INDUSTRIAL A N D ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
196
Second Dearborn Conference May 12 to 14, 1936
T
o ADVANCE the
industrial
use
of
American farm products through applied science, approximately 700 representatives of agriculture, industry, and science participated in a 3-day discussion of ways and means at the Second Dearborn Conference, held under the joint auspices of the Farm Chemurgic Council and the Chemical Foundation, Inc., at the Hook-Cadillac Hotel, Detroit, and the Dearborn Inn, Dearborn, Mich., May 12 to 14, 1936. Attention was focussed on the problems of agriculture, present uses of crops by industry, and methods whereby larger consumption of farm products for non-food uses could be fostered in a program of some 60 papers and addresses by outstanding persons. "Our most important national resources are human minds looking toward the future through the windows of progress/' according to William J. Cameron, radio voice of the Ford Motor Co., in his address of welcome at the opening luncheon of the meeting. "By utilizing to the fullest the findings of science," he continued, "many of our national problems of both agriculture and industry can be solved." The fact that "professional saviors of the farmers turn their backs" on chemurgy led Mr. Cameron to the belief that it must be right. The farm problem of today is one of finding an outlet for the pressure of agricultural production, in the view of Mr. Cameron. Arthur W. Hixson, professor of chemical engineering at Columbia University, New York, sees the present farm situation as the result of destroying the market for farm-produced animal power which has been replaced during the past three decades by gasoline power. Wheeler McMillen, editor of The Country Home, believes that the solution of agriculture's economic ills lies in the production of products that can be sold, which will provide needed jobs for idle men and idle acres. Alonzo E. Taylor, director of the Food Research Institute, Stanford University, sees the reduced rate of growth of population, which has placed the present population of the United States some 30 millions below expectancy as of the 1890's and the return of urban population to the farms during the depression as responsible for the present dislocation of "output and outlet" in agriculture. Louis J. Taber, master of the National Grange, pointed out the changing of objectives of agriculture now in progress to meet changing conditions. Industry's stake in the economic recovery of agriculture is already represented, according to Fred W. Sargent, president of the Chicago & North Western Railway Co., by a deficit of some 10 billion dollars in farm purchases. Increased farm income brought about by the larger consumption of crop plants for non-food uses developed by research was emphasized in all discussions. The variety of fields covered in the papers presented before the twelve sessions indicated numerous important possibilities and opportunities for directing agriculture into profitable channels. Cork oak trees, tung oil, beet sugar, perilla and other crops yielding drying oils, Jerusalem artichokes, southern slash "pine, soy beans, and pyrethrum flowers were suggested as crops whose production by agriculture would increase farm income by encouraging industrial consumption of domestic crops. Cotton fabrics in road construction, more general use of table wines by American homes, wider consumption of fermenta-
tion-produced solvents in industry, development of plastics from farm products, and the broadening market for chemically produced cellulose derivatives were discussed as important in accomplishing the aims of the conference. Power alcohol, as the important crop product available to assist in t he conservation of petroleum reserves, was presented to the conference by Francis P. Gar van, president of the Farm Chemurgic Council and of the Chemical Foundation, Inc., in a dramatic plea for the substitution of continuously replaceable crops for dwindling natural resources. Mr. Gar van emphasized the necessity for conservation of irreplaceable petroleum, essential in national defense, described efforts now being made to provide cheap farm-produced alcohol for fuel use, outlined the objections to blending put forward by American j>etroleum refiners, and concluded lib address by presenting copies of advertising literature put out in Great Britain by subsidiaries of the Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey and the Cities Service Co. In this literature each of the objections raised by these companies in the United States to blending t heir gasoline with farm-produced alcohol is vigorously denied and what have been cited as disadvantages here, are presented as important advantages abroad in the use of a 331/2per cent alcohol blend in gasoline. Fred