63 2
T H E J O U R N A L OF I N D U S T R I A L A N D ENGINEERING C H E M I S T R Y
on the market, and especially that produced by gasworks, has a n injurious effect upon the engine, owing largely to the presence in it of sulfuric acid. One of the leading motor car manufacturing firms has taken the pains to investigate the effects of poor quality benzol upon lubricating oil and has found that when sulfuric acid is present in the benzol a semi-solid deposit is formed in the crank case, due to the leakage of benzol past the pistons. This deposit consists of carbon and sulfuric acid and the acid rusts the valves and stems. The best remedies for this state of things are more thorough washing of the spiiit or, failing this, the mixing of the benzol with petrol in the proportion of 65 per cent benzol and 35 per cent petrol, the alkaline ingredients in the latter neutralizing the acid content of the benzol. Everything, however, points to alcohol as the fuel of the future. The thermal value of alcohol is only about one-half that of petrol or benzol, but whereas it is not advisable to use a higher compression pressure with the last-mentioned fue!s than about 80 lbs. per sq. in., with alcohol the compression may be raised to a pressure of zoo lbs. without fear of preignition, and the quantity of air required t o complete combustion is little more than one-half. Last year the Royal Automobile Club appointed a committee t o investigate and report on alcohol as a fuel. The report has not yet been published, but the most important problem which this body will have t o investigate is that of finding a suitable denaturant which will satisfy the excise authorities. If the efforts of this committee result in the abatement of the duty and some modification of existing restrictions on the manufacture of alcohol, capital will no doubt be readily found to provide factories for the production of the fuel in such quantities as will, a t any rate, serve t o prevent the further rise in price of petrol on which so much of the nation's welfare depends.--4.
BRITISH BOARD OF TRADE During the month of hfay the British Board of Trade have received enquiries from firms in the United Kingdom and abroad regarding sources of supply for the following articles : Aluminum ware Artificial horse hair Belts and belting Celluloid boxes Slip lid zinc tins Camel hair brushes Bronze powder Celluloid buttons Case-hardening compositions Cellulose extract Acetate of lead Aniline oil Antimony oxide Chloride of magnesite Cresol Phthalimide Red phosphorus ' Salicylate of soda Salicylic acid Zinc oxide Collapsible tubes Lactometers Bismuth subnitrate Caffein-sodium benzoate Guaiacol Phenyl salicylate Sodium bromide Fustic extract Logwood extract Carbon for arc lamps Porcelain insulators Brown ware Lanoline Galalith substitute Gelatine Lithopone Locks for tin trunks Mirrors Olive oil soap Barytes Crude antimony ore Sacks Preserved egg preparation Tanning materials Springs (spiral steel) Steel thimbles
Bimetallic strips for use a s compensating devices in recording thermometers, In brass and 36 per cent nickel steel or similar combinations Black-lead pencils (cheap) Metal ink bottles for covering with leather Nickel ink bottles for attache cases White glass bottles. t o take scrp '7 cs Brass-headed chair nails Carnauba wax ( f a t t y gray quality I I .I::IJS) Celluloid device for holding papers sLtaight, for use with typewriting machines Cast iron cylinders for carbolic acid Celluloid in solid rods and tubes Butyric acid, 90 per cent Epsom salts (B. P . and commercial) Sodium nitrate (refined) Xylene ( 0 , m, and 9) Enamelled iron clock dials Vulcanized hair combs Pressed bone dominoes Glue, d r y , for boot and shoe trade Filtering pulp as used in breweries Opal shades for electric lights Leather and imitation leather Machinery f o r making leather cloth Machinery for molding celluloid into rings and .....hooks ..... 3Iachinery for printing pottery transiers Skeining machines ior splitting rod; Machine for wire stitching Malacca canes (about 15 feet long) for use as drain rods in conduit ivork Metal foil-Brass foil and Dutch metal foil Metal tubes, seamless, in very fine gauges for making hypodermic needles Paper-cigarette paper, and paper for pottery transfers Steel sheets coated with brass, copper and nickel Spent animal charcoal Thermometers (clinical a n d dairy) Typewriting supplies (ribbons, etc.) Waste liquors from wood paste Vegetable ivory in tubes Vulcanite beads Tungsten powder
Firms who may be in a position to supply any of the above articles are asked to communicate with the Director of the
Vol. 7 , No. 7
Commercial Intelligence Branch, Board of Trade, 73 Basinghall Street, London, E. C.-A.
