I 60
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
hours per ton. With 425 kw. hours per ton, gray pig-iron has been melted and overheated, the melting including 2 2 kg. basic slag per ton of iron. This consumption of energy indicates a furnace efficiency of about 7 0 per cent, but the thermal efficiency has been as much as 85 t o 90 per cent.
QUALITY OF SULFATE OF AMMONIA FOR EXPORT Speaking editorially of the English situation the J . Gas Lighting says [128( 1 9 1 4 ,4041: We cannot afford-either a t the present time with nitrate of soda in active competition, nor in future when Germany resumes her operations in the export market-to spoil our position as exporters of sulfate of ammonia by producing a n article which does not come up t o the standard t h a t is demanded by customers, and which arrives a t its destination in a condition, as regards weight and packing, which is anything but conducive to permanence of business relations. An important letter upon the subject from Mr. D. Milne Watson, the Chairman of the Sulfate of Ammonia Association, and a circular which has been distributed among the members, are published in today’s issue of the Journal. Both are in the nature of a warning; and the one emphasizes the other. It is hoped that they will have due and immediate effect, because appeal and caution in the past appear t o have been in vain. The matter was one to which Mr. Thomas Milne addressed himself a t the Sulfate of Ammonia Conference a year ago. H e then urged sulfate of ammonia makers not to produce the commodity under a standard of 25 per cent of ammonia, about 2 . 5 per cent moisture, and not more than 0.5 per cent acid. In Mr. Milne Watson’s letter, and in the circulated leaflet, we get the appeal repeated, with the difference t h a t “not more than 3 per cent moisture” is mentioned. What is found is, and it is a serious disadvantage t o the sulfate of ammonia export business, t h a t the bulk of the British production is still made and marketed on a basis of 24 per cent of ammonia, without any mention of moisture and free acid. This condition of things will not do. Nearly all distant consumers have raised their standard from 24 t o 25 per cent ammonia; and when they find this standard is not complied with, t h a t there is a loss in weight of I to 3 per cent through excessive moisture content, and t h a t the bags in which the sulfate of ammonia is packed, through excess of free acid and moisture, have en route declined to maintain their integrity, then they become greatly dissatisfied, and do not need further inducement t o turn to sources from which they know their requirements can be fulfilled. The losses fall upon the receiver; and he is indisposed to continue t o bear them when there is no reason why he should do so. British producers know how much they depend upon the export market; and i t will be suicidal on their part not t o recognize what is essential in the matter of quality in order t o ensure the market for themselves, and not be driven out of i t by continued shortsightedness. Directly the war is over Germany will recommence operations for the development of her export trade. The competition of synthetic ammoniathe production from the nitrogen of the atmosphere-will come into the reckoning again with full force. It will not be surprising, too, t o find a t the close of the war t h a t Germany will have a decent accumulation of stock with which i t will be very pleased to part. The absence of German competition is the opportunity for the British producer t o fortify his position abroad; and the best way t o do so is t o give purchasers the standard material they want, and see t h a t it gets into their hands in good condition and with as little loss of weight as possible. The future of the export market very largely depends upon the action taken in the present. Therefore, the necessity for heeding the warning of Mr. Milne Watson, and complying with the enjoinment contained in both letter and circular, is apparent.
Vol. 7 , No.
2
DANISH ENGINEERS AND THE UNITED STATES For a considerable number of years Danish engineers, with diplomas from the State Polytechnic College in Copenhagen, have gone to the United States or other parts of the world. According to Engineering, 98 (1914),753, the Danish Society of Engineers has recently looked into this matter, and it has transpired t h a t out of 933 engineers who, during the years 1900-1912 (both included), passed the final examination of the above college, I O per cent, or, to be accurate, 92 engineers, have gone to Korth America, and out of these 2 8 have subsequently returned t o Denmark. The largest proportion is among “constructive engineers,” of whom about 12 per cent have gone to the United States, while the figure for “factory engineers” is only 4 per cent. All the electrical engineers have remained in .imerica, while two-thirds of the mechanical engineers have returned. Out of six factory engineers, only one has returned; and of 64 constructive engineers, 47 have remained in America. CONSUMPTION OF GAS IN ITALY A recent issue of the Journal f u r Gasbeleuchtung quoted from a n Italian paper on acetylene some figures as to the consumption of gas, electricity, petroleum, and calcium carbide in Italy for three years past. The English equivalents of the figures are as follows: COALGAS 1910-11 1911-12 1912-13
....... ....... .......
