INDUSTRY THIS WEEK IN BRIEF
N e w construction Liquid Carbonic Corp. plans to build a multimillion-dollar air separation plant in Burlington Township, N J . The new plant will have a combined capacity of 285 tons per day of liquid nitrogen, oxygen, and argon. Completion is scheduled for February 1969. Lotepro Corp., New York City, is the engineering design firm and general contractor for the project. Liquid Carbonic is a subsidiary of General Dynamics. In 1966, it was ordered by the U.S. District Court in New York City to divest itself of Liquid Carbonic (C&EN, Sept. 5, 1966, page 19).
Markets American Cyanamid has reduced the price of its XT polymer (a modified acrylic) by 4 to 6V2 cents per pound. Increased plant capacity and rapid customer acceptance, especially in food packaging, have made the reduction possible, the company says. The reduction brings prices for XT 250 to as low as 3 i y 2 cents per pound for bulk deliveries in carload and 33 cents per pound in truckload, boxed shipments. Linde division of Union Carbide says it will extend the use of rental charges on bulk facilities for storage of industrial gases to market areas where patterns of use are unusual or special control equipment is required. Linde has been charging its Polarstream nitrogen refrigeration customers an equipment rental fee since 1965. It is also adjusting gas prices upwards in certain areas, but affixes no price tags on the rental charge or price hike. Air Reduction inaugurated a charge on bulk storage facilities last month (C&EN, Jan. 15, page 19). Chlorine Institute president Frederick A. Gilbert says that U.S. chlorine capacity will increase about 1 1 % next year to some 25,600 tons a day. He says that capacity increased last year by about the same amount, but production rose a little slower than usual at a 5.5% annual rate, reaching 7.65 million tons. Annual growth in production during the past 10 years has averaged 6.5%.
Corporate Environmental Services, Inc., York, Pa., formerly Broadway Research and Development Corp., has purchased J. C. Carlile Corp., Denver, Colo., from Struthers Scientific and International. Carlile Corp., which will have its name changed to Carco, designs and constructs chemical, metallurgical, and fertilizer plants. Environmental Services designs and erects waste treatment systems. Amoco Chemicals has purchased an additional 5 0 % interest in Patchogue-Plymouth Co., Hazelhurst, Ga., from Parker, Pace Corp., New York City. Amoco is now sole 24 C&EN FEB. 12, 1968
owner of Patchogue-Plymouth, which makes polypropylene carpet backing. The purchase price was not disclosed. In associated action, Amoco Chemicals, a Standard Oil Co. (Ind.) subsidiary, has completed the purchase of Avisun Corp., New Castle, Del., for $80 million. Amoco Chemicals acquired a 5 0 % interest in Patchogue-Plymouth through its purchase of Avisun. A former subsidiary of Sun Oil, Avisun makes polypropylene resins, films, and color concentrates. Phillips Petroleum has discontinued the corporate identity of Alamo Industries, Inc., a subsidiary that Phillips and National Distillers & Chemical founded in 1962 under the name of Alamo Polymer Corp. In 1965, the name was changed to Alamo Industries and in August 1966, the Federal Trade Commission ordered National Distillers to sell its 5 0 % of Alamo (C&EN, Aug. 15, 1966, page 20). In 1967, Alamo became a wholly owned subsidiary of Phillips Petroleum. The complete operations of Alamo, which makes and markets Marvess olefin yarn and fiber and Loktuft nonwoven carpet backing, are now a function of Phillips Fibers Corp., a Phillips subsidiary. Plasma Flame Corp., Westbury, N.Y., has granted a license to Plasma Physics Corp., Hicksville, N.Y., for exclusive rights to its patents on plasma applications for chemical and metallurgical processing. John H. Coleman, president of Plasma Physics and Herbert S. Ingham, president of Plasma Flame, a subsidiary of Metco, Inc., say that the basic concepts of plasma technology can now be effectively utilized citing examples of potential uses of plasma such as a source of atomic hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen for use in hydrogénation of coal, oxidation of petrochemicals, and fixation of nitrogen for fertilizers.
International Canadian Industries, Ltd., and its subsidiaries report 1967 sales of $273 million—4% more than in 1966. Earnings for 1967 came to more than $7 million, giving a per-share return of 70 cents. This compares with $1.06 per share for 1966. The company attributes the decline in earnings to difficulties in startup and during early operation of its 1000 ton-per-day ammonia plant at Lambton Works, Courtright, Ont., to strikes at 11 locations during the third quarter of the year, and to the substantial loss in sales of Millhaven Fibers, Ltd., in which the company has a 6 0 % interest. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates that the combined world output of fertilizers (N, P205, and K 2 0), including that of mainland China, North Korea, and North Vietnam, in the 1966-67 fertilizer year was 53.2 million tons, an increase of 8.4% over 1965-66. During the year, world consumption of all fertilizers reached 50.7 million tons, 11.2% or 5.1 million tons more than in the previous year.