A. Kldean, assistant to the president of the American Petroleum Institute, presented the petroleum industry's side of this controversial subject and pointed out that in the long run the general consuming public will decide whether it wants alcohol blends or not. Emphasizing the ability of the consumer to get the greatest possible value for his money, Mr. Kldean urged the adoption of a resolution by the conference deprecating "attempts to achieve the ends of industrial use of farm products through artificial action which looks toward compulsion direct or indirect by legislative enactment." No action was taken officially on this resolution. W. W. Buffum, treasurer and general manager of the Chemical Foundation, Inc., described the plant now being erected by the Bailor Manufacturing Co., at Atchison, Kans., to produce power alcohol for blending with gasoline. He stated that this plant, the first to be built in the United States for the purpose, is being completed with money loaned by the Chemical Foundation. Production is expected to be 10,000 gallons of absolute alcohol per day, and to begin within a few weeks at most. From the point of view of the automotive industry, Floyd F. Kishline, chief engineer of the Graham-Paige Motors Corp., stated that automobile builders will provide cars to take best advantage of improved fuels in the future, as thev have in the past. B. T. Brooks, chemical engineer of New York, discussed the depletion of petroleum reserves and the necessity for amplifying our liquid fuel supply in the near future. Among those in attendance and participating in the program were Edward Bartow, President of the AMERICAN CHEMICAL
SOCIETY; E. R. Weidlein, President-elect of the SOCIETY; and Charles H. Herty and Roger Adams, Past Presidents of the S O CIETY. Thomas Midgley, chairman of the Board of Directors of the SOCIETY, was also At the banquet, held in the Hotel Statler. May 13, Francis P. Garvan, in the
VOL. 14, N O . 10
name of the Farm Chemurgic Council, presented a silver cup in recognition of Leo H. Baekeland's pioneering work i n the field of plastics. In Dr. Baekeland's absence, the cup was accepted for him by Chas. H. Herty. The cup, modeled after an original made by an early American silversmith, Winslow, before 1700, is t o be known as the Pioneer Cup and is to be presented annually by the council to a chemical pioneer. An exhibit of products made by the use of farm crops, held in conjunction with the conference, included products of the following: American Cyanamid Co., Bailor Manufacturing Co., Chemical Foundation, Inc., Celotex Corp., Commercial Solvents Corp., Corn Industries Research Foundation, Cotton Textile Institute, Dow Chemical Co., K. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Farm Chemurgic Council, Farmers & Mfg's. Beet Sugar Association, Ford Motor Co., General Electric Co., General Plastics, Inc., Giffels & Vallet, Inc., Klearflax Linen Looms, Inc., I. F. Laucks, Inc., O'Brien Varnish Co., Quaker Oats Co., Lamont Rowlands, Savannah Pulp A Paper laboratory, Sherwin-Williams Co., University of Illinois, University of Michigan, Viscose Co., B. F. Williamson Co.
The Word
"Chemurgy"
I
NQUIRY of William J. Hale reveals that the term "chemurgy" was coined by him to designate the working for, or winning of, chemicals. Originally intended to characterize the production of chemicals from agricultural crops, the word is similar in its derivation to "metallurgy" and avoids the implication of hand operation involved in the term "manufacture." Dr. Hale has hopes of confining the meaning of the word to its original sense, but already the convenience of its use is encouraging its adoption by other writers in its broadest interpretation.
Nitrogen HE U. S. Tariff Commission has T issued statistics on nitrogen which have been compiled after an enormous amount of research and which give, in ready reference form, information invaluable to the industry. As of January 1, 1934, the world capacity for the production of chemical nitrogen was found to be: synthetic process, 3,231,800 short tons; by-product, 621,500: cyanamide, 539,000; Shanks & Guggenheim process, 690,000; with the world total of 5,082,300. The tables break down these figures by countries and then show the process capacity as per cent of total national capacity for these same countries. A further table gives world installations and capacity for the production of synthetic ammonia by countries and process, world total production and total capacity by years from 1900, when 379,500 short tons was the total. At that time Chilean nitrate accounted for 220,000 tons and byproduct nitrogen, the remainder. There are further tables on production and consumption of chemical nitrogen by principal countries and years, the whole comprising a set of very valuable reference data.
