t o grow. A mdôre recent d e v e l o p m e n t is an area approximately 50 m i l e s southwest of Chicago along the Illinois waterway. I n this region, roads a n d railroads spurs Have fcccn built to a c commodate t h e growing concentration of industry. Already in existence i s Stepan's facility for detergent m a n u facture, and shortly to g o into c o n struction is E t h y l Corp/s nmiltimiiiion dollar unit for producing all of t h e company's products. A several h u n dred acre plot adjoining the existing construction is being held by a g r o u p of businessmen for sale to c h e m i c a l companies. Because additional l a r g e scale construction is almost impossible in Chicago a n d immediate surrounding areas, as well as in additional industrial centers such as Joliet and St. Louis, t h e
locations o n the waterway seem to be suitable a n d desirable. Being on the waterway ensures t h e lower transportation costs that will come w i t h completion of the St. Lawrence Seaway. T h e d r u g industry, a good part of w h i c h is centered in the Midwest, is responsible for some extremely significant developments in health and disease prevention. Every pharmaceutic a l lifjuse in the area is in a state of expansion—full fine companies as well a s specialty houses. Entrance of pharmaceutical houses into trie veterinary field is progressing. Lilly i s entering t h e area on a full scale. !Ne\v construction of research and prod u c t i o n facilities geared solely to the veterinary field indicates t h a t progress i s being m a d e by their research department into other agents besides the one
with wîiich Lilly now" dominates the cattle fattening field. Because o f t h e concentration of t h e food processing and packaging industry in Chicago, many of t h e major developments for handling foods are c e n t e r e d in this area. Probably the most n o t e w o r t h y research being done in food is still tied u p in food irradiation. Currently in t h e planning stage is a pilot p l a n t to b e constructed by the Quartearmaster Corps at Natidk, Mass., for irradiating foods. D e v e l o p m e n t s in the meat field which -will h a v e a b e a r i n g on packaging materials a r e now i n the market stage i n some areas. Prepackaged, precut, frozen meat is meeting with some success, high prices b e i n g the limiting factor.
Expansions Pick Up in the Southeast Plant sites in the M i d - S o u t h a n d e a s t of the Missis sippi m o r e p o p u l a r ; c o m m u n i t i e s l u r e industry
A C &Ε Ν STAFF SURVEY
JL EXAS
STILL
LEADS
the
South
in
chemical plant expansions, with Lemisiana running second, and Florida third. Between Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee, it's a tossup who's next. Many southeastern states are a d d i n g new plants a t t h e r a t e of more than $ 5 0 million a year. Louisiana regularly goes over t h e $100 million mark, a n d Texas twice this amount. This y e a r it was Baton Rouge and New Orleans that g r a b b e d t h e lion's share of MidSouth expansions. For the first time, capital investment in chemical plants along the Texas Gulf
Coast outstripped oil refinery invest ments by more t h a n $60 million w h e n it r e a c h e d $1.19 billion. Louisiana Gulf chemical installations a r e now esti mated to be w o r t h $328 million—65% of trie value of refineries in that area. Continued activity a t a h i g h level has awakened many states to their indus trial potential. Communities, too, are getting into the act in a big way. Small communities are especially active, setting u p industrial foundations and financial aid plans at the d r o p of a hatSouthern states are also beginning to feel favorable effects from the govern
ment's
program
for
plant
dispersal.
W a t e r Transportation Aids In m a n y areas of the South, water transportation has reached a n all-time high; m o r e and more plants a r e migrat ing t o deep water sites. Jefferson Chemical a t Port Neches, Tex-, is build ing p e r m a n e n t docking facilities; at mid-year c o m p a n y officials announced their first coastwise water shipment to Paulslboro, N. J. During February, ocean tanker shipments of glycerol fi nally "broke the ice w h e n Shell Chemi-
Texas is catching u p with Pacific North-west in p r o d u c t i o n of aluminum w i t h p l a n t s l i k e Alcoa's smelter a t Point Comfort * i
5116
C&EN
OCT.
