the close of the war. The results of this s w e y are shown in the chart, “Commercial h r v e s , ” page 961. (Mineral Position of the United S t a h : An appendix to a reportentitled “Investigation of Natural Resourees,”published aa part of the Hearingsbefore a Subcommittee of the Committee on Public h d s , United States 8 e ~ t e80th , Con-, 1947. Also “Mineral Resources of the United States,” published hy Public M a i m Press, Washington, D. C., 1948.) The estimates of remaining known commercial mrvea of the more important industrial minerals shown in‘this graph were bssed on preaent knowledge of our ~ o w c e s . They do not allow for future discoveries of new mineraked areasand do not include known resources unworkable under present economic conditions and technology.
t Meaabi range in Minnesota are .khaU soon have to turn to the
I N D U S T R I A L A N D E N G I N E E R I N G , CHEMISTRY
Vd. 40, No. 8
which now is heing erqployed chiefly in oxide form as a pigment. From the chart on page 962, it will he noted that most of our ilmenite requiremente have been imported, although domestic r e s e m are relatively large. This has been due to the fact that under present technology commercial grades can he obtained from foreign deposita cheaper than from domestic w m s . By improved practice it ia hopad that this situation can he remedied, at le& in part. The B u m u of Mines has explored the properti? of pure titanium metal and found that it has many valuable chamcteristics that would permit it to serve, in some u8e8 as a substitute for other metals not available domestically. The Bureau of Mines is now attempting to perfect procasses for making this metal; if ita &orb are successful, industry will have a new twl that can he obtained from w m s within our own borders. The production of synthetic liquid fueb from coal illustrates the use of abundant rasourcea of coal to supplement ow natural petroleum reserves, the extent of which is uncertain. RESERVE PROBLEMS
The commodities shown in the lower part of the chart on page 961am those presenting S ~ I ~ O Ureserve S problems for the immediate future; this gmup includes many highly essential minerals such as petroleum, bauxite, tin,copper, lead, zinc, and the steel-alloying metals vanadium, manganese, tungsten, nickel, and chromite. Irhprovement here can he obtained only by succesaful searching for new deposita, by d e d o p i n g subetitutes available at home, or by improving tech-
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I N D U S T R I A L A N D E N G ZNEERING C H E M I S T A P
comprehensive program. A glance at the mee of our known ramaining ~ N Wof! many indispenmble minerals clearly indicates a need so urgent that we can no longer &on3 to let ' nature take ita course in thisvital part of our national security. The chart below shows the actual and impending.eelfsu5iciency of the United Statea in the principal minerale based on the outlook for i m p m m e n t through new diecowries and the potential eelf-suIEciency that could be attained if future technologic and economic changes permit use of known mbmargid m m .It thus prasenta a rough pietm of passible results obtainable from the type of exploration and researoh progrsm indicated above. If the problem that now prevent the U%B of certain known subnwgind mourcea can be solved the following minerals c8n be added to the list of thw in which virtual Self-BUffciency is w u d for a long time: aluminum,petroleum, copper, iron ore, msngsnese, titanium, vanadium, flake graphite, and all grades of fluorspsr. The chart slso indicates that, in the opinion of geologiata and mining engineera. there is good expectation of diemvehg new murcea that will permit improvement in our preaant position of complete or partial dependence on foreign wurces
965
lenm, copper, Id, zinc, and tunpsten. Unfortunately, the present outlook indicates that there is tittle hope of die covering deposita that will substantially improve the nation's position in several other raw materials that are highly stm tegic in time of emergency and eeaential to our well-being in peace t'unesuch important items 88 chromite, nickel, platinum,tin,industrial diamonds, and the strategic grades of miea. Despite the unfavorable outlook, we ebould not adopt @ defeatist attitude but should alway. be alert for new develoe menta in explaation and science that may change the picture. RaeeaMh on substitutes for the minersls in which we am deficient alsc must be stimulated. From the viewpoint of a chemie.t and chemical engineer a dieeuesion of mineral resuwca would be incomplete without mentioning the many nonmeWe raw matarisle that play
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INDUSTRIAL A N D ENG INEBRING CHEMISTRY SUMMARY
The chemical industry may look forward to a future securely based on abundant supplies of minerals, most of which will continue to be available from domestic sources. No major shifts in the locale of domestic steel production are anticipated despite the prospect of declining ore output from the high grade Minnesota iron deposita. Enormous coal resources and an inexhaustible supply of air provide insurance for two of the most essential chemical raw materials. Water supply ip a problem in some areas but in the aggregate is abundantly available. The reserves of the fertilizer triumvira&nitrogen, potash, and phosphorus-are large and wure an upward trend in the production of these minerals if demaud continues to rise. Known deposita of native sulfur and pyrite will laat for decades and should discovery fail to pme demand, unlimited quantities of other sulfur-bearing dnerals are. av&WIe. Other nonmetallic The outlook for the Continued major reli
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tinue than to im rates or increases. metals and nickel are available
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I N D U S T R I A L A N D E N G I N E E R I N G CHEMISTRY
A Valuable Reference for Chemical Statistics
In its -ud
edition of Chemiool Foe- and Figures, published in 1946, the MPnuraaturing Chemists’ Association has made avdlable useful information aud statigti~dating to the chemical and allied products indmtries. The book consists of over 400 ppgea and may be obtained from the MCA, Woodward Building, Washington 5, D. C., at $2.00 per eopy.
oil.sbple svid the convertion of
