Nitrogen Again Leads 1965 Fertilizer Gains Consumption of nitrogen fertilizers showed substantial gains in 1965, a trend that has been continuing for the past five years. The Tennessee Valley Authority, in a preliminary review of fertilizer consumption for the year ending June 1965, shows that while total fertilizer consumption increased by 2.5%, anhydrous ammonia consumption was up 8.5%. And nitrogen solutions may be as much as 12% higher than during the previous year. TVA gathered statistics for its preliminary report from state control officials, agricultural experiment stations, agricultural extension service, and other branches of land-grant colleges. TVA admits that these early estimates are incomplete. For example, no breakdown could be made on the use of phosphate or potassium fertilizers. The report may thus differ somewhat from the more complete statistics to be issued later by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. But TVA feels that these reports are useful to the fertilizer industry in planning for the coming season. The figures show that the largest increase in total fertilizer consumption was in the corn belt and in the West South Central and Pacific Coast areas. The use of nitrogen solutions increased more rapidly than the use of any other single category of materials, and much more rapidly than consumption of total fertilizer materials. Ammonia. Consumption of anhydrous ammonia and liquid, straightnitrogen materials increased in almost all areas of the country. Distribution of aqua (aqueous) ammonia increased almost 12% nationwide, with decreases reported only in the Mountain States. But these figures do not accurately reflect application of aqua ammonia by farmers, TVA notes; large amounts of anhydrous ammonia are shipped to local aqua ammonia converters. Current reporting procedures provide no way to estimate how much anhydrous ammonia is converted. The various state reports used for the survey give significant comparisons of only three solid nitrogen materialsammonium nitrate, urea, and ammonium sulfate. Solid ammonium nitrate use decreased 1%. Most of this decrease is accounted for by increased use of other solid forms of nitrogen and by ammonia and nitrogen solutions. Urea use was 38
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17,
1966
up 5% and ammonium sulfate 10%. These reports should be viewed cautiously, TVA says. In some states solid nitrogen materials used in bulk blending are reported as mixtures. In other states they are reported as straight materials.
3M Fined $190,000 in Criminal Antitrust Suit Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing Co. has been fined a total of $190,000 on criminal antitrust charges by the U.S. District Court in East St. Louis, 111. The company pleaded no contest to charges which arose out of its trade practices in three industries—pressuresensitive tape, magnetic recording media, and aluminum presensitized lithographic plates. The company was fined the maximum $50,000 on each of three counts charging it with attempting to monopolize the product lines. It was fined $20,000 for conspiring to restrain trade in pressure-sensitive tapes and $20,000 for conspiring to monopolize such tapes. Four other counts were dismissed by the Government. In assessing the fines, Federal Judge William G. Juergens was highly critical of 3M's position of "rule or ruin" in these product lines. He added that the Justice Department should watch 3M trade practices for some time. All that 3M is saying about the case is that "the plea of no contest was entered on advice of counsel in belief that it is in the best interests of the company to finally dispose of this long-pending litigation at this time in this manner." 3M was originally indicted by a federal grand jury in Danville, 111., in December 1961 (C&EN, Dec. 25, 1961, page 20). At the time of the indictment, Herbert P. Buetow, then company president, said that it is "firm company policy to operate in conformity with the antitrust laws." In a written statement, Judge Juergens says he does not favor no contest pleas in criminal cases. However, in the 3M case he assumed that the plea would be in the public interest. The Government agreed to the plea. The judge said that the company conduct which led to the indictment started in the 1930's: "If there was a business that was interfering with 3M's operations, meetings were set up and if 3M could not get its way through persuasion, then threats, coercion, and intimidation were used."