2 2.
1956
Basic Chemicals Lead the W o y
Escambia Chemical's ammonium nit r a t e prilling tower is second largest c a l moved 1.3 million pounds from Houston t o Sewaren, N . J., aboard the S. S. Cherry Valley, climaxing several months of preparation. D u Pont now moves tetraethyllead by water from its N e w Jersey plant to Beaumont, Tex., to supply refineries in the Southwest. Olin Revere Metals, a recently formed company owned jointly by Olin Mathieson and Revere Copper, has selected a plant site at Burnside, La. (near Baton R o u g e ) , for its new $50.8 million alumina plant. Olin Mathieson h a s now completed b a r g e docking facilities o n t h e Tombigbee River for i t s chlorine plant at Mcintosh, Ala., a n d has similar facilities under construction at Brunswick, Ga. Solvay will also b e making water shipments of chlorine and caustic soda from Brunswick b y year-end. Water for industrial use is receiving a great deal of attention b y many southe r n communities. At San Antonio, Southwest Research Institute has initiated a project to study w a t e r evaporation from reservoirs. Researchers think they may b e able to reduce evaporation 2 0 to 7 0 % with cetyl alcohol or C 1 7 to C 2 0 acids, at a cost of about three cents p e r 1000 gallons of water saved. Thirty-nine companies are sponsoring t h e project, scheduled for completion next year.
Chlorine a n d caustic soda plants are springing up a t strategic points throughout the South, Many a r e scheduled for completion during 1957. Oîin Mathieson plans to> double its capacity at Mcintosh, Al^., at a cost of $7.5 million (250 tons of chlorine a n d 280 tons of caustic soda p e r d a y ) . The comP o n v r ic Ivnilrl-Înrr ο ΥΛ1Ο*-*#- nh BriVTi'Swir'lr Ga., on the Turtle River, where Solvay is also doubling capacity of i t s chlorinecaustic soda installation. Solvay*s first unit is due o n stream late this year; the expansiom is scheduled for comple tion in the fall of 1957. Louisiana is slated to get its fair share of chlorine a n d caustic soda units when Kaiser finishes an $8 million plant at Gramercy, as p a r t of the company's alumina facilities. First to be owned by a U. S. aluminum producer, the diaphragm cell type plant will manu facture 36,000 tons of chlorine and 40,000 tons of caustic soda annually. Moving southward out of Michigan for the first time, Wyandotte also plans to build a chlorine-caustic soda unit 25 miles from Baton R o u g e . At Houston, Diamond Alkali is boost ing chlorine-caustic output b y 4 0 % . More sulfur will he flowing from the Gulf Coast when Texas Gulf Sulphur completes the development of its Fannett Dome in Jefferson County, Texas. Mexican outpxit, too, is rising sharply— 34,000 metric tons in 1953, 73,000 tons in 1954, and 509,000 tons last year. During the first quarter of 1956, Mexi can exports of Frasch sulfur to the U. S. had exceeded 50,000 metric tons. P a n American Sulphur recently re vealed plans f o r boosting annual output above 1 million tons, and Gulf Sulphur, not a t full production yet, is turning out about 400 taxis daily. Mexican Gulf Sulphur is currently experiencing pro duction difficulties., but a n e w plant on the Isthmus o f Tehoiantepec owned by Texas Gulf Sulphur will more than make up for this loss in output. With financing now assured from an invest ment trust headed by Guaranty Trust of Houston, T e x a s International Sul phur plans to erect a 1000-ton-per-day plant in Mexico. Already t h e threat of Mexican sulfur in foreign marlcets lias caused most Gulf Coast producers t o cut export prices from $31 to &28 a ton. Freeport Sulphur, which failed ear lier this year i n its offshore exploration program near Galveston, and lost $1.5
HAVE YOU INVESTIGATED
-
τ = ^ EVANS' THIOGLYCOLIC ACID? .._
Please send me • data sheet and D sample of Evans' Thioglycolic Acid. Name. Position..
