Meeting of Manufacturing Chemists' Association
T h e M a n u f a c t u r i n g Chemists" Association a t Work
T
HE 66th annual meeting of the Manu facturing Chemists' Association of the United States was held on June 2 a t Skytop, Pa., with nearly 200 in attendance. This record number was in part accounted for by t h e interest in a number of problems to be discussed by the association in the session presided over by its president, Ε . Μ . Allen. A report of the treasurer and of the chairman of the Executive Committee was followed by the election of officers, t h e present incumbents being reelected: president, Ε. Μ. Allen; vice presidents, George W. Merck, Charles Belknap, and J. W. McLaughlin; secre tary, Warren N . Watson; executive corn-
Above (left). Henry Howard, w h o h o l d s the» record for a t t e n d a n c e , b e g i n n i n g w i t h 1876, w i i e n a s a lad of 7 he a c c o m p a n i e d h i s father t o the m e e t i n g of t h e Executive C o m m i t t e e . T l t e association was t h e n i n i t s f o u r t h year. H e has m i s s e d b u t o n e a n n u a l m e e t i n g s i n c e 1890. R i g h t . T h e H o n . Bainbridge Colby, g u e s t speaker a t t h e d i n n e r Right. F . W. Russe of M a l l i n c k r o d t C h e m i c a l Works. George S i m o n of t h e H e y d e n C h e m i c a l Co.
mittee, H . L. Derby, chairman, Charles W. Millard, Leonard T . Beale, J. H. Dunbar, Clyde D . Marlatt, L a m m o t du Pont, August Kochs, William B. Bell, R. N . Chipman, Russell H . D u n h a m , and Chas. S. M un son. H. L. Derby, chairman of t h e Execu tive Committee, presented a report, some parts of which are of general interest. T h e following excerpts are brief abstracts of certain paragraphs. Last October t h e Chemical Alliance completed its extensive survey on chemi cal employment, covering over 106,000 chemical employees. It was shown t h a t salaried employees in factory and nonfactory operations represented 28.2 per cent of t h e total number, as compared with only 12.7 per cent for all industry. During 1936 over 85 per cent of t h e total
W . W. ]>uecker of Texas Gulf S u l p h u r d i s c u s s e s p h o t o g r a p h y w i t h A. A . T e e t e r of C h a s . Pfizer & Co. 323
324
INDUSTRIAL A N D ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
Left. E . M . A l l e n . M a t h i e s o n A l k a l i Works, I n c . , P r e s i d e n t of t h e M a n u facturing Chemists* Ass o c i a t i o n , a n d August M e r s , C a l c o C h e m i c a l Co., I n c . , P r e s i d e n t of t h e S y n t h e t i c Organic C h e m i c a l Manufacturers Association, at the dinner
Right. T h e o d o r a P. Walker, P r e s i d e n t of C o m m e r c i a l S o l v e n t s Corp., a n d J. W. M c L a u g h l i n . Carbide and Carbon C h e m i c a l s Corp., d i s c u s s ing the situation with H. E . Perry
employees covered by t h e inquiry worked 50 weeks or more. I n t h e payroll period in April, 1937, 81 per cent of all factory employees were on a 40-hour week. This high continuity of employment speaks well for the chemical industry. I t takes a n average investment of $11,250 for each job in a chemical plant, or if based upon "all chemical employees," both factory and nonfactory, $8156. Of this, $5223 is for capital assets and $2933 for working capital. T h e s e figures are based upon d a t a covering a total investment of over $912,000,000. The association has done outstanding work in t h e important yet difficult field of containers for the safe transportation of chemicals. An indication of the place held by containers in such manufacturing and sales operations is t h e following, based on per cent of t h e sales value of chemicals : containers 4 to 13.5 per cent of sales; transportation in and out, 9.55 per cent; research, inorganic chemicals, 2.25 per cent; research, organic, 4.3 per cent. The chemical industry has an investment of about $200,000,000 in returnable containers. T h e association has worked in close cooperation with the Interstate Commerce Commission, has developed some new containers, a n d proposed revisions of some of t h e regulations pertaining to this type of transportation. It has also devoted much time to t h e special problems presented b y motor carrier regulations. All of this is important in achieving the record of low property loss in the railway transportation of hazardous chemicals as reported by t h e Bureau of Explosives for 1937. Most important, there were no persons killed in t h e railway transportation of t h e following groups and only 9 were injured in handling acids and corrosive liquids: acids and corrosive liquids, property loss, $7972; inflammable solids and oxidizing materials, $10,951; poisonous liquids and solids, $222. No injuries were reported for other chemical groups. A new program for further investigation on t h e part of t h e association's technical committees into t h e transportation of non-