AEC Denies Light-Water Reactors Competitive The Atomic Energy Commission, faced with the unhappy choice between eating crow or turning out its cherished offspring to face the cruel competitive world alone, has decided on the feathery meal. The choice was put to it by the coal industry in the form of a petition for AEC to issue a rule embodying the finding that light-water reactors have been developed sufficiently to be of practical value. Under the "practical value" section (number 102) of the Atomic Energy Act, once AEC issues such a determination for a type of nuclear power plant, then that type of reactor no longer is eligible for government financial assistance (through AEC's Cooperative Power Demonstration Reactor Program ). In denying the petition (C&EN, Jan. 10, page 19), AEC carefully qualifies some of its earlier claims about the competitiveness of nuclear power with that of conventional fuels. Although the economic prospects foinu clear power in the U.S. are "very favorable," AEC says, it must hold off final judgment until it has a better grip on how economical large nuclear power plants [400,000 to more than 600,000 net k w ( e ) . ] now under construction prove to be once they are operating. Light-water reactors now in operation, which range in size to 200,000 net k w ( e ) . , definitely are not economically competitive, AEC says. And the commission is in no position now to determine how economical plants more than three times that size will be. Besides, AEC points out, both the commission and the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy have made it clear that the Government no longer will provide such assistance for new lightwater reactor power plants of the jumbo variety. Thus, it says, "the consequences of a finding would be very narrow." But the action—brought jointly by the National Coal Policy Conference, the National Coal Association, and the United Mine Workers of America— also would have ruled out government support of dual-purpose (power and desalting) light-water reactors in connection with its program (joint with the Interior Department) on water desalination. This is a program that AEC is not about to write itself out of.
AEC decisions in petitions of this nature are final. But more will probably be heard on the matter if the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy, as promised, takes up the "practical value" issue this session (C&EN, Jan. 3, page 28).
BRIEFS Kerr-McGee Corp. has consolidated its retail plant food and farm chemicals marketing into a wholly owned subsidiary, Kerr-McGee Chemical Corp. Baugh Chemical Co., the plant food division of Hubbard-Hall Chemical Co., and Molony Fertilizer Co., former subsidiaries, have been merged into the new Kerr-McGee Chemical. All plant food operations of these firms will be continued. William E. Jaqua, vice president of plant food marketing for Kerr-McGee, will be chief operating officer of the new subsidiary, headquartered in Oklahoma City. Hubbard-Hall will continue as a subsidiary and will operate its present industrial products facilities. Hubbard-HalFs former subsidiary, Chem-Salts, Inc.,
and its subsidiary, Chem-Salts of Louisiana, have been merged into Hubbard-Hall.
Marquette Cement Mfg. Co. has absorbed its sales subsidiary, North American Cement Corp. Marquette acquired North American Cement in January 1961. There will be no change in office locations, sales policies, or personnel, according to the company.
Suchar Sales Corp. and its associated company, FAS-FLO Filter Corp., have merged with Bartlett-Snow-Pacific, Inc. Suchar specializes in designing and building sugar refineries and has developed a variety of equipment for sugar processing. In addition, it markets Suchar activated carbon. Bartlett-Snow-Pacific, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bangor Punta Alegre Sugar Corp., has engineering and manufacturing facilities in San Francisco, Calif., and Cleveland, Ohio. It supplies a variety of heat-processing equipment.
NEW FACILITIES Inland Steel Co., Chicago, 111., has undertaken a multimillion-dollar program to combat air pollution and to expand steelmaking capacity. Air pollution control equipment, including electrostatic precipitators and roof burners, worth about $7 million, will be added to one of Inland's three open-hearth steel shops. The equipment, to be installed by mid-1967, will clean waste gases to levels prescribed by an agreement signed last May by Inland and the City of East Chicago, Ind. The agreement calls for Inland to control emissions from all of its open hearths and sintering plants by 1973. Inland will also install equipment for furnaces and auxiliaries in the same open-hearth shop to increase the hearth's steelmaking capacity by 50%, or about 1 million ingot tons of steel per year.
Hercules Powder Co.'s fibers and film department will increase by 25% production facilities for olefin fibers at its Covington, Va., plant. Construction is under way on the multimillion-dollar expansion and will be completed in the fourth quarter of 1966. Although carpeting is the major field for Hercules' olefin fibers, steady penetration into diversified applications such as automotive textile materials, industrial fabrics, and apparel is taking place.
Du Pont's organic chemicals department has increased its capacity to make p-nitrotoluene at its Chambers Works, Deepwater, N.J. It expects to have the additional capacity in operation late this year. The extra capacity is needed to fill increased needs for pnitrotoluene, used in making dyes, pigments, drugs, and isocyanates.