IRON PRODUCTION OF THE U. S.-MAY, I915 The total pig-iron output of the United States in May was 2,263,470 tons, or 73,OIj tons a day, against 2,116,494 tons in April, or 70,jjO tons a day. With 2 0 j furnaces in blast June rst, or ten more than on May Ist, the active capacity was 74,343 tons, against 71,385 tons one month previous. Pig-iron production is now a t the rate of 27,400,ooo tons a year. On April 1st it w-as a t 26,000,000 tons, and on January 1st a t 18,000,boo tons a year. Comparison of last month's i-on output with previous months of the past three years (figures here representing gross tons) is as follows, according to the Iron Age: 1915 May . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,263,470 April . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,116,494 M a r c h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,063,834 February . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 , 6 7 4 , 7 7 1 January . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,601,421 1914 December. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,515,752 November. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 , 5 1 8 , 3 1 6 October. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,778,186 September. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 , 8 8 2 , 5 7 7 .4ugust. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,995,261 July. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,957,645 June. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,917,783
1914 2,092,686 2,269,995 2,347.867 1,888,670 1,885,054 1913 1,983,607 2,283,603 2,546,261 2,505,927 2,545,763 2,628,565 2,560,646
1913 2,822,217 2,752,761 2,763 563 2,586,337 2,795,331 1912 2,782,737 2,689,933 2,630,854 ~
2,463,839 2 , 5 1 2 , 4 31 2,410,889 2,440,745
OUTPUT OF PORTLAND CEMENT IN U. S.-IgI5 The output cf Portland cement last year, according to the ATew York Eueizing Post, totaled 88,230,170 barrels, valued at $81,789,368 This was a decrease in quantity of 3,866,961 barrels, and a decrease in value of $10,768,249, compared with 1913. Pennsylvania and Indiana held first and second places, respectively, as producing States.
U. S. TRADE IN APRIL The following table from the monthly report of the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, Department of Commerce, shows a gain in trade in all classes of merchandise. EXPORTS,APRIL 1915 Crude m a t e r i a l . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 44,355,870 Foodstuffs, c r u d e . . . . . . . . . . 59,414,365 Fcodstuffs partly prepared. 46,618,860 38,451.,343 Partly m a n u f a c t u r e d . .. . . . Manufactures. complete.. . 90,503,475 9,693,543 Miscellaneous.. . . . . . . . . . . . Total domestic.. . . . . . . . . . . $289,037,456 Foreign e x p . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,708,661 TOTAL EXPORTS., . , , ., . $294,746,117 IMPORTS,APRIL Crude m a t e r i a l . . . . . . . . . . . . 61.714.060
Miscellaneous., . . . . . . . . . . .
1914 1913 $ 37,627,006 $ 47,556,871 6,328,730 13,209,610 19,590,417 26,178,111 31,844,607 37,044,590 62,557,755 70,664,000 1,021,188 1,580.524 5158,969,703 6196,233,706 3,582,867 3,579,732 $162,552,570 $199,813,438
S 65.8(
1.367,70(
TOTAL IMPORTS . . . . . . . . . . . S160,576,106 $173,762,114
$146,194,461
TAR DEHYbRATION AND TOLUOL RECOVERY The question of the dehydration of tar has lately attracted considerable attention in England, since prepared tar is being generally adopted for road construction and the light oils driven off in the process of dehydration contain all the toluol and phenol originally in the tar, products now in urgent demand for the manufacture of explosives. One ton of average crude gas-works tar yields, when dehydrated, 160 gallons of prepared tar, 30 gallons of light oils, and I O gallons of ammoniacal liquor. An average sample of zoo cc. of the such light oil, washed with caustic soda, gave 18 per cent of tar acids; on fractionating the washed oil, the following results were obtained: Temp. Per cent product Benzol Up t o 100" C. 35 100O t o 120' C. 1 0 . 5 Toluol
Temp. Per cent product Solvent naphtha 120' t o 125O C. 28 Residue 40.5 Creosote
The oil also contained 6 per cent of very good pyridine. The quantities of fuel required per ton of tar distilled are with plants actually a t work, 67 lbs. of breeze or 450 cu. ft. of gas of goo B, T.U. [ J . Gas Lighting, 130 (1915), 3301.
