900
T H E JOL’RNAL O F I i Y D U S T R I A L A X D E N G I M E E R I S G C H E M I S T R Y
If it did exist it was probably built in the early part of the last century, and may antedate all the plants which we have cited. Mr. Chute is correct, in the main, when he states that it is the gas from the wood which burns in the charcoal kiln for the production of the carbonizing temperature, but it certainly is not erroneous to consider that this gas was a part of the weight of the original wood. The statement by Mr. Chute with reference to the returns from kiln-plant investment is evidently merely intended to call attention to the low initial cost of kiln-plant erection, for it must not be forgotten that the kiln gives but scanty returns -figured on the basis of the operating capital in the shape of the wood consumed. This so far overcomes the advantage of low initial cost in the kiln plant that many kilns are gradually being replaced by the more modern and expensive oven plants to secure this increased by-product recovery, and these oven plants are not only more profitable but they are more in the interests of conservation. The explanation that western plants do not recover distillates as efficiently as eastern plants is not an adequate explanation of the lower western yields to which we called attention, for inefficiency in operation is not characteristic of any one district, as a number of such plants in New York and Pennsylvania will testify. Our comparison was between well operated plants, western as well as eastern, On the whole, there is ground for believing that there are more skilled operators in the east thall in the west, but the plants in the west being newer are of better design. Our own experience makes us more optimistic than Mr. Chute in the matter of future improvement in yields though we agree that the industry is reasonably efficient. This same experience also makes us differ in the matter of acetic acid production for the reasons already given in the original article.
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Regarding the tar mentioned by Mr. Chute it should be stated that the output from a single plant is quite small and the material would have to be stored for some time to accumulate sufficient to make shipment feasible in the great majority of plants. Those familiar with the coal-tar industry know the bother which small coal-tar producing plants are to the coal-tar industry. It is the large tar producers which have assisted in making this coaltar industry grow as it has done. It should be remembered also that this tar from wood is an acid tar while coal tar is an ammoniacal material. The wood tar can scarcely ever be made to cease being acid or developing acid properties. I t is very soluble in any alkali and this seriously affects it as a waterproofing material for many purposes. It is not nearly so insoluble in water itself as coal tar and the American coal-tar industry is essentially a water-proofing industry. Upon distilling or heating it develops quite different odors from coal tar and odors which are unpleasant and of a choking character. One becomes accustomed to coal tar but wood tar would be quite different in this respect. Wood creosote oil, while it is actually used as a wood preservative, is again an entirely different substance from coal-tar creosote, some portions of it being entirely miscible with water which makes it much inferior to the coal-tar product. I n spite of this difficulty, however, much more has actually been done with the tar than would appear from discussion and much money has been lost, too, in experimental tar utilization plants. There can be no question, however, but that more use will be found for this product in the future as the prices of various well known materials now used in the arts increase. Some of the oils from this tar have been used for a great while in shingle-stains and paints though the odor mentioned is against them. The creosote could, undoubtedly, be used for preserving such things as meat if i t were permissible. Rope is actually not preserved with this hardwood creosote a t
YoI. 7 , NO.I O
all, as claimed in the discussion, but with the tar from p i n e zuood which is a different kind of material entirely. This brings out another matter of considerable practical importance, i. e., that the nature of the tar varies enormously with the kind of wood. This gives us the difficulty, though to a greatly exaggerated extent in the case of wood tar, which the coal-tar distiller finds when he is bothered with tar from varying kinds of coal. E. H. FRENCH OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY JAMES R . WITHROW COLUMBUS,
July 16. 1 9 1 5
THE CHEMICAL SOCIETIES IN NEW YOFtK CITY HALL, THE CHEMISTS’ CLUB
1915-1916SEASON-RUMFORD
American Chemical Society-October 8th. Society of Chemical Industry-October zznd American Chemical Society-November I zth. Society of Chemical Industry-Kovember ryth. JOIXT MEETIsG-American Chemical Society, Society of Chemical Industry and American Electrochemical SocietyDecember 10th. Society of Chemical Industry : Perkin Medal Award-January _._A
LlbL.
JOIST MEETIXG-hmican Electrochemical Society, American Society and Society of Chemical IndustryFebruary ’ISt. American Chemical Society : Xichols Medal Award-March 10th. Society of Chemical Industry-March 24th. Society of Chemical Industry-April 2 1st. JOINT MEETING-Society of Chemical Industry, American Chemical Society and American Electrochemical Society-May Iyth. American Chemical Society-June 9th.
PLATINUM THEFT
Editor of the Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry: Between the Iyth and z 1st of June there were stolen from our laboratory ten platinum dishes about three inches in diameter and weighing around fifty grams each. I shall greatly appreciate any help that may be given in locating these. B. M’. KILGORE DEPARTMEST OF AGRICULTURE RALEIGH, X. C., JULY li, 1915
THE MANUFACTURE OF GASOLINE AS A BY-PRODUCT FROM HIGH BOILING PETROLEUM OILS, ETC.-A CORRECTION I n my article under the above general title, THISJOURNAL, 7 (1915), 737, the following corrections should be made:
P. 739, col.
line 24-“Dry test” should be “Dr. test;” lines 29 and 33-“Above” should be “Over;” line 32-”64.2” should be “ ~ z . z . ” P. 740, col. 2 , line zz-“Primary distillate” should be “Primary residual oil;” line 41-“Dry test” should be “Dr. test;” lines 45 and 48--“A4bove” should be “Over.” P. 741, col. I , line gj--“Primary distillate” should be “Primary residual oil;” line 5z-“Dry test” should be “Dr. test.” 2,
BAYONNE.N E W JERSEY September 10, 19 15
A. M. MCAFEE
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