Farmers Chemical's Ammonia Expansion Nears End Farmers Chemical Association, Inc., of Tyner, Tenn., will soon bring on stream an anhydrous ammonia plant expansion which will expand capacity by 5 0 % , to 450 tons per day. New units being added are a primary reforming furnace (center), larger carbon monoxide converters, and a 5000-hp. synthesis gas compressor. The reformer will be started up this month; the other units will be phased in by April. Capital investment in the new facilities is about $2 million. Farmers Chemical is a Tennessee corporation owned by farmer cooperatives in Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia. Other major products of the company are prilled ammonium nitrate and nitrogen solutions.
Du Pont's electrochemicals department will build a plant to make ceramic-metal products at Niagara Falls, N.Y. Ceramic-metal products are used in making screen-printed circuitry in computers, industrial controls, and aerospace equipment. The construction, involving conversion of an existing laboratory building, will permit production to begin by the middle of this year. In the meantime, Du Pont will supply the products from its Perth Amboy, N.J., plant. JAN.
17,
1966
C&EN
39
FINANCIAL
SOLUBLE
Calgon Corp. now owns Pittsburgh Activated Carbon Co., a subsidiary of Pittsburgh Coke & Chemical Co.
SILICATES
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(C&EN, Jan. 10, page 24). Calgon will operate the carbon producer as a wholly owned subsidiary. Calgon plans to expand Pittsburgh Activated Carbon activities into fields such as water and sewage treatment, dry cleaning, and air conditioning. Cal gon shareholders, in approving the purchase, also approved a proposal to increase the company's authorized capital stock from five to 10 million common shares of $1.00 par value. Next year's sales of Calgon should total approximately $70 million, the company says.
Enjay Chemical now owns all of Na tional Plastic Products, and will op erate it as a wholly owned subsidiary. National Plastic, which makes poly propylene fibers for hosiery and car pets, was jointly owned by Enjay and J. P. Stevens & Co., Inc., New York, N.Y., since 1961. Enjay says that it plans a substantial expansion of Na tional Plastic.
PQ soluble silicates can do many different jobs because they offer a variety of distinctive properties. The complete line comprises over 70 sodium and potassium silicates in crystalline, powder and liquid form and in varying weight ratios of silica to alkali. The variety of distinct products makes possible many combinations of physical and chemical properties and many different applications. Efficient detergency is a fundamental property. The soluble silicates are good cleaners by themselves because of their alkali and silica content. As basic materials in formulations, they improve the cleaning power of other detergents. A small amount of sodium silicate will fluidize a high viscosity material like clay and make it easy to mold and move. The same silicate, diluted and combined with an acid to form activated silica sol, acts as an effective coagulant aid in water clarification. Dried silicate films protect wood and paper products because they are impervious to oil, fat and grease. Such films can also act as exceptionally strong adhesives for paper, wood, metal and some plastic surfaces. Sili cates are bonding agents in the manufacturing of welding rod coatings, insulating board, and refractory cements. Many other applications have also become standard practice in industry; still others await discovery. For more information on PQ soluble silicates, please send us the coupon.
Nopco Chemical Co., Newark, N.J., has purchased Metchem Research,
Inc., a Bristol, Pa., producer of zinc products and chemicals, for an un disclosed amount of Nopco stock. The Metchem product line will be integrated into the industrial division, Nopco says. Metchem was known as Superior Zinc Products before 1961.
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Pacific Vegetable Oil Corp. has started to sell crambe oil and meal com mercially. To supply pilot-study quantities, the San Francisco firm has processed seed from about 1000 acres of the experimental cold-weather crop, using techniques developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (C&EN, Aug. 2, 1965, page 3 7 ) . Crambe oil's potential lies largely in industrial markets where U.S. farm products are not used. As a lubricant to prevent molten steel from sticking to molds in continuous casting units, crambe oil is superior to rapeseed oil now used, USDA says. Crambe meal, now being tried in cattle feed, may also be used in poultry feed.
