MARKETS COAL TAR EXPORTS STAY HIGH Millions of Dollars
15 12
? 9
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1 l_J L_ 1956
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Source: Bureau of the Census
Exports M a y Hit $1.2 Billion Better supplies here stimulate g r e a t e r shipments of coal chemicals, ethylene g l y c o l , t o n n a g e inorganics ODD
THINGS HAPPEN to exports during
a business recession—if the present moderate letdown can be dignified by that term. Manufacturers put more pressure on foreign sales as supplies of crude and manufactured goods here grow more plentiful. This does not fully explain our rec ord total for general exports during 1957, or the $1,170,800,000 in chemi cals and related materials shipped abroad during the 10 months ended with October. For t h e full year the chemical total may amount to $1.2 billion. Synthetic resins were shipped in heavy volume. Our export trade in chemicals has not been spelled out for last year beyond August. But it is evident from the eight months' figures that increased supplies of coke-oven products and petrochemicals were big factors in our shipments to foreign consumers. • Toluene Shipments Rise. To look at this a bit more closely, U. S. exports of toluene expanded from 5,689,000 gallons in January-August 1936, to 36
C&EN
J A N . 13, 1 9 5 8
14,953,000 gallons in the same period of 1957. Export total for creosote oil was not as imposing a s the increase. Shipments during the eight-month period rose from 361,000 gallons to 1,540,000 gallons. This is a product that coke oven operators along t h e eastern seaboard are glad to sell in t h e export trade. The foreign market for it is usually limited. M u c h of t h e toluene exported went out of Houston, with both coke oven and petroleum producers participating. Destinations included Scandinavia, T h e Netherlands, Japan, and other coun tries not self-sufficient in coal chemicals. An exporting firm at New York says the Scandinavian nations have become the best markets for these products. • Iron Curtain Competes. This firm adds that w e have to market these chemicals in t h e face of stiff competition from t h e Iron Curtain producers. It does n o t think that coal chemical ex ports last year were unusual, barring the business in toluene and creosote oil. Benzene exports were about cut in
half, a n d phenol suffered an even greater export loss. Our phenol shipments abroad during January-August were 12,517,000 pounds, compared with 28,950,000 pounds for the same period in 1956, according to the Bureau of Census. On the other hand, a striking upturn was shown in export shipments of phthalic anhydride. Despite t h e great increase that has taken place in Europe's phthalic anhydride capacity, U. S. exports of the coating rosin ma terial rose from 4,388,000 pounds in the 1956 period to 12,741,000 pounds in 1957. • Ethylene Glycol Expands. Apart from coal chemicals, highlight of our foreign trade in organics in 1957 was probably supplied by ethylene glycol. For t h e eight-month period, the totals were 35,119,000 pounds in 1956, and 100,445,000 pounds in 1957. Foreign demands for ethylene glycol likely will be curtailed in the future, when several new European projects get under way. Inorganic and agricultural chemicals on t h e whole fared very well in U. S. chemical foreign trade last year as far as the partial results are concerned. The census export totals for JanuaryAugust show the following: 1956 short tons
1957 short tons
Ammonium sulfate, coke oven and synthetic 540,166 560,004 Potash 145,296 206,091 Soda ash 148,467 127,894 Caustic soda, solid 117,375 128,141 Sulfur, crude 1,077,339 1,027,615 Superphosphate 0 108,581 163,421 * Includes other phosphatic fertilizers
Minerals Set Record Minerals production attained a rec ord value of $18.3 billion during 1957, the Bureau of Mines reports. This compares with $17.5 billion in 1956, and t h e increase was due almost wholly to higher values for crude oil and natu ral gas. Uranium data indicate why t h e Government recently placed restrictions on mill expansions in that product. Production of domestic concentrate in 1957 hit an annual rate of nearly 10,000 tons of uranium oxide, against 6000 tons in 1956. The total is ex pected to rise to 15,000 tons or more in 1959. About 130,000 pounds of U 2 3 5 , t h e fissionable isotope of uranium, was made available for peaceful uses, bring-