Cubic feet 9,182,056,000 9,358,634,000 9,888,368,000
ELECTRICITYPETROLEUMCARBIDE Board of T r a d e units 1,460,000 1,649,000 1,826,000
Tons 83,392 117,337 111,420
Tons 23,156 24,913 20,816
Though all four classes of illuminants exhibit a n increase in t h e second year over the first, in the last year only coal gas and electricity continue to show a n advancing consumption. Evidently the figures given for coal gas refer only to gas used for lighting and heating, since, according t o a table given in W. J. A. Butterfield’s lectures on “Chemistry in Gas-Works,’’ the total consumption of gas in Italy in rgro was I 1,985 million cubic feet. But excluding from this total the gas used for industrial purposes, t h a t used for lighting and heating only was in 1910, 9024 million cubic feet. Peat gas is also used and now t h a t the regions of hlantua and Ferrara have been drained, it has become possible t o work the peat bogs below sea-level. A company has accordingly been formed, and works erected, for the production of gas and the recovery of residuals by the Mond process. According t o a description in the Monilbre Tecnico, two bogs, one 1730 and the other 1235 acres in extent, are being worked. The thickness of the bed of peat varies from I f t . 8 in. to 3 f t . 3 in. After being dried, the peat is carbonized in six retorts, the capacity of each being 30 metric tons per 24 hours, with a daily production of about a million cubic feet of gas having a heating value of 155 B. T. U. per cu. f t . At the same time I Z O quintals of sulfate of ammonia are obtained. There are also adjoining works for the manufacture of the sulfuric acid required for making the sulfate. Large quantities of t a r are also produced. The works cover a n area of 2 2 acres. The results are stated to have been satisfactory, from both the technical and the financial point of view.
PATENTS IN WAR TIME There have now been heard in England in what have been named the Patents Court quite a number of applications t o “avoid or suspend” enemy patents, under the Act which was recently passed for the purpose of regulating this important industrial question. At the outset, naturally, there was doubt as t o what would be the attitude adopted in official quarters on particular points; and this, of course, was an uncertainty which could be set a t rest only by seeking decision on individual ap-
Feb., 1915
T H E J O U R N A L OF I N D U S T R I A L A N D E N G I N E E R I N G C H E M I S T R Y
plications. I n connection with the first hearings, the Comptroller-General of Patents gave, as has already been recorded, some indication as to what was likely t o be the view taken by those in control [ J . Gas Lighting, 128 (1914), 4061. After remarking t h a t it would not be fair to deprive a German patentee of his property, he said that, generally speaking, the recommendation the Court would make would probably be that some kind of license should be given; and this license would in all likelihood be subject to a royalty. Now a n official notice has been issued for the information of the public, which will be useful to intending applicants, as it sets forth the broad principles on which the Board of Trade will act in dealing with requests for the avoidance or suspension of patents and trade-marks under the “Temporary Rules” of this year. With regard to patents, licenses will, it is stated, as a general practice be granted when the applicants fulfil the conditions laid down in the Act: ( I ) where there is no manufacture in this country under the
161
patent, and also ( 2 ) where what manufacture there may be is carried on by a company or firm on behalf of alien enemies resident abroad, and there is any reason to doubt t h a t the manufacture will continue to be carried on, or where it is in the interests of the country t h a t some othermanufacture should be started in the British interests. As a rule, suspension of trademarks will be granted only: ( I ) where the trade-mark is the name of a patented article, and a license is granted under the patent protecting i t ; ( 2 ) where it is the only name, or only practicable name, of an article manufactured under an expired patent; or (3) where i t is the name, or only practicable name, of an article manufactured in accordance with a known process or a formula which has been published or is well known in trade. Generally speaking, suspension will not be granted in the case of pictorial devices. It is pointed out that, while these principles may be taken as broadly applicable, special cases must, of course, necessarily receive exceptional treatment.
NOTES AND CORRESPONDENCE CONCERNING THE NUTRITIVE VALUE OF VEGETABLE IVORY-PRELIMINARY NOTES The nut of the vegetable ivory palm (Phytele$has macrocarpa) is imported by the United States in large quantities t o be used in the manufacture of buttons. Statistics show that the annual consumption is about 10,000 tons and is valued a t $ I , j O O , O O O . In the process of manufacture there is considerable waste which occurs in the form of chips and sawdust. The latter is frequently finely ground and constitutes the so-called vegetable ivory meal. At the suggestion of Dr. J. B. Lindsey, a study has been made, incidentally on the chemistry of this product, and more particularly of its digestibility and feeding value, especially for dairy animals. I n addition to the ordinary fodder analysis, traces of invert sugar were found and some z 14 per cent of pentosans. Galactan was not found. The larger part of the vegetable ivory waste is known t o consist of mannan which upon hydrolysis yields mannose. Phenylhydrazine yielded the usual buff colored precipitate, a mixture of mannose- and other phenylhydrazones, with a melting point of 183 ’. Of the small amount of nitrogen present, about one-third was found to bein the amino form. A digestion experiment carried out with sheep indicated t h a t these animals were capable of digesting about 87 per cent of dry matter. A feeding experiment was conducted with six cows using a basal ration of bran, cottonseed meal, and hay, and in addition either three pounds of corn meal or three pounds of vegetable ivory meal. The cows did well on both rations and produced within three per cent as much milk on the vegetable ivory ration as on the corn meal ration. The digestion experiment, together with the feeding experiment indicates that this material, in spite of its tough, horny nature, possesses considerable nutritive value and confirms the feeding experiments carried out in Germany. It is proposed to continue the investigation of this product and to publish the full results at a somewhat later date. C. L. BEAU MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION AMHERST, January 11, 1915
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ANNUAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY- I 9 I 5 The 191s Annual Meeting of the American Chemical Society will be held in Seattle, August 31st t o September grd, inclusive. Following the meeting in Seattle, the Society will adjourn to San Francisco for a social function with the San Francisco Chemists, probably on Monday evening, September 6th. Arrangements will be made for special trains via Seattle.