I I I i
Companyi_ Address
EVANS C Η EMETICS, I N C . 250 Ea'it,43rd Street^· N e w York 17, ΝΙ..Ύ.
O C T . 2 2,
1956
C&EN
5117
small amounts of components directly separated from crude. Cracking, reforming, alkylation, and other chemical processes are required to make satisfactory gasoline components. To fight the cost squeeze in refining and marketing, oil companies become reluctant to sell chemical building blocks such as butylène streams and aromatic fractions. In the past, selling for cheminufacture brought a high C u i iliciiii turn than incorporating such chemical potentialities in gasoline. With the need for aromatics, cyclics, and unsaturated branched-chain components in gasoline, chemical -manufacturers will have to look to other sources or pay the gasoline value for these materials. Butadiene from butane is a notable example. Numerous announcements recently of reforming and cracking units, either going on stream or planned for construction, points up this need for highPetroleum Spurs Organîcs octane components. Small but diversified refiners have also joined the race. People in both the petroleum (inCosden Petroleum, for example, can cluding gas) and chemical industries now make 40O0 barrels per day of 100know well that basic hydrocarbons plus octane motor fuel blending stock costs rise each year and assuredly will continue to rise. Direct drilling costs at Big Spring, Tex., from its new Rexcontinue upward at a fast pace, but former. significant to the chemical process inHumble Oil plans a $27 million, 55,dustries i s the faster increasing demand 000-barrel-per-day installation at Baytown, including facilities t o separate components that go into butadiene, butyl rubber, and aviation gasoline. And Gulf plans a second Platformer with a 26,000-barrel-per-day capacity7 at its Port Arthur, Tex., refinery. Chemical companies are anticipating that they will some day be dependent on their own resources for hydrocarbon raw materials. Therefore, a few have gone the reverse of petroleum companies w h o get into organic chemicalschemical companies buy or consolidate petroleum production and refining operations. Although the deal fell through, Grace Chemicars efforts to buy Cosden Petroleum, or merge through exchange of stock, aimed at estabhshing a hydrocarbon raw materials source. The Monsanto-Lion Oil merger was a high point in chemical-oil get-togethers. But today, few suitable small oil companies remain for chemical companies to buy—thus the merger fever should abate for some time, However, petroleum company expansions into chemical manufacture in the Southwest will continue at a pace probably exceeding the rest of the nation. Many natural gas companies and Chlorine and caustic production is being upped by such plants as this one of Olin Mathieson a t Mcintosh, A l a . A $7.5 million expansion is doubling its output pipeline firms are now begirming to
million, may get a second dhance at underwater production. The company is currently negotiating with the Interior Department for rights to Humble Oil's offshore domes in Louisiana waters, estimated to contain 40 million tons. By-product sulfur from somr gases reached a n all-time high this year, and output is expected to climb again in the near future. Phillips Chemical completed a 60-ton-per-day plant this summer i n Andrews County, Tex.; Gulf Oil at Port Arthur is doubling its daily output to 120 tons. Acid plant capacities, too, are on the upswing. New facilities include Consolidated Chemical's $2 million, 500ton-per-day unit at LeMoyne and ReichhokTs $800,000, 100-ton-per-day unit at Tuscaloosa, Ala., both of which went on stream this year.
5118
C&EN
OCT. 2 2 .