regulatory articles will proceed. I n brief, it consists of a s t u d y of t h e containers for a particular chemical by conferences with producers of this chemical, looking toward t h e recommendation of t h e most efficient and economical containers. T h e initial conference has been held on trisodium phosphate. Attention has also been given to t a n k cars in which the industry has an investm e n t of a b o u t $35,000,000. One manual on t h e unloading of t a n k cars containing sulfuric acid has b e e n issued and the T a n k
VOL. 16. NO.11
C a r C o m m i t t e e is now working on another on t h e handling of rubber-lined t a n k cars containing hydrochloric acid and on revision of specifications for t a n k cars. T h e association has also given special attention t o toxicological investigations and fully recognizes t h e necessity of a complete a n d thorough toxicological investigation on a new chemical or chemical product before introduction upon t h e market. At present such investigations are commonly carried out in t h e universities, by consulting toxicologists, and b y t h e U. S. Public Health Service. Warren Watson, secretary of t h e association, has been appointed as a consultant in industrial hygiene on an advisory committee in connection with t h e work of t h e Public H e a l t h Service. S t a t e legislation, reciprocal trade agreem e n t s , a n d various phases of federal legislation have had t h e special attention of t h e officers of t h e association. T h e n followed a discussion in open forum fashion of such important subjects as " H o w Can Employer-Employee Relations Be I m p r o v e d ? " " T h e Political Outlook," " T h e Business Outlook," and " T h e Manufacturing Chemists' Association." T h e staff of the association in t h e Washington office has been increased b y t h e addition of Maurice F . Crass, Jr. H e is a graduate of t h e Case School of Applied Science, where he received his degree of bachelor of science in metallurgical engineering in 1926. Holding a du Pont fellowship, he received his degree of master of science in chemical engineering in 1931 a n d h a s devoted some time to the s t u d y of law a t night in t h e Akron Law School. H e has served in industry with t h e Toledo Furnace Co., t h e Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., and t h e Palmer M a t c h Co. H e was an instructor in chemical engineering for three years a t t h e Case School of Applied Science. H e is a member of the AMERICAN C H E M I C A L SOCIETY.
H e comes t o his
new
work with an excellent background of training a n d experience, t o assist t h e executive secretary of t h e association, Warren Watson.
R i g h t . Maurice F . Crass, Sr., of £ . I. d u P o n t d e N e m o u r s & C o . , Inc., a n d h i s s o n , -who h a s j o i n e d t h e staff o f t h e M a n u f a c t u r i n g Chemists' Association
Left. G l e n n Haskell, first vice president of t h e U . S. Industrial Alcohol C o . , a n d F . A . Wardenburg, general m a n a g e r of D u P o n t A m monia, at the tenth with its water hazard
NEWS EDITION
J U N E 10, 1938
325
T h e Manufacturing Chemists' Association at Play T h e morning session closed with the du Pont film "Wonder World of Chemistry," excellently done and well received by the group. Following an afternoon of leisure, during which those i n attendance took advantage of the opportunity to play golf o r cards or to discuss interesting items at length, the union dinner, with members of the Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturers Association of the United States as guests, was held. The Honor-
able Bainbridge Colby, former Secretary of State, delivered a masterly address in which he discussed the relation of the political to the business situation. The next day the Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturers Association held its annual outing, in which the members of the Manufacturing Chemists' Association were invited to join. The principal activity was golf, with a number of attractive prizes oflfered. F o r e g r o u n d , Killheffer, Howard, a n d Derby, i m m e d i a t e l y b a c k of w h o m i s L a m m o t d u P o n t
