INDUSTRIAL UTILIZATION OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS
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fertility of the soil, the utilization of crop residues offers little promise of direct aid to him. Considerable development has already taken place in this field. Examples of the utilization of waste materials are found in bagasse, cereal straws, cornstalks, and other similar types of materials to make wallboard, boxboard, and insulating materials, and the recent development of the production of furfural from oat hulls. I n most cases where success is obtained in the utilization of agricultural waste materials, the available products have arisen as by-products from plants processing agricultural products. They have.thus been assembled a t the plant in the course of the marketing of the crop. The second field, introduction of new plants to take the place of imported agricultural products for industrial purposes, seems to offer promise. The total value of agricultural imports for the year 1930-31 was over 11/2 billion dollars. The largest part of these imports consists of silk, sugar, coffee, sirup, oil seeds, vegetable oils, and rubber. Many of these products are used for industrial purposes. I n 1937 we imported approximately 22/3billion pounds of vegetable oils. The marked increase in the production of soybeans in the Middle West is an illustration of how a new crop is helping to replace oats and corn in the rotation. Approximately 2 million acres were utilized in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio, and Missouri in 1937. I n 1937 over 534 million pounds of linseed oil, 43 million of perilla oil, and 174 million of tung oil were imported. These oils are used almost entirely for industrial purposes. Large quantities go into paints and varnishes. If ways can be devised to process soybean oil so that it may be used to replace such oils, newmarkets will be obtained. To produce soybean oil equivalent in amount to the total amount of vegetable oils imported into the United States last year, less the amount of oils exported, would require approximately 18 million acres or about eight times as large an acreage as was utilized last year. The various vegetable oils have particular uses, and it is not probable that economical methods of treating soybean oil will be devised to make it suitable for replacing all of these oils. Nevertheless here is a large potential market for soybean oil. The third field, the utilization of surplus food crops as raw materials for industry, would offer an almost unlimited market if it were available. These raw materials comprise the products for organic synthesis of chemical and structural materials. In this field there is direct competition with the cheap products of the mine and the oil well. The raw products of agriculture are essentially carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. From a technological standpoint these materials could be used as raw materials for the manufacture of chemicals just as coal and petroleum are used. However, two factors are involved in the choice of raw materials for industry-the cost of the raw materials and the cost of the processes involved. The cost of raw materials from coal and petroleum is much lower than from agricultural products. Agricultural products can be used economically only in the cases where the cheaper processing costs offset the difference in cost of raw materials or where processes are not known for making the products from coal and oil.
OR many years agricultural scientists have been interested in the possibility of developing industrial uses for agricultural products. Some of the first projects undertaken when the United States Department of Agriculture was organized dealt with this problem. During recent years a more widespread interest has developed as exemplified by the Farm Chemurgic movement and the recent Congressional action to establish four regional research laboratories. Apparently this increased interest is the result of (a) the belief that the depressed condition of agriculture following the World War was due to the accumulation of surpluses of agricultural products, and (b) to a general acceptance of the view that agriculture and industry represent two interdependent groups. Many industrial leaders believe that good industrial conditions are not apt to prevail for any length of time unless agriculture is reasonably prosperous. The proportion of the national income that agriculture received had been declining for a number of years up to the World War, but these changes were gradual and offered opportunity for natural readjustments. After the war rapid changes occurred in the market demand for our agricultural products. It was then that the surpluses became burdensome. Five important factors are frequently cited as being chiefly responsible for this situation: (1) Cheap sources of the most expensive element of fertilizers (nitrogen) were made possible by the development of synthetic methods of production. ( 2 ) Improved agricultural practices have resulted in increased production. (3) Agriculture increased its production as a result of demands arising during the World War. It is estimated that 40 million additional acres were brought into cultivation during that period. (4) The replacement of horse and mule power by mechanical power resulted in a reduction in the consumption of grain. It is estimated that in this way the products from 30 to 35 million acres were replaced by the products of the oil wells. (5) With the development of organic technology there has been an increased replacement of agricultural products in industry by the products of the mine and the oil well. A century or more ago over four fifths of all products used by man came from the farm. Today probably not more than one third of the weight of all products used by man, inclusive of foods and clothing, are derived from the products of the farm. The fields for developing industrial uses for agricultural products may be classified into three groups: the utilization of waste and by-products, the introduction of new crops to yield products to take the place of those now imported and used for industrial purposes, and the development of new uses for crops or crop surpluses for purposes other than food. Although many excellent products can be made from crop residues, the high cost of collection and transportation to the processing plant and their relatively low value leave only a small return for the farmer. Unless the farmer can receive a price that is greater than their value in maintaining the 1 The ten papers which follow (pages 142 to 180) were presented as a joint aymposium on this subject before the Divisions of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, of Biological Chemistry, and of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry at the 96th Meeting of the American Chemical Society, Milwaukee, Wis., September 5 t o 9, 1938.
H. R.KRAYBILL, Symposium Chairman 141
