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INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
Vol. 18, No. 12
PROGRESS OF THE DYE INDUSTRY IN THE UNITED STATES DURING THE PAST DECADE Papers presented before t h e Division of Dye Chemistry a t the 72nd Meeting of the American Chemical Society, Philadelphia, Pa., September 6 to 11,1926
Ten Years of Progress in the Dye and Intermediate Industry By M. L. Crossley CALCOCHEMICAL Co., BOUNDBROOK, N. J.
HE statistical record of the development of the dye industry in the United States is available in the reports which have been compiled yearly since 1917 for the United States Tariff Commission. In these reports is found a record of industrial achievement which compels admiration and stimulates endeavor. The story is so well known that only its salient features need be stressed here. The synthetic dye industry embraces a wide variety of products, many of which are incidental to the manufacture of dyes but highly essential to the success of other industries; to the prosperity, health, and happiness of the American people; and to the security of this nation. The products of the dye factory enter the homes of rich and poor as luxuries and as necessities; they relieve pain and diminish suffering; they give comfort and enjoyment; they make life richer and more worth while; they are essential for national independence. Interdependence of Dye and Other Industries
recovery of waste materials by flotation processes, and created new industries destined to rank among the most important of our national assets. The full value of these contributions cannot be stated in terms of dollars added to national wealth. The contribution of accelerators to the improvement of automobile tires cannot be entirely evaluated in terms of the dollars saved, in capital expense for equipment to manufacture the tires, and in the saving due to increased mileage obtained with these tires. In addition] we must consider the value in the comfort of automobile riding, resulting from the greater reliability of tires. Likewise, the improvements in chemotherapy resulting from the development of new and better drugs from a better understanding of the function of old drugs and from a more comprehensive knowledge of the selectivity of drug action on metabolism under both normal and pathological conditions cannot be measured in terms of dollars saved. No one, however, will doubt the value of such contributions to the life and happiness of the American people.
A correct evaluation of the progress made in the dye industry during the period under review must take into consideration the interlacing and interdependence of this and other essential industries. The creation of the dye industry changed the practice of the steel industry in coking coal to permit the recovery of valuable by-products from about 80 per cent of the total coal coked, instead of about 28 per cent, which had been previous practice. This not only made available raw materials for the dye and related similar chemical industries, but it also led to efficiencies in the manufacture of coke, which in turn were reflected in decreased cost of steel. Ultimately the public received the benefit of the saving in cheaper commodities made from steel. Indirectly] then, the dye industry benefited not only the steel industry but also the industries using steel and the people consuming products such as automobiles. Again the conservation of the above waste products led to the production of benzene-blended motor fuels for internal combustion engines, and these have contributed not only to the comfort of thousands of motorists using such fuels because of their freedom from detonation, but also considerably to the progress made in the study of the relation between the chemical nature of fuel and the character of its combustion in internal combustion engines. Who can say what this will ultimately mean in economy of gasoline and in the development of new antiknock compounds? The dye industry is closely related to other essential industries. Its products contribute to the progress of these industries. Synthetic organic compounds made in connection with the dye industry have materially improved the products of the rubber industry, made possible the plastic industry, broadened the scope of the perfume and flavor industry, enriched the science of chemotherapy, cheapened the products of other industries, permitted the economic
Pre-War Status of Industry
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Progress during the past decade has been made a t great cost, but it is gratifying to see the speed with which the dye industry got under way once the decision was made to give it protection during its infancy. Prior to 1924 we manufactured less than 3 per cent of the total synthetic dyes produced by the important dye-producing countries of the world. These were assembled chiefly from imported intermediates. The synthetic chemical industry was insignificant in the United States. We consumed a large percentage of the important synthetic products made in the world but had no adequate knowledge of their manufacture. We had few factories equipped to make these products. We had abundant potential raw materials, but they were not available when we awoke to the realization that we needed them. We had chemists and engineers, but most of them had had no experience in the synthetic organic chemical industry. Applied organic chemistry had not taken root in our American soil. The few attempts to acclimate it to our country had been choked off by foreign competition. Such was the state of affairs when we were called upon ten years ago to produce the substances which we had previously imported, and which were indispensable to the health, happiness, safety, and prosperity of our people. Looking back on this experience, we resolve that America shall never again be dependent upon foreign sources of supply for her essential organic chemicals. The American people will not forget this lesson. Progress of a Year Seven the end equaled Besides,
dye factories in 1916 multiplied to eighty-one by of 1917 and in one year their production of dyes 46 million pounds. pre-war importation-about a considerable quantity of dye was exported. I n
December, 1926
INDUSTRIL4LAND ENGINEERING CHEXISTRY
the same year one hundred and eighteen firms produced one hundred and thirty-four different intermediates from raw materials made from American crudes. About 323 million pounds of intermediates and about 9 million pounds of other finished products, including lakes, drugs, flavors, perfume materials, and photographic chemica,ls, were also produced. In addition, the demands for war chemicals and for synthetic resins were met. Whatever justification there be today for the criticism that we are slow to accomplishment, there can be no dispute over the claim for speed of action during the first year of the life of the synthetic organic chemical industry. Achievements of a Decade