1956
for drilling aids, many of which provide markets for chemicals. D o well's new oil well cement, for example, a complex material of phosphoric acid, aluminous materials, and a flouride accelerator, came as a result of a need for better cements. Drilling muds get more chemical additives for viscosity control, dispersion improvement, and other properties essential to their job of removing cuttings. Transportation of petroleum and its products provides a growing use for petroleum itself in the form of plastic pipe and wrapping materials. U. S. Steel now supplies PVC pipe for gathering systems in oil fields, as well as varied industrial uses. Plastic pipe may answer in part the chronic problem of the tubular goods shortage in the southwestern oil industry. Film plastics plus asphaltic, coal tar, or wax materials for corrosion prevention on the outside of large size transmission lines provide another important potential chemical market in this area. Epoxy resin liners inside pipes also find a growing usage. More and more dependent on petroleum, the chemical industry may face increasing competition for raw materials as refiners struggle against each other in the octane race. High performance gasolines contain relatively
catch a fever for organic chemical production. It's a money-making proposition. They can extract chemical building blocks—the cream—from natural gas and still meet the thermal requirements of their fuel customers. Tennessee Products Pipeline—a subsidiary of Tennessee Cas Transmission, half owner of Petro-Tex Chemicars butadiene installation at Houston—is building a fractionation plant at Barbour's Cut to supply several companies with raw materials. And last year TGT bought Bay Petroleum with its two refineries, one at Denver, Colo., and one at Chalmette, La. Bay Petroleum recently installed a Platformer and other units at Chalmette, boosting capacity to 23,500 barrels per day. E l Paso Natural Gas will soon share a butadiene-styrene rubber plant at Odessa, Tex., with General Tire—El Paso owns Odessa Butadiene that will produce the raw materials. This year United Gas is getting a chemical income from Escambia Chemical at Pensacola, of which it owns a 40% interest. ( T h e plant is shared 20% with National Research and 4 0 % with Ebasco.) Increased activity in this direction is expected during 1957, and LP-Gas (C&EN, Aug. 27, page 4 1 3 6 ) , the life's blood of many chemical plants, is expected to show a record growth.
Pacing the Nation In Rubber Synthetic rubber activity i n Texas and Louisiana is at an all-time high. At the time they were preparing bids on the government-owned synthetic rubber installations, prospective purchasers also formulated expansion plans for the plants, should they become successful bidders. The rash of announcements to increase capacity coming last year soon after sale of the plants confirmed this situation. Butadienestyrene polymerization capacity increases made up this first round of expansion. This year, a second round became apparent as rubber makers sought to improve their raw materials position. Butadiene reportedly reached a handto-mouth supply situation. Styrene was in much better supply, but still figured in this year's expansion plans. But where to get raw materials to make butadiene provides the industry's most immediate problem. Demand for higher octane gasolines makes refiners who supply butylènes for butadiene production more and more reluctant to hold back butylènes from their alleviation units.
Several companies will turn to butane as a starting material for butadiene manufacture in new plants under construction, or in additional facilities for plants purchased from the government. The size of this trend is illustrated b y recent announcements—Firestone at Orange, Tex., will build a 40,000-ton-per-year plant; Texas Butadiene & Chemical at Houston has its u*-».v»v/v/—ton-per-year piant a^Ovit %S\J /o complete; and Odessa Butadiene pians a 50,0O0-ton-per-year unit at Odessa, Tex. Expansions of former governmentowned plants to use butane, as a starting material, in addition to butylènes, include Phillips Chemical at Borger, Tex., whose construction program will add 38,000 tons annually to present capacity and Petro-Tex Chemical in Houston, now increasing capacity by 45,000 tons per year. Styrene capacity has had, and will have for some time in the future, less growth than butadiene capacity. One new plant is under construction in the Southwest—Cosden Petroleum's 10,000ton unit at its Big Spring, Tex., refinery which will get ethylbenzene from a Udex unit as the raw material. Synthetic rubber producers are well along o n their expansion programs revealed soon after