AS
I/EC
GOES
TO
PRESS....
trendsletter TO
THE
CHEMICAL
AND
PROCESS
INDUSTRIES
• Pipelines for solids
• American Viscose diversifies
•
•
Silver dollar safety payoff
Petrochems & Plastics B o o m
IN STORE FOR TOMORROW Radiation barriers formulated from liquefied polyethylene may offer the most effective answer yet to the problems of protecting against the effects of atomic radiation. Formulations produced at Delka Research Corp. contain high percentage of liquefied linear polyethylene cross linked with urethanes and have proved better for neutron shielding than either concrete or water. Delka reports that some mixtures are also effective against gamma radiation. They can be sprayed or brushed on as coatings, made into foams, or mixed in powdered form with fillers. Light-weight fuel cells to power space vehicles and satellites are being developed by Ionics, Inc. Operating on hydrogen gas and a bromine-water solution, the cells would generate electric power for instruments, life—support equipment, communications, lighting, and other apparatus required for space travel. Solar cells would convert the sun's energy to recharge the cell whenever the vehicle was exposed to sunlight. New cell use is particularly attractive because of high power density when discharging and low voltage required for the solar recharge. Superior performance is said to result primarily from special plastic ion exchange membranes developed by Ionics. Battelle Memorial Institute has come up with a few more candidates for the nuclear reactor fuel of the future (I/EC, May 1960, p. 19A). Latest report says that uranium mononitride, uranium sulfide, and uranium suicides are potential fuels which could provide a good payoff from increased research efforts. Critical evaluation of a total of 62 uranium compounds with the objective of picking those most likely to produce a good return on research and development investment indicates that the nitride, sulfide, and suicides could be developed into economical reactor fuels. Permanently creased and wrinkle-resistant cotton clothing may result from the discovery, at USDA's Southern Utilization R&D Division in New Orleans, that butadiene diepoxide (BDE) reacts with the cellulose in cotton fabrics. Treatment gives "excellent" wet and dry crease recovery at weight gains below 2%. Though BDE-addition methods which simultaneously improve both wet and dry crease-resistance apparently weaken the fabric, processes which boost only wet crease—recovery seem to change the tensile properties little. Pipeline systems of the future may transport a variety of solid products in addition to liquids and gases. Coal is already carried over 100 miles by pipe, and shipment of grain by this method is currently under study. C. C. Whittelsey, president of Ford, Bacon, and Davis, New York engineering firm, predicts that transcontinental pipelines will be used for transporting all types of inert solid materials. VOL. 52, N O . 12
·
DECEMBER 1960
21 A
trendsletter
(CONTINUED)
NEW IDEAS YOU CAN USE TODAY Are you using caustic soda or soda ash to regenerate weakly basic anion exchange resins? Rohm & Haas says you can save money by switching to ammonia, which costs about half as much as caustic on a pound equivalent basis and does the job, too. Two-package polyether system for making rigid polyurethane foam insulation is available. It contains all necessary chemical additives, including fluorocarbon blowing agent, and eliminates need for additional pre-use formulating. Lower "k" factor than other insulation materials is claimed, and system is primarily for refrigeration applications. For those with short memories for corrosion of metals and alloys, H. M. Harper Co., of Morton Grove, 111., has come out with a handy "Corrosion Computer." Cardboard slide rule shows at a glance corrosion resistance of eight types of metal in 141 chemical agents. It's free for the asking. Pennsalt Chemicals Corp.'s Hinac chemical surface treating process color coats all types of metals in a single treatment. Coating is applied from aqueous solution at room temperature by rolling, dipping, or spraying. Only pre—treatment is thorough cleaning and rinsing. Curing time is as short as a few seconds, depends on the heat source. ON THE PERSONAL SIDE Workers in the 45 to 65 age bracket are finding jobs more easily today than they did several years ago. Employers have found through testing that 40% of the workers over 45 can outproduce younger workers. Although the practice is generally discouraged, key personnel are permitted to carry on outside business activities in almost two thirds of the 195 companies surveyed recently by the National Industrial Conference Board. However, most firms draw the line where a conflict of interests could arise. Safety pays off in silver dollars for employees of Metal & Thermit Corp.'s Carteret, N. J., plant. Unique program gives individual monthly silver dollar awards based on each employee's safety group performance. AT THE CORPORATE LEVEL American Viscose Corp., faced with slipping