Progress in the synthetic chemical industry, particularly that allied to the dye industry, has been made chiefly in three directions-in improved efficiencies in the manufacture of staple products, in the extension of the use of these products, and in the discovery of new products which are superior in quality and simpler in application than the products they have displaced. The public has been benefited by these improvements more than is generally recognized. Often the reduction in the selling price of a product anticipates the reduction in cost due to improvements in the process of manufacture. The reductions in the cost of essential intermediates have been passed on to the consuming public in cheaper dyes, drugs, photographic chemicals, automobile tires, lacquers, etc. The intermediates of chief importance, such as aniline, beta-naphthol, H-acid, anthraquinone, phthalic anhydride, benzidine, etc., have received considerable attention. Old processes have been improved and in certain cases entirely new processes for these products have been developed. Economy in production and quality of finished product have been the dominating ideas in the industry. The quality of the organic products made in this country is equal to that of the pre-war products, and in certain cases better. The air oxidation of naphthalene to phthalic anhydride is one of the outstanding triumphs of American technical men. Cheap phthalic anhydride has led to synthetic anthraquinone, and this in turn contributed in no small measure to the progress made in the development of vat- dyes of the anthraquinone series. New uses have been developed for phthalic acid products. The phthalates have taken their place among the most important constituents of the new nitrocellulose lacquers. Some of the phthalic acid dyes have assumed considerable importance in medicine. Phthalic acid, which sold in the United States in 1916 for $14.00 per pound and in 1917 for $4.23 per pound, can be purchased today for about 18 cents per pound. The improvements in the manufacture of aniline and other
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products required in the manufacture of indigo, as well as the progress made in improving the process for indigo itself, have combined to make American indigo the cheapest in the world today. In 1914 indigo paste sold in this country for about 15.5 cents per pound. It was an imported product. In 1917 the American-made product sold for $1.42 per pound. I n 1925 the same product sold for 14 cents per pound. If this latter figure is equated to the purchasing power of the dollar in 1914 the comparative selling price of indigo in 1925 was about 8l/1 cents. (The purchasing power of the dollar in 1915 was estimated to be 59 cents.) This is another illustration of how the savings made in the dye industry have been passed on to the consuming public. It is also interesting to note that a similar reduction in selling price has not taken place in those products which are not manufactured in this country in sufficient amount to meet the total demands. This would not look as if there were any tendency on the part of American dye manufacturers to hold up the price on their products above what is economically justified. Among the other achievements of the decade are the development of economic processes for the manufacture of the most important of the vat dyes, the production of new dyes for printing, the discovery of a new class of spiritsoluble dyes which are capable of producing every desired hue and which are of excellent fastness to light, the discovery of new rubber accelerators, the discovery of new processes of making old accelerators, the discovery of antioxidants for rubber, the production of low viscosity nitrocellulose, the discovery of qew lacquers and the development of the technic for using them, and the production of special alloys for use in chemical equipment. I n ten years we have passed from a condition of almost complete dependence on foreign countries for our requirements of synthetic organic products to a state of interdependence but for a few minor specialties. We not only manufacture about 95 per cent of the dyes we need in this country, but in addition we export a larger quantity of dyes than we import. Also, we have developed a business in non-coal-tar synthetic compounds amounting to about 120 million pounds per year. What has been accomplished, however, is only indicative of what can be done when the purpose is clear and when technical knowledge and skill are given adequate financial support and guided by sound business principles. The continued success of the dye and synthetic organic chemical industry in America is assured, however, only when there is firmly established in the consciousness of our people the fact that applied science is dependent on fundamental truths for its progress and when the relation of research to production is better understood and appreciated.
Technical Problems of Industry Solved by Bureau of Standards That American industry is more and more turning to applied science t o aid in solving its many and intricate technical problems is indicated in the annual report of the Director of the Bureau of Standards. The report shows that the bureau maintains contact with industry through approximately eighty advisory committees and through a large number of “research associates” who are sent by industrial groups t o work on problems of interest t o their respective industries. Results are quickly applied by the industries concerned, so that the public soon benefits from improved processes. During the fiscal year 1925-26 there were sixty-two of these associates a t the bureau, representing thirty-six separate industries. Nearly 180,000 tests having a fee value of $675,046, the report points out, were completed by the bureau during the year. The character and scope of these tests spanned the province of applied science from sugar t o cement, from thermometers and pyrometers t o paints and varnishes, and from aerial photography
t o studies in city planning. I n addition t o a vast amount of consulting and specification work for various government departments, specific research work covering forty projects was performed for fifteen government establishments. The work in the field of simplified practice was actively carried on, forty-five simplified practice recommendations having been accepted by industries. This resulted in great savings in the production of articles in common use. Among the outstanding research undertakings was that in connection with increasing the wearing quality of our paper currency. By introducing certain changes in the manufacturing process, a paper was developed which, it is believed, will increase the life of bills by fully 50 per cent. A blue glass was developed for protecting the eyes of furnace workers which gives a good contrast between the appearance of the furnace walls and the melt and yet cuts out the dangerous ultra-violet radiation.
