Recent Progress in the Cellulose Industry by Chlorination
GENΕRA. L LAYOUTPI.ANOFNICEDTI FACTORY AT FOGAI
Progress in S o u t h America N PREVIOUS articles 1 the new South American plants at Rosario de Santa Fé, Argentina, and at Santiago, Chile, for the treatment of vegetable materials with chlorine gas for the production of cellulose have been described. The Rosario plant has been in normal operation since the beginning of 1931, the technical and economic results having satisfied or surpassed every prediction. It showed an annual profit for 1934 of 1,174,771.99 Argentine pesos on an actual capital of 2,428,300 Argentine pesos (one United States dollar equals about 4 Argentine paper pesos). Cellulose production has steadily increased at Rosario until it is now more than double its initial capacity. The Chilean plant, using wheat straw as does Rosario, is owned by the Manufacturera de Papeles y Cartones, which distributed 11,962,241.17 pesos in dividends on a capital of 40 million pesos according to its last annual report (one United States dollar equals about 25 Chilean paper pesos). The Sindacato Cellulosa Pomilio, Casella 637, Naples, which is responsible for the introduction of the chlorine gas cellulose process, has given much attention to the technical improvements of the method, which is today continuous and based on the gravity and countercurrent principle. No improvement was accepted in largescale practice until it had proved efficient through long normal-scale operation tests. After using the process on an industrial basis from 1920 to 1927 at the Elettrochimica Pomilio, Naples, and producing thousands of tons of bleached esparto, wheat straw, hemp stalks, and other celluloses, the Pomilio chlorine process was installed in Argentina and Chile and it is now under consideration for Uruguay, Brazil, Mexico, and South Africa.
I
Progress in Italy The Industria Cellulosa d'ltalia, called "Incedit," a powerful Italian corporation, has decided to construct a Pomilio cellulose plant at Foggia in the Puglia region, South Italy. The Incedit was incorporated last year, the plant was started about June, 1935, and it is believed that production will begin in the spring of 1936. 1 Pomilio, Umberto, IND. ENG. CHEM., 24, 1006 (1932); IND. ENG. CHEM., NEWS ED., 10, 303 (December 20, 1Θ32).
The ancient city of Foggia is the agri cultural center of South Italy. The pro duction of wheat in Puglia~ which goes back to the time of the Roman Empire, has assumed considerable importance of late, as a result of the Fascist wheat battle which Mussolini is waging. Foggia pro duces more wheat than any of the Italian provinces. The 30,000 metric tons of wheat straw needed by the Incedit plant represent only 5 per cent of the total production calculated at a yearly average of 600,000 metric tons. The straw supply for the plant will be available within a radius of a few miles, and no difficulty is anticipated in securing this commodity, nor was any encountered in Argentina and Chile.
under way for a total annual production of 300,000 tons. The important resources of the huge Sila plant, in the nearby region of Calabria, will supply the electric energy. The Sila hydroelectric plant, one of the largest and most modern in Italy, at present can deliver a yearly output of 700 million kilowatt-hours. For one metric ton of air-dry, bleached wheat-straw cellulose, in an average-sized plant, the Pomilio process actually needs, industrial losses included, the following: Wheat straw Salt (sodium chloride) Electric energy for elec trolysis Electric motive power
2100-2200 kg. 600- 650 kg. S00 kw-hr. 200 kw-hr.