purchase of the plants about 18 months ago. Seven plants in Texas and Louisiana range in potential capacity from about 40,000 to 120,000 long tons per year. The first post-war facility, constructed from the ground up, will be a joint venture of General Tire and El Paso Natural Gas at Odessa, Tex., designed to make 40,000 tons of rubber per year. Smaller tonnage rubbers—Butyl for example, get more research attention. While the research is conducted largely in the Northeast, new plants and expansion of present faculties will probably come in the Southwest near petroleum and natural gas raw materials. First of the newer rubbers to get into commercial production, D u Pont's Hypalon ( chlorosulfonated polyethylene) will come from a unit under construction at the company's Beaumont, Tex., operations. Earlier this year Phillips Petroleum researchers synthesized cis-l,4-polybutadiene using a stereospecific catalyst. This announcement would indicate Phillips to b e a potential producer of specialty rubbers, in addition t o its output of butadiene-styrene and other common varieties. However, their new rubbers research program may still be
columbium -
FOR
PRQMPTSHIPMENF C0LUMBIUM (NIOBIUM) METAL GRANULES High Purity (98.5% Crade) V\b" to 40 mesh
C0LUMBIUM (NIOBIUM) OXIDE Technical Grade (98.0% BVlin.3 200 mesh
G0LUMBIUM (NIOBIUM) OXIDE High Purity (98.75 to 99J5fcJ 200 mesh
TANTALUM OXIDE High Purity (99% Grade) 200 mesh
TANTALUM METAH 98.5% (minimum) - 2 0 mesh available Inquiries for other sizes invited Prices and technical information on request. Write or wire Dept.CN, KENNAMETALINtC. Latrobe, Pennsylvania
I N D U S T R Y
AND
KENNAMETM OCT,
22,
1956
C&ENB
5119
t h e cellulosic fibers an important edge costwise. D u e to the volatility of the textile industry, many seem hesitant to predict its future, either in t h e natural, cellulose base, or true synthetic fields. Companies Leap into Polyolefins If rubber is excluded, polyethylene b y far gets the most attention in the plastics field. D e m a n d continues to grow a s does the n u m b e r of kinds produced by b o t h high a n d l o w pressure polymerization methods. Manufacturers continue to improve polyethylene's strength, stiffness, and clarity. To avoid being put in a less competitive position many companies develop their own polymerization processes, a n d license those of others. Carbide is perhaps the outstanding example, having licensed both t h e Ziegler a n d Phillips low pressure processes, although the company h a s its own process improvements. Companies are throwing u p low pressure plants m u c h faster t h a n the rate at which high pressure units came on stream. F e w processes can claim the same degree of early popularity—everybody wants t o get into the act. M a n y Oil refining, long the leader in investments a l o n g t h e Texas Gulf Coast, is this companies h a v e low pressure units year trailing chemicals. This is Humble's effluent treatment plant at Baytown under construction, with completions scheduled for 1957: C a r b i d e at Seasuccess a n d this year put t h e company drift, Tex.; Grace Chemical at Baton in its infancy a n d small compared with polyethylene and other polymer r e - in t h e black. Almost before the orig- Rouge, La.; Celanese and Phillips at inal 50-million-pound-per-year p l a n t Houston. search. But high pressure polyethylene deT h e feeling in t h e Southwest is t h a t was in full operation, expansion p l a n s even though n a t u r a l rubber prices h a v e w e r e announced. Construction should velopments also continue rapidly, -with dropped considerably, synthetic r u b - be completed this year on the expanded efforts concentrated on making a higher ber of all kinds remains a very attrac- nylon facilities, one part of which will density material. Spencer's very recent tive chemical, worthy of continued r e - produce 8 million pounds p e r year of announcement of a high density polyethylene at Orange, Tex., claims the high strength material.. search and plant investment. Tennessee Eastman at Kingsport, company h a s first commercial production. Other firms seek properties found Tenn., has both a n acrylic fiber (Verel) Synthetic Fibers M o v e South and a polyester fiber under evaluation. in this type of material through crossD o w s planned synthetic fiber plant But little is known about plans for linking by irradiation and t h e u s e of went to Virginia, b u t American Cyana- commercial sale of these fibers nor tim- newly developed catalysts. mid will start construction in D e c e m b e r ing of their introduction. As strength a n d flexibility are imon its Creslan fiber plant in northwest appear T w o years from now t h