demand and severe competition in rayon textile and tire cord markets, moves to diversify into fields other than man-made fibers and cellophane. Avisco will trade its half interest in Chemstrand Corp. for 3.54 million shares of Monsanto common stock. Monsanto, after becoming sole owner of the nylon and acrylic fiber maker, plans to continue operation of Chemstrand as a separate entity. Move must have stockholder approval, will not likely take place before early 1961. Meanwhile, Chemstrand's overseas subsidiary formed a new company with Julio Gonzalez Mora. Modern plant to be located near Mexico City will make nylon—66 yarns for textile and tire cord. Leading contestant for the title of most unusual merger of the year seems to be the three-way deal between Montrose Chemical, Baldwin Rubber Co., and Centlivre Brewing Corp. Baldwin-Montrose Chemical Co. will make organic chemicals, rubber floor mats, and beer. Other acquisitions in the making: Monterey Oil Co. by Humble Oil & Refining, E. Rauh & Sons Fertilizer Co. by International Minerals & Chemical Corp., Turco Products by Purex Corp., and Minnesota Liquid Fertilizer Co. by National Distillers and Chemical Corp. 22 A
INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
W H O ' S E X P A N D I N G , WHERE A N D
WHY
Another round of petrochemical expansions is on the drawing boards. California Chemical will spend nearly $17 million for a chemical complex at Standard of California's Richmond refinery. Plants will produce 41 million pounds of para-xylene and 100 million pounds of highpurity ortho-xylene per year. Completion is scheduled for late 1961. Phillips Petroleum will make 22 million gallons of benzene annually in new facilities at its Sweeny refinery south of Houston, Tex., and Plymouth Oil of Pittsburgh will build a 15 million gallon-per-year benzene unit at Texas City, Tex. Tidewater Oil and Collier Carbon & Chemical revealed that initial capacity of their previously-announced petroleum naphthalene plant at Tidewater's Delaware refinery (I/EC, August 1960, p. 23A) will be stepped up from 50 to 100 million pounds per year. Texas City, Tex., is the site of Monsanto's new phenol unit, to turn out 50—75 million pounds annually for use as an intermediate in organic synthesis. Process will be cumene oxidation using Monsantoproduced cumene. The product at Celanese Corp.'s Bishop, Tex., location will be 1,3-butylene glycol. Multi-million dollar unit will have annual capacity of 25 million pounds. Celanese is the sole U. S. producer of the chemical, and output of the new unit will be five times over capacity of a semi—works unit presently operating at Bishop. Makers of plastics and resins aren't "standing pat" either. Foster Grant will locate a high pressure polyethylene plant adjacent to Mobil Chemical's ethylene unit in Beaumont, Tex. Long range plans include polymerization and copolymerization of propylene, butylène, and other hydrocarbons. Reichhold Chemicals will expand at Jacksonville, Fla., with a 10 million pound-per—year combination unit for polyester and alkyd resins. And Mobay Chemical will raise output of tolylene diisocyanate to 40 million pounds annually with expanded facilities at New Martinsville, W. Va. TDI is essential for urethane foams, elastomers, and protective coatings. Eighty million pounds per year of polyisoprene will come from Shell Chemical's new plant on the Ohio River near Marietta, Ohio. U. S. Rubber's Naugatuck Chemical division will construct a 2 million dollar pilot plant at Baton Rouge, La., for trial production of stereo regular synthetic rubbers. Multiton batches will allow evaluation in tires and other basic products. Allied Chemical has a couple of projects in the cards at Moundsville, W. Va., where Solvay Process Division will boost capacity of another one of its four chlorine-caustic plants (I/EC, November 1960, p. 21A). New facilities to be completed in 1961 will increase production to approximately 20,000 tons per year. Increased capacity will supply chlorine for vinyl chloride and for chlorinated methane, which is slated for a 40% increase at Moundsville. Methyl chloride will go to butyl rubber, silicone, and tetramethyllead industries. Rapid growth in use of chemical fertilizers is behind a series of expansions in agricultural sections of the country. Armour Agricultural Chemical will build a plant at Sheffield, Ala., to produce ammonia, nitric acid, urea, nitrogen solutions, ammonium nitrate, and other ammonia derivatives. At Ft. Meade, Fla., new facilities will turn out phosphoric acid, triple superphosphate, and sulfuric acid. Total investment by Armour will be approximately $60 million. Current production should be tripled by the end of 1962. American Metal Climax will make potassium nitrate in $7 million installation at Vicksburg, Miss., to be located adjacent to Spencer Chemical Co. plant. Joliet, 111., is the announced site of Olin Mathieson's $1.5 million phosphoric acid unit to make 50,000 tons per year of 75% acid. VOL. 52, NO. 12
·
DECEMBER 1960
23 A
