T H E J O U R N A L OF I N D U S T R I A L A N D ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
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Vol. 8, NO. 7
EDITORIALS AMMONIUM SULFATE AS A SOURCE OF COMBINED NITROGEN
S f t e r reading the interesting article entitled “Fixation of Atmospheric Nitrogen before Congress,” printed in a recent issue of iMefallurgical and Chemical Engineering. one has the feeling t h a t the case of ammonium sulfate as a great additional source of fixed nitrogen for fertilizer and munition purposes has not received just consideration. It is scarcely fair t o dismiss t h e subject with such finality, without bringing t o bear a t least one valid argument against it. This subject often has been dismissed with t h e bare statement t h a t coal will never be distilled solely for t h e ammonia which its distillation yields, a statement t h a t sounds entirely reasonable and probably is true. The proposal, i t appears, has never been t o distil coal for t h a t purpose alone, b u t is merely t o increase t h e ammonia output by recovering a larger portion of t h a t ammonia now being allowed t o go t o waste. T h e proposition, in its simplest form, is not t o coke more coal b u t t o coke more of t h e coal now coked b y methods admitting of ammonia recovery. I t is idle t o take t h e position t h a t this cannot be done, for not only is there no important reason why i t should not be done, b u t also, a t t h e outset, one is confronted b y t h e fact t h a t it is being done, a t such a r a t e of increment as t o leave no doubt of its entire feasibility. I n 1915, t h e production of ammonia in t h e United States, reckoned as ammonium sulfate, was 2 2 0 , 0 0 0 tons. From t h e by-product ovens now in operation, under construction and contracted for, t h e production for I 9 1 7 will be no less t h a n 376,000 tons. I n 1914 only 32 per cent of t h e coal coked in this country was treated in by-product recovery ovens; t h a t i s t o say, only 32 per cent of the ammonia produced in t h e coking industry was saved. T h e 68 per cent lost in t h a t year from coking 35,000,ooo tons of coal in bee-hive ovens, reckoning a production of 20 pounds ammonium sulfate per ton of coal (the average production), was equal t o ~ o o , o o o , o o opounds. or 3;0,000 tons, which, a t wholesale market prices obtaining on March 2 0 . 1916 ($3.75 per hundred weight), mould have a n annual value of $26,000,000. There is t o be observed yearly a decided increase in t h e production of by-product ammonia due t o t h e transition from t h e bee-hive t o t h e by-products oven; at t h e same time there will be a n ultimate, though possibly a fluctuating increase in t h e total production of coke, d u e t o t h e further introduction of its use and t h e growth of t h e industries now using it. T h e prosperity of t h e latter industries, especially of t h e steel industry, will induce fluctuations in o u t p u t ; b u t we m a y look forward with confidence t o t h e ultimate abandonment of the bee-hive oven. To what extent mould this quantity of ammonia meet t h e nation’s needs for nitric acid? By t h e processes \Thereby ammonia is converted into nitric acid, a yield of 8 j t o 9 j per cent of the theoretical is claimed. On the basis of 90 per cent yield, from 3j0,ooo tons
of ammonium sulfate could be produced 300,000 tons anhydrous nitric acid, equivalent t o 400,000 tons sodium nitrate or 190,000 tons calcium cyanamide. Such a quantity of ammonia could not find place in t h e fertilizer trade of the country as it now exists without displacing all other ammoniates, for it, together with t h a t now used in t h a t way, would be adequate t o supply all t h e nitrogen now consumed in t h a t industry. Obviously, a t present prices, i t would have t o find application in some other industries, probably t h e explosives industry, in which, in normal times, it is estimated approximately 2 7 5.000 tons sodium nitrate are employed annually. The extent t o which this displacement mould t a k e place would be determined b y the cost of nitric acid from ammonia as compared with t h a t from Chilean nitrate. Successful competition with t h e latter commodity would afford it a very large domestic market and keep at home a proportionately large s u m now paid annually for Chilean nitrates. Thus, b y t h e normal development within the coking industry, is being supplied, as demanded, a quantity of combined nitrogen capable of withstanding competition from foreign sources and adequate €or normal conditions. What are the possibilities in by-product ammonia for abnormal, or emergency, conditions? T h e byproduct oven likewise renders available t h e surplus gas not heeded in t h e coking process itself which, under emergency conditions, could be applied t o t h e generation of electrical energy for t h e fixation of a further quantity of nitrogen. From 35,000,ooo tons of coal thus coked could be generated over 800,ooo continuous horse power, from which i t would be possible t o produce fixed nitrogen equivalent t o a n additional 1,400.000 tons of ammonium sulfate. T o this, in time of emergency, could be added also t h e not inconsiderable quantity of ammonium sulfate now entering fertilizers; for t h a t p a r t of agriculture which furnishes the great basic food and forage crops is not t h e part t h a t a t present uses t h e bulk of the fertilizer now employed in this country. If conditions came about such t h a t imports were shut o f f , t h a t is, conditions under which we should be thrown upon domestic sources of fixed nitrogen for munition purposes. exports likewise would be prohibited; in such case we should have available for home consumption the large surplus of food and other agricultural products which normally we export. So instead of a stimulated agriculture, requiring fertilizers, as is now t h e case in certain European countries whose imports are restricted b y blockade, conditions almost inevitably would lead t o a restricted agricultural production. There would be, then, no stimulated demand for fertilizer materials. The inlyestment which is making available this large volume of ammonia is large. The cost of installation of by-product retort ovens is approximately $1,500 per ton o f daily coal capacity. However, it must not be forgotten t h a t ammonia is only a by-product of