e fiber pic- proved, polyethylene m a y Florida. To bave a 2 7 million-pound ture should become more complex strongly in t h e fiber field. Phillips in capacity, the Creslan plant will utilize w h e n previously mentioned companies particular, seems interested in finding acrylonitrile from Cyanamid's Fortier get into full production with their syn- fiber applications for its l o w pressure plant near N e w Orleans, La. Now u n - thetic products. Where rayon will fit polymer, soon t o be m a n u f a c t u r e d in der way, a $ 3 9 million expansion p r o - into the picture is not known. Al- llO-irrillion-pound plant on the Housgram will bring tlie Fortier acryloni- t h o u g h nylon h a s cut seriously into the t o n Ship Channel. trile capacity t o 100 million p o u n d s p e r rayon tire cord market, rayon may still More Idnds of polyethylene, with year, sufficient to supply present d e - p r o v e an able competitor. Celanese more specific properties, c a n b e exmands for t h e material in nitrile r u b - continues to develop new rayons for p e c t e d along with increasing sales combers, Orion, Acrilan, a n d plastics, b e - clothing manufacture and other cellu- petition. Some salesmen in the Southsides future Creslan. losic fiber- producers in t h e South— west say they doubt if price reductions Chemstrand still has problems get- Courtaulds,. for example—also may h a v e will appear openly. A l t h o u g h producting its Acrilan fiber widely accepted, n e w rayons or acetates in the works. If ers m a y give special price concessions although reports indicate major dyeing a scramble for organic ohemical r a w quietly, increased raw material p r i c e s problems h a v e been solved. T h e com- materials develops in the synthetic fiber tracing back to refinery gases or LPpany's nylon plant definitely proved a field, then cheaper wo-od pulp may give gas—and efforts t o amortize large plant 5120
C&EN
OCT.
22,
1956
investments in a hurry will retard widespread or large price cuts. Both chemical companies a n d petroleum refiners are watching other polyolefin developments carefully, especially polypropylene. Several firms are interested in developing their own processes or obtaining licenses, b o t h here a n d abroad. Phillips occupies a n important role in this field along with Carbide a n d Monsanto. Polypropylene research is carried out i n a cloak-andd a g g e r atmosphere—rarely does any information leak out a b o u t properties of this polymer, including polymerization conditions. T h e C 4 polymers—butènes and butadiene—are gaining in popularity along t h e Gulf Coast. T h r e e new plants b a v e been announced this year. Monomers a n d raw materials for plastics a r e on the upswing this year. Acetylene from natural gas will soon a p p e a r in significantly greater quantities when D o w , Rohm & Haas, Carbide, Monsanto, and Diamond Alkali get their new Texas production rolling, along with American Cyanamid in Louisiana. This April, American Cya n a m i d completed a $4.5 million methyl styrene unit at Avondale, La., providi n g t h e company with a valuable comp o n e n t for n e w styrene a n d other polymers.
-QUAKER=QAIS= NEWS "MLLCTIN
Product Development Starts and Runs on For instance, Furfuryl Alcohol: •
Resinifies t o f o r m corrosion resistant resins·
•
Dissolves as w e l l a s reacts w i t h m a n y resins·
•
Improves g a p filling and craze resistant properties of urea adhesives,
•
W e t s m i n e r a l surfaces.
•
Is a useful chemical intermediate·
•
Disperses m a n y difficultly soluble substances·
Aluminum Leads in Rate o f G r o w t h Now t h e nation's second largest aluminum-producing state, Texas is rapidly edging Washington out of first place. Louisiana, too, is a strong contender. Both enjoy the advantage of natural gas as a cheap source of power, a n d Alcoa has been digging into lignite for several years at Rockdale, Tex. Alcoa's Texas smelters have been stepping u p production in t h e face of increasing aluminum demands a n d hydroelectric power shortages at other installations. This year the company a d d e d 50,000 tons to annual capacity a t Rockdale a n d 25,000 tons to annual capacity a t Point Comfort, 4 % of t h e nation's 1955 production. Alcoa now Has more capacity in Texas than in any other state. But high expansions are still in t h e mill. In mid-September, Alcoa announced it would begin construction of a seventh potline at Point Comfort, adding 20,000 tons to present capacity (120,000 t o n s ) , at a cost of about $ 1 1 million. Kaiser is building a ninth potline at its Chalmette works in Louisiana, to boost output b y 26,000 tons. T h e installation will cost $13 million.
