June, 1 9 1 8
- 1
T H E JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL A N D ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
487
CURRENT INDUSTRIAL NEWS
I
I
B y A . MCMILLAN, 24 U‘estend Park St., Glasgow, Scotland
A NEW COPPER AREA
UTlLIZATlON OF FISH OIL
I n a paper read recently before the Royal Society of Arts, London, Mr. 1%’. Frecheville said that in the northern part of Canada there is evidence of the existence of copper over a large area. Specimens or nuggets of native copper were first obtained from the Esquimaux who used the metal for their implements and the occurrence was subsequently confirmed by the few travellers who have been in t h a t region; and it is interesting to note that the specimens of rock which have been collected point to the occurrence being geologically similar to that of the highly productive and profitable copper mines of the Lake Superior district. The new copper district referred to is situated east of the Great Bear Lake and along the course of the Coppermine River which runs north from about 65 latitude into Coronation Gulf in the Arctic Ocean. Evidences of the occurrence of copper are also reported as far east as Eathurst Inlet and on Victoria Island. There appears to be no doubt as to the above facts and consequently the present position may be summed up by saying that there may be a great copper field somewhere in that region aw-aiting development and that the locality is worthy of being carefully examined both from a Canadian and Imperial point of view.
The Rheinisch Westfalische Zeitung states that the competent authorities in Germany have prohibited the supply of herrings to the trade except with the heads removed in order that these may be utilized for the production of oil, albumen and phosphate of lime; Fish offal is now utilized in Germany to produce food for human beings as well as for animals. Offal collected from fish-preserving factories, restaurants, etc., is dried and, after the extraction of the oil, ground. The meal so obtained frequently contains 50 per cent and upwards of albumen and phosphate of lime, the latter being obtained from the bones and heads. By chemical methods, the albumen is extracted from the fishmeal and rendered available for human consumption. From the oil, phosphate of lime for animal fodder is obtained by means of benzine, benzol, and other fat solvents. The oil is also used for various technical purposes. Specially good kinds can be hardened by hydrogenation and rendered suitable for production of eatable fat. The hardened fat looks like tallow and is almost odorless.
ELECTRIC ZINC FURNACE According to the Bulletin Technique de la Suisse Romande, a CBte-Pierron plant of four furnaces, each of 500 h. p. for 4,500 kg. of ore per 24 hrs., was to be opened a t Maurienne, near Epierre, a t a n early date. The ores, blende and galena, do not require roasting. The ore is charged with lime and coal into the compound furnace which is a combination of a n arc resistance and an indirect resistance furnace. The former is the smelting furnace from which the vapors and drops of liquid metal pass into the second furnace a t once to be redistilled and condensed. Although the particulars given are not very full, it is stated that a liquid metal of 92 to 93 per cent zinc is gained with a loss ranging from 6 to g per cent and that the electrode consumption is I Z kg. per ton of ore.
The British Commissioner at Melbourne states that, having recently acquired 1 7 acres of land a t Botany, a company is completing arrangements for the immediate erection there of large works for the manufacture of gelatine, glue and size. The estimated expenditure includes $75,000 for factory buildings and $IOO,OOO for plant and machinery. I t is expected t h a t the factory will be working in April and that the products will be on the market in the following month. The average quantity of gelatines and glues of all kinds imported into the commonwealth each year is about 1,400,000 lbs. The capacity of the new factory a t Botany, it is expected, will be such that the whole of this tradk will be captured. At present, the company has two factories for the production of the same goods operating in New Zealand from whence it is exporting a portion of its output to Canada.
ELECTRICAL ENERGY FROM THE VOLTERRA ‘‘SOFFIONI”
PURE CYANAMIDE
Some time ago reference was made to the experiments made by Prof. Luigi in central Tuscany, on &e generation of electric energy from the steam emerging from volcanic fissures in that locality. Some additional details are given in a recent issue of Engineering. These steam blasts contain borax and were originally used only for the recovery of this material. The chief problem in the utihation of the steam for developing energy has been to avoid corrosion from its ingredients. This has been met by applying the steam, not directly in turbines, but to heat groups of low-pressure boilers whence steam from pure water feeds the turbines. Borax is collected from the condensed heating steam. The turbines are each 4000 h. p. coupled to 3000 kw. alternators, current being distributed a t 36,000 and 16,000 volts to Volterra, Massa, Leghorn, and Florence. It is now proposed to take this source of energy further in order to supply the important steel works a$ Alti Forni and the Magona d’Italia, a t present using coal-raised steam. A scheme of treatment for the recovery of helium and other rare gases is also under consideration. While it is too early to judge of t h e economical results of the scheme, it is stated that the company has sold more power than it a t present conveniently produces and that the power available will be largely increased in the future.
The Chemical Trade Journal, 6 2 (1918), 2 2 8 , quoting from a contemporary, gives the following as a method for the preparation of pure cyanamide. The starting material was calcium cyanamide having a nitrogen content of 2 0 per cent. The yield was 5 5 g. pure cyanamide per zoo g. calcium salt, corresponding to a yield of g z per cent. zoo g. calcium cyanamide were mixed with 1,500 cc. water in a 3-liter flask. Into this, carbonic anhydride ( ( 2 0 2 ) was passed until a neutral or only slightly alkaline action was reached. The flask was kept immersed in cold water as the reaction causes a slight rise of temperature. If the temperature is kept below 40’ C. there seems to be little loss of the ether-soluble product due to polymerization to dicyanamide. The precipitated calcium salt is filtered off and the filtrate evaporated i n vacuo, the evaporation being continued until a crystalline mass separated out on cooling. This mass was extracted three times with absolute ether. On distillation of the ether, the solution which remained was concentrated over sulfuric acid in vacuo. I n this way, 55 g. pure cyanamide in the form of deliquescent needles were obtained. The substance gave a melting point of 43’ C. and was perfectly soluble in ether. On analysis the percentage content of nitrogen was found to be 66.67, the theoretical calculated from the formula being 67 .a.
AUSTRALlAN GELATINE, GLUE AND SIZE