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T H E JOURNAL OF I N D U S T R I A L A N D ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
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the coking industry and does not alone have t o pay t o by t h e public as an end t o be striven for, t h e uninterest on t h e investment. This is borne also by t h e restricted use of bituminous coal as a fuel could be coke (the main product), gas, tar, and benzol, t h e last prohibited by public enactment and the universal two of rapidly increasing importance due t o t h e use of coke or gas encouraged, thus conserving t o t h e stimulated demand for domestic coal-tar products public t h e enormous aggregate wastage now existing and t h e enhanced price of gasoline. So t h e capital in present methods of using coal. Such a n enactment, requirement really does not enter into t h e present i t is reported, has been in effect in Germany since discussion so long as there is some product t o pay t h e 1914. It is needless t o compute t h e quantity of interest demanded. The rapid installation of t h e ammonia which thus would be made available for all by-product oven is proof enough t h a t t h e interest on uses or t o speculate on the effect on American agriinvestment is forthcoming. By-product ammonia, culture which such a supply of cheap and valuable therefore, fortified b y t h e other products produced fertilizer would have. As preparedness measures let us advocate those simultaneously, is in a position to withstand t h e rigors of market. It yet remains to be demonstrated things which will work for t h e good of the people as a t h a t ammonia from any other artificial source can be whole. The salient feature of the foregoing is t h a t made t o pay interest on investment under American i t is a conservation measure affording profits under normal conditions and therefore not requiring a public conditions. By-product ammonia may lack t h e further charac- subsidy to guarantee profits. Difficulties which apteristic, elasticity, desirable in a source of fixed nitrogen pear in connection with it should not be permitted t o for emergency purposes, may not be susceptible of a n prevail against t h e considerations which commend it. immediate, enormously increased production. But There is no conflict between true preparedness and t r u e this quality is lacking t o a n y proposal which does not conservation since there can be no true preparedness involve the erection of industrial plants t o lie idle with which conservation does not go hand in h a n d ; during those periods when there is no emergency; or and both are only applied common sense. T h a t if not lying idle, t o operate under artificial conditions, nation is best prepared for a n y emergency whose people affording no profit and therefore requiring public are united and are working together t o obtain t h e best subsidy. T h a t it is susceptible of enormous increase, possible returns from their common natural resources should t h e people demand such a n increase, becomes and labors. Any preparedness measure which does evident when it is recalled t h a t there are enormous not have first consideration €or conservation, for t h e quantities of low-grade coal produced as a by-product in welfare of t h e people as a whole, should be regarded coal mining. other quantities available for mining, and with suspicion. immense 6eds of lignites and peat, practically unIt is apparent from the above t h a t we have a t hand touched, all of which, on distillation, yield ammonia a source of fixed nitrogen adequate for normal times and other by-products; t h e residual carbon, valuable and capable of immense expansion in case of emergency. for fuel or gas production, and large volumes of gas Let us then not hurry into t h e adoption of measures for fuel or power production, is available for t h e manu- which later may come to be a source of humiliation. facture of additional great sources of ammonia b y Let us rather with diligence and with the welfare fixation methods. I n this connection it should be of t h e nation in mind, investigate in the scientific added t h a t by-product gas as a source of power for way, in our laboratories and mills, these questions the electrical fixation of nitrogen has t h e advantage about which there is doubt and which demand n o over water power t h a t by-product ovens can he erected instantaneous decision. The atmosphere doubtless and put into operation in a much shorter time t h a n must be looked t o ultimately t o supply combined can the usual stream be dammed and its water power nitrogen for human needs. Progress t o t h e present in developed. t h a t field, marked as it is, should only inspire inLikewise, coal as a power producer is much more vestigation, and not acceptance of the position t h a t efficiently used when it is first converted into gas t h e problem of combining nitrogen is solved. It is not and t h e gas used in gas engines, effecting a greal solved. From our point of view it can be regarded saving over the steam engine-a practice which, if as solved only when the fixation of atmospheric instituted, would make available the ammonia a n d nitrogen becomes commercially feasible under the other by-products of t h e coal now used for power conditions t h a t normally exist in this country. production. Finally, as a n extreme though visionary J. W. TURREKTINE measure, a t the same time one of enormous value u. s BUREAUO F SOILS t o the public and one t h a t should be looked forward WASAINGTON. D. C.
ORIGINAL PAPERS
I
THE OCCURRENCE OF GERMANIUM IN ZINC MATERIALS BY G . n. BUCHANAN Received May 29, 1916
I n a recent issue of THIS JOURNAL,^ W. F. Hillebrand a n d J. A . Scherrer contribute a short article 1
THISJOURNAL, 8 (1916), 225.
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on “ T h e Recovery of Gallium from Spelter in t h e United States.’’ I n addition to the observations on gallium, mention is made of t h e fact t h a t Dr. K. Burns, of t h e Bureau of Standards, has examined spectroscopically several samples of zinc ore from various sources, and has identified in several of them,