Start your wheels turning by writing for Bulletin 205.
The Quaker O^s (pmpany CHEMICALS DEPARTMENT The .-, Qtiàkèr Qatë;
333F The Merchandise Mart, Chicago 5 4 , Illinois Room 533F, 120 Wall Street, N e w York 5 , N e w York Room 433F, Main P. O. Box 4 3 7 6 , Portland 8 , Oregon I n the United Kingdom: Imperial Chemical Industries, Ltd., Billingham, England
\ %
ΐβρ €LO &^
#
I n Europe: Quaker Oafs-Graanproducten N. V., Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Quaker Oats (France) S. Α., 3, Rue Pillet-Will, Paris IX, France; A / S " O t a , " Copenhagen, S. Denmark I n Australia: Swift & Company, Pry., Ltd., Sydney I n Japan: F. Kanematsu & Company, Ltd., Tokyo
OCT.
22,
1956 C&EN
5121
neiiiie
New Text A
C E N T U R Y
TODAY
AGO
tin iras playi cirî îrïtcTcVSl.»iîîy role in dentistry—as
Τ
5122
C&EN OCT.
GENERAL
2 2, 195 6
OFFICES:
RAHWAY,
NEW JERSEY
Reynolds will soon complete a 10,000ton addition at Corpus Christi, Tex. Alumina production is also coming forth rapidly to supply expanding smelter needs. Plans are under way a t Alcoa to build a $ 4 5 million, 500,000ton facility at Point Comfort. Frank L. Magee, executive vice president, says his company will probably double capacity of the n e w plant by 1965. Kaiser is also building a 500,000-ton alumina plant in the Southwest, a t Gramercy, La., estimated to cost $60 million. And Reynolds Metals is throwing $25 to $30 million into its alumina plant at Corpus Christi, Tex., to boost output from 1000 t o more than 1500 tons per d a y . Southeastern production is coming along at a rate paralleling that of t h e Southwest. Having almost completed an $11 million, 25,000-ton expansion a t Listerhill, Ala., Reynolds is preparing to meet its 10-year, 640-million-pound contract with F o r d Motor, the largest industrial aluminum order i n the history of t h e industry. F o r d plans to build a foundry along side Reynold's new 100,000-ton smelter ($75 to $ 8 0 mil lion) under construction at Listerhill. T h e Southwest will get the nation's first postwar magnesium p l a n t when Alabama Metallurgical completes its $ 7 million installation on t h e Alabama River at Selma. Being inland, t b e com pany will not use brine as its source of r a w material, b u t instead will use a process based on dolomite. Plans call for the plant to h a v e an annual capacity of about 10,000 tons, 1 5 % of current U. S. output. Industry is taking a good look at magnesium made from dolomite. Several other plants may spring up in the South. Zirconium will come from northeast Florida as NRC Metals, subsidiary of National Research, is planning a plant to produce reactor-grade material. Located next to Escambia Chemical, also partly owned b y National R e search, the facilities will u s e nitric acid made b y Escambia in a process (details not revealed) making both hafniumfree zirconium (reactor grade) a n d commercial grade zirconium for indus trial uses. Actual capacity of t h e Florida plant was not announced, b u t stimulus for it c a m e from N R C Metals getting an AEC contract t o supply 3.5 million pounds of reactor-grade zirco nium over a five-year period. I n metals, chemicals, and oil t h e South faces a prosperous 1957, w h e n many of these n e w plants will begin operations. •
