I/EC
REPORTS
Here's to Pop — A $1.5 Billion Drink Vast ocean of carbonated refreshment —1.7 b i l l i o n gallons —holds major markets for chemical materials OODA
POP,
like
ice
cream—and
then, naturally enough, the ice cream s o d a — m a d e its A m e r i c a n d e b u t in Philadelphia, way back in 1807, when a Q u a k e r - C i t y chemist n a m e d S p e a k m a n first a d d e d fruit juice and sugar to c a r b o n a t e d water to satisfy an adventurous thirst. N o w over 150 years old, Speakm a n ' s refreshment is, by a n y standard, big business today. Capital investment in the industry is figured roughly at $1 billion, which includes facilities for a b o u t 4600 bottlers employing nearly 100,000 people. T o t a l yearly advertising costs—bottlers a n d franchise houses, split roughly 50-50—should exceed $127 million this year. Typical of materials consumed today, says the ABCB, a r e : • •
nothing equals
• • •
piccopale Inert, heat stable and pale in color, PICCOPALE assures the utmost in water and moisture resistance through its unique chemical structure.
The
trademark of quality
PENNSYLVANIA INDUSTRIAL CHEMICAL CORPORATION CLAIRTON, PENNSYLVANIA
•
Sugar—1.5 million tons (cane, beet, corn) Carbon dioxide—150 million pounds Glass for n e w bottles—770 t h o u s a n d tons Cardboard for carry-home cartons—75 t h o u s a n d tons Steel for crowns—130 t h o u s a n d tons Cork for crowns—20 million pounds
In addition to these components a n d accessories, millions of p o u n d s of orthophosphoric acid ( H 3 P 0 4 ) are used in kola-drink sirup, a n d major q u a n t i t i e s of citric acid go into fruitflavored drinks. Also, the market for ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is growing rapidly, says a major p h a r m a c e u t i c a l firm m a k i n g this chemical. Secrecy is severe in the industry, a n d significant figures are not given even for these major constituents. Sizable corollary chemical markets (Continued on page 46 A)
Circle No. 46 on Readers' Service Card
44 A
INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