The Fuel Problem in Brazil C. E . Nabuc-o de A r a u j o , J r . , a n d L u i z Mariti, Caixa P o s t a l 970» R i o d e J a n e i r o H E need of more efficiency in the use and T production of heat and power cannot be overemphasised, and is evidenced by the world's ever-increasing energy demand. There exist in Brazil coal deposits and, on B, minor scale, several deposits of shale and boghead «oal. Brazil also possesses a large number of waterfalls, the largest located in th& State of Parana, which may be considered as possessing the most formidable reserves of hydraulic energy in ttie world. The state has already classified over 119 waterfalls, having hydraulic reserves t o produce over 3,000,000 horsepower, and several hundred smaller falls. The most important are the Guayra or Sete Quédas and the Iguassu. The Guayra far surpasses all other waterfalls. The Iguassu falls possess a potential energy figured i n scores of millions of horsepower, superior t o that of Niagara. T h e energy stored in these waterfalls, however, is not utilized and the most important source of energy in Brazil is still coal. Factories and railroads consume about 50 per cœnt of the total production. One-sixth is employed in the manufacture of coke and gas. about the same percentage being consumed in domestic heating. The present Brazilian coal-mining industry was initiated in 1914 soon after the outbreak of the World War, with a production of about 30,000 tons annually. Prior to 191-4 coal was imported from abroad, 70 per cent from England and the balance from, the United States. High prices during the World War offered an opportunity Tor the two principal mines in t h e States of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catharina t o expand production
to 375,000 tons in 1925. As a result, these two states have been employing domestic coal for all needs, completely abandoning importation of the foreign product. The consumption of Brazilian coal is gradually increasing throughout the country, owing to a law which requires all importers to buy domestic coal equivalent to 20 per cent of that imported. In spite of the increased consumption of domestic coal, imports have remained stationary up to the present year. Coal production in Brazil has been: in 1934, 704,000 tons; in 1935. 786,000 tons; in 1936, 650,000 tons; and in 1937, 800,000 tons. Relatively little field work has been done, however, and probably other deposits are still undiscovered. The accessible coal resources of Brazil occur in seams more than 3 feet thick. Oil fields of commercial consequence do not, at present, exist in Brazil, but the possibility of developing them is sufficiently attractive to warrant further prospecting. Tests completed up to this time have little significance. There has been drilling in the States of Sâo Paulo, Parana, Santa Catharina, Alagôas, Para, Bahia, Amazonas, and Acre. The stratigraphy and structure of several zones are suitable for oil. The indications of heavy asphalt ic oil and oil residues in and above the Iraty black shale are individually small, excepting two large outcrops of asphaltic sandstone, but they are very numerous and are widely spread across the States of Sâo Paulo and Parana. An attractive chance for developing larger wells of high-grade oil, exists in the State of Sâo Paulo.
In the coastal area of Alagôas, studied by Malamphy, the general conditions are regarded as unfavorable for commercial production. A number of wells have been drilled in the Lower Amazon area, and traces of oil and fair quantities of gas have been found in the Curua and Maecuru formations. The most likely oil-bearing region is probably the territory of Acre. Oilbearing formations and seepages are known to exist, and although little work has been done, conditions are thought suitable for good production. With the stimulus of advancing prices in petroleum products and the need of national sources of power energy, the potential reserve represented by oilshale deposits must be utilized in Brazil. At present, oil from shale cannot be produced at any substantial profit, because of high producing cost. In spite of the large deposits there has been practically no successful exploitation, mainly on account of the time required for developing and putting in operation suitable methods of distillation. The oleogenic shales have been studied by Hartt, Gonzaga de Campos, I. C. White, Euzebio de Oliveira, J. C. Branner, G. Florence, Djalma Guimarâes, Froes do Abreu, David Day, Rubem Roquette, and many other technicians. The Marahu shale has been studied not only by Brazilian technicians but by foreigners, such as Bertrand and Renault, Pontonié, McKee, Stutzer, Migeon, and others. With the continually expanding automotive industry, and the possibility that petroleum production will not be able to keep pace with it, the next century will probably witness the production of liquid fuel in large quantities from sources other than petroleum, and in Brazil oil shale seems to offer greatest promise.
