SYMPOSIUM ON POTASH Presented before a joint session of the Divisions of Physical and Inorganic Chemistry and of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry a t the 95th Meeting of the American Chemical Society, Dallas, Texas, April 18 t o 22, 1938.
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the presence of potash salts in the salines of the Permian OR the past quarter of a century this SOCIETYhas lisBasin. tened to papers dealing with proposed methods of exI n 1924 Senator Morris Sheppard introduced a bill which, tracting potash from potential raw materials of great varietyas finally passed in 1926, authorized the Geological Survey alunite, leucite, greensand, feldspar, shale, brines, kelp, inand the Bureau of Mines t o explore the salt strata of the dustriad by-products, cement kiln and blast furnace fumes, Permian Basin with the core drill. The result was the finding distillery waste and wool scourings-which represented excelof widely extending beds of polyhalite; on this mineral the lent contributions in pure and applied chemistry and, as a chemists of the Bureau of Mines and of the University of whole, a record of persevering research. This symposium, Texas have continued their technological studies up to the however, reports accomplished facts, and we are greatly inpresent time, contributing many excellent papers to the prodebted to the three potash-producing companies of the Southgrams of this SOCIETY. west for their fine cooperation in participating in this proI n 1925 the Snowden & McSweeney Company identified to hear first hand gram, making it possible for this SOCIETY and for the first time the complete description of potash techcrystals of the potash mineral, sylvite, in the bailings from nology as practiced in this country. We shall be able to oil drillings near Carlsbad, N. Mex.; the following year the core drill verified the occurrence there of a commercial strata trace the course of potash salts throughout agriculture and industry. Their vital importance and the economic and of sylvinite, a natural mixture of potassium and sodium chlorides. This discovery led to the establishment of the present social significance of this industrial achievement of the Southwest will be shown. industry. In 1911 the Congress made available its first appropriation Federal and state researches, continued up to the present, for potash research, a joint appropriation to the Bureau of have frequently dealt with raw materials which so far have Soils and the Geological Survey. At that time we had no not been developed as contributing sources of potash salts. Their practical value, therefore, cannot be appraised on that potash industry and little, if any, information as to raw mabasis. But they had inestimable value in keeping the potash terials from which potash could be produced. The first task problem before the American public However, in every was to seek evidences of potash segregations in water-soluble analogous situation the final test is the degree to which the forms, which included an examination of the salt mines of public responds. I n this instance the response has been unthe East, the salt crusts of the western desert basins, and natqualifiedly good, with adequate contributions of capital and ural brines from springs and oil wells wherever available, and a survey of the various insoluble potash minerals. Limited of technological talent of the first order. funds restricted these surveys to surface aspects. The net result of twenty-seven years of effort by the many in public and private enterprise who have contributed to it may Following three years during which public attention w7as called to a great variety of raw materials from which potash be expressed by the 1937 production and sale of approximately might be extracted, came the World War and the abrupt 451,000 tons of potash salts; this result both indicates and termination of European potash importations, followed in justifies the high order of technological skill, perseverance, turn by a thousand fold price increase under which stimulus and faith which was both required and expended in its acattempts were made to extract potash from all of the raw complishment. materials previously reported. These attempts were reThis symposium celebrates that result and I wish space markably successful in terms of tonnage output but, lacking a would permit a roll call of all those who have contributed foundation in technological research, were foredoomed to thereto. Such a roll call would reveal many names long well failure with the first approach of normal prices. This ocknown in the political, chemical, geological, and industrial accurred, with three exceptions-the recovery of potash from tivities of the Kation. If they were present here today I beSearles Lake brine by the present American Potash & Chemilieve they would agree that the industry about to be described cal Corporation, from distillery waste by the U. S. Industrial represents the solution of potash production in America. conChemical Company, firming their Lopes and from cement while exceeding their kiln fumes by the expectations. THEBEGINNING OF A 1000-FOOTAIR SHAFT TO THE MINE WORKINGS OF THE POTASH COMPANY OF AMERICA N o r t h American This program is deCement Corporasigned to tell the comtion. plete story of potash I n 1912 J. A . production and use Udden of the Unifrom which a clear unversity of Texas disderstanding s h o u l d covered potash salts result as to why this dissolved in the bailcommodity occupies i n g s f r o m o i l well such an important drilling in Potter place in world trade County, Texas; he and American life. subsequently obtained crystal fragJ. W. TURRENTINE, ments which revealed Symposium Chairman 853