NITROGEN-PROTEIN TABLE Editor of the Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry: The accompanying table may be of service t o chemists performing a large number of feed analyses, etc. Column I gives cc. of N / z o acid used. Column z gives the corresponding amount of nitrogen in centigrams or as per cent on a I gram sample. Columns 3 and 4 give protein in centigrams (or per cent on a I gram sample) for the factor heading the column. I
Cc.
2
N
N/20 Acid 25.0 1.7513 25.5 1.7863 26.0 1.8213 26.5 1.8563 27.0 1.8914 27.5 1.9264 28.0 1.9614 28.5 1.9964 29.0 2.0315 29.5 2 0665 30.0 2.1015 30.5 2.1365 31.0 2.1716 31.5 2.2066 32.0 2.2416 32.5 2.2766 33.0 2.3117 33.5 2.4367 34.0 2.3817 34.5 2.4167 35.0 2.4518 35.5 2.4868 36 0 2.5218 36.5 2.5568 37.0 2.5919 37.5 2.6269 38.0 2.6619 38.5 2.6969 39.0 2.7320 39.5 2.7670 40.0 2.8020 40.5 2.8370 41.0 2.8721 41.5 2.9071 42.0 2.9421
.
..... .
3 4 PROTEIN
X 5.7 X 6.25
9.982 10.182 10.381 10.581 10.781 10.980 11.180 11.380 11.579 11.779 11.979 12.178 12.378 12.577 12.777 12.977 13.176 13.376 13.576 13.775 13.975 14.175 14.374 14.574 14.774 14.973 15.173 15.372 15.572 15.772 15.971 16.171 16.371 16.570 16.770
10.945 11.164 11.383 11.602 11.821 12.398 12.259 12.478 12.697 12.915 13.134 13.353 13.572 13 791 14.010 14.229 14.448 14.667 14.886 15.105 15.323 15.542 15.761 15 980 16.199 16.418 16.637 16 856 17.075 17.294 17.513 17.731 17.950 18.169 18.388
. . .... ......
1 Cc. N/20 Acid 42.5 43.0 43.5 44.0 44.5 45.0 45.5 46.0 46.5 47.0 47.5 48.0 48.5 49.0 49.5 50.0 50.5 51.0 51.5 52.0 52.5 53.0 53.5 54.0 54.5 55.0 55.5 56.0 56.5 57.0 57.5 58.0 58.5 59.0 59.5 60.0
2 N
2.9771 3.0122 3.0472 3.0822 3.1172 3.1523 3.1873 3.2223 3.2573 3.2924 3.3274 3.3624 3.3974 3.4325 3.4675 3.5025 3.5375 3.5726 3.6076 3.6426 3.6776 3.7127 3.7477 3.7827 3.8177 3.8528 3.8878 3.9228 3.9578 3.9929 4.0279 4.0629 4.0979 4.1330 4.1680 4.2030
3
4
PROTEIN
X 5.7 X 6.25 16.970 17.169 17.369 17.569 17.768 17.968 18.167 18.367 18.567 18.766 18.966 19.166 19.365 19.565 19.765 19.964 20.164 20.364 20.563 20.763 20.962 21.162 21.362 21.561 21.761 21.961 22.160 22.360 22.560 22.759 22.959 23.159 23.358 23.558 23.757 23.957
18.607 18.826 19.045 19.264 19.483 19.702 19.920 20.139 20.358 20.577 20.796 21.015 21.234 21.453 21.672 21.891 22.110 22.328 22.547 22.766 22.985 23.204 23.423 23.642 23.861 24.080 24.299 24.518 24.736 24.955 25.174 25.393 25.612 25.831 26.050 26.269
TENTHS
Cc.
N
0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 05 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9
0.0070 0.0140 0.0210 0.0280 0.0350 0.0420 0.0490 0.0560 0.0630
PROTEIN
x
0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9
5.7 0.040 0.080 0.120 0 160 0.200 0.240 0.279 0.359 0.319
X 6.25
0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9
0.044 0.088 0.131 0.175 0.219 0.263 0.306 0.350 0.394
The last column is for interpolating values corresponding t o tenths of a cubic centimeter. R. S. CALLAWAY MILL COMPANY WIS.. November 30, 1914
LISTMAN LACROSSE,
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BENZOL PRODUCTS IN THE UNITED STATES Editor of the Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry: With reference to numerous inquiries concerning the history and present condition of our company we beg to submit the following information : The Benzol Products Company was organized in 1910 for the manufacture of aniline oil and other benzol derivatives, but of
