una\,ailable becausc of its high percentage of ash. I t crumbles before burning and about t\vo-thirds of the heating value of thc briquette is lost in unconsumed substance in the ash. Shortly before his death, Trainer, who is freely quoted by the 1 ; m n k furter Zeitung, acknowledged that a good, combustible briqucttc could be made only with the aid of sulfite liquor freed from lime, a n opinion that can only be confirmed. “ I t is asserted that the coal briquettes made with thick spent liquor, gave no satisfactory results, even where rnadc insolublc in watcr by preliminary heating. “Attcmpts to use coke refuse or Ion-grade coal waste for hrique[ ting with sulfite liquors, would involve heavy financial risk. It is said that even the best anthracite coal docs not yield, ivith sulfite liquor, a commercially combustible. product. “That the briquettes arc smokeless and do riot softcnunderhcat, i h admittrd. and this may, in the future, provc a factor in coalbriquctting \vith lime-free lye. The wcathcrproof properties c l f the pitch praised in the Fra)ikfiirtsr %&tung arc of no conseiliience in relation t o its combustible properties. “Thc elimination of road dust has not so far heen veri- succcsslul, and if tar, so difficult of solution in water, is washed out in a comparatively short period, how much more quickly would the sticky, readily soluble sulfite liquor disappear. No large town can be named that, after the trials, has laid its road dust on a largc icalc \\ith spent sulfite liquors.” NEW PRESSURE FILTERS Hornett’s pressure filters arc being iiiatiufarturcd i i i s c \ c r a l forins, Jrith porous filter plates, for thc filtration o f liquids oi all kinds, especially acid and alkaline solutions. I t is clainirtl that they require hut one inan for the opwation o i iz filter capahlc of dealing with 150 cubic meters of liquid leaving 30 tons of residue,rand that in all cases the filtrate is clear. The construction of the vertical type A is the outside is shown in Fig. I . shell, or container, B is the filtering material, and C are filter plates. During filtration, A is hermetically closed and compressed air is forced i n ; the apparatus is not disturbed by air under high compression, and may be casily c1eaned:after the operation. The container is constructed of tin, lead, Fig I Lvood or clal-, enclosed in a shell of east iron or steel. The horizontal type is shoivn in Fig. 2 . U is the cover of the
E
C C
c
;‘A
1
L&2->
1 1
~
FIG 2
container and A the filter shell-plates arranged in a horizontal position. Underneath -4, filter plates are placed in a position similar to that in the vertical filter. THE PURIFICATION OF WATER BY “ALLOPHANOIDS” Attention has already been directed to the purification of water b y means of artificial zeolites (THIS JOURN-XL, 4, N o . 4). The Deutsche Filtercompagnie, G. m. b. H. (French Patent 440,351, February 19, 1912) now claim that “allophanoids” (the siliceous, non-crystallizable portion of volcanic rocks) may be used instead of zeolites in the purification of water,
particularly for the eliniination of calciuni and Iiiagnesiuln salts. I t is said that “allophanoids” may be obtained by the elutriation of the powdered volcanic rocks by successivc portions of watcr, they being lighter than tlic crystalline portions c i f the rocks. ~ _ _ “ELECTRIT” “ISlcctrit” is an atirasivc made frorii aluiniiiuiii oxide by fusing i t in an electric furnace a t a temperature oi about 3,ooo” C . The .imevican M a c h i n i s t , 37, 24, states that its specific gravity is less than that of cmery and corundum, but its hardness is considerably higher, being about 9 . 2 5 on thc ioo sclcronicters scale. The grain ol “electrit” is almost aniorphous; it is resistant undcr prcssure and shock, and is tough and not brittle. “Electrit” grinding tvlieels arc bound ccraiiiically. arc said to be proof against moisture and acids, anti usable f o r \vet or dry grinding. THE UTILIZATION OF WASTE SODA LIQUORS 1 lic SociCtC Covziucrcz‘fcle des ( ‘ r z u s has a process for the iitilizatioii of Tvastc lycs xhich have been used in treating vcgctatilc fibers, especialll- cocoanut fiber, in the manufacture of hart1 and soft soaps. The waste lyes are filtered, then mixed with oils or fats in suitable proportions. I t is claimed that thc considerable amounts of dissolved resins present in the lye impart ccrtain desirable properties to the resulting soap. Owing t o the hcavy cost o f recovery, such lye is generally run t o wastc, 20 that the process presents thc advantage of economy. ,