C h e m i c a l s Required A characteristic of the Pomilio process is that it needs only salt and current to convert vegetable materials into cellulose. The salt—sodium chloride—is disso ciated into chlorine and caustic soda in special patented high efficiency cells of the Giordani-Pomilio diaphragm type. The salt for Foggia will be obtained from the Government Salt Works of Margherita di Savoia, located some 3 5 miles from Foggia, on the Adriatic Sea. The annual output of the Margherita di Savoia plant is more than 120,000 metric tons of sea salt. This represents 80 per cent of the actual total Italian consump tion. Enlargements of t h e plant are
PILING UP BALED STRAW OF 1935 CROP AT FOQOIA
436
As the Foggia plant will produce 3 6 metric tons of cellulose daily, it is evident that the straw., salt, and power supply will be plentiful. As to labor, one worker per day per ton will be sufficient; in other words, 36 men in three shifts of 12 men each, every 8 hours, will be required. Such a reduction in labor is only possible with a continuous automatic process, and that of Pomilio is at present the only continuous process in the world for the production of cellulose on a n industrial scale. The cellulose and paper industries re quire large amounts of pure water, and the Foggia plant will include a large paper mill. Although the Argentine cellulose factory was able to reduce water consumption t o 17,000 gallons per metric ton of pulp, as against a n average of 50,000 gallons gen erally admitted, the water supply was accurately studied at Foggia. T n e town will soon receive a large and pure water supply through the largest water works of Europe, the well-known Puglia aqueduct, carrying 1000 gallons of water per second from the Sele source, some 100 miles distant. Furthermore, the Incedit has secured large volumes of subterranean waters; each surface well pumps one million gal lons of water a t a depth of 2 0 to 3 0 feet. The Foggia plant is designed t o produce 36 metric tons of cellulose and 40 to 4 5 tons of fine paper per day. It will also produce 5 to 6 tons of board, as a by product from screening and sand-trapping. Finally, a section for bleaching crude wood
NEWS
N O V E M B E R 20, 1935
EDITION
437
^«gg^**^5£siK s» 1
ASPECT O P PLANT ERECTION,
p u l p s a n d k r a f t s by m e a n s of chlorine g a s is being considered. T h e Pomilio process h a s also been a d a p t e d t o delignifying a n d bleaching c r u d e sulfite cellulose a n d kraft, t h i s practice being commonly applied at t h e Rosario p l a n t . T h e wood cellulose so purified a n d bleached will b e mixed in. a p r o p o r t i o n of 20 to 30 per cent in t h e fine papers m a n u f a c t u r e d in t h e factory from b l e a c h e d s t r a w pulp. T h e a c t u a l capital of t h e Incedit is 15 million I t a l i a n lire (one United States dollar is equal t o a b o u t 11 I t a l i a n lire). T h e c o s t of t h e Foggia installation is estimated a t 11,500,000 Italian lire, divided as fol lows: ITALIAN LIRE:
Steam plant Power h o u s e C e l l room Straw dry-cleaning Cellulose chemical section C e l l u l o s e mechanical section P u l p storage, refining, sizing, e t c . Paper m a c h i n e and electric equip ment Calendering, cutting, packing, etc. Water, power, steam-distribu tion, e t c . Ground Buildings Concrete t a n k s , v a t s , founda tions, e t c . Erecting, assembling, and g e n eral expenses TOTAL
500,000 600,000 600,000 100,000 600.000 600,000 600,000 2,360,000
WILLIAM A. HAMOR Mellon Institute of Industrial Research, Pittsburgh, Pa. NAME
Avery, Sanuiel Bailantine, λ \ \ G. Beal, J. H . Beeson, J. L Blunt, Brewer, Conant, EUery, Glasoe,
Katharine C . E. J'. B. Edward P . M.
Union College, 1933-34 St. Olaf College, 1 9 2 7 - 2 8
M i a m i University, 1911
Knight, C . M . McPherson, W i l l i a m Noyes, A . A.
Sellers, J . F. Simmons, Η. Ε. Stewart, P. R. Swain, R . E. Trowbridge, C. H. Vande Bogart, G. H.
New R a y o n P l a n t i n Argentina
Wheeler, H. J .
T
White, J o h n
G e o r g i a S t a t e College for W o m e n , 1928 — C o n n e c t i c u t College, 1 9 2 9 — Meredith College, 1915 — Harvard U n i v e r s i t y , 1 9 3 3 — S p o k a n e College, 1 9 0 7 - 1 0 ; A u gustana College, 1 9 1 6 - 1 8 J a m e s Millikin University, 1 9 3 5
B u c h t e l College, 1S96-97 Ohio State University, 1924 M a s s a c h u s e t t s I n s t i t u t e of Tech nology, 1 9 0 7 - 0 9 Maryland Agricultural 1913-17
College,
Union University, 1931-32 Louisiana S t a t e Normal College, 1911-29 C o l b y Junior College, 1 9 2 8 — Franklin
