TVonUTVide New Text Chemical Industry Primary ECA Problem
also important supply sources under British control in Spain which may be de veloped. Sicilian refineries have been highly in efficient, but Italy is making strides t o ward correcting this situation with ECA technical help and machinery. Europe is also losing a large potential source of sul fur, now going into rayons as carbon di sulfide. U. S. recovery methods will have t o applied where rayon production is rising, Mr. Flaherty stated. The lower prices in the U. S. also present a serious block in the path of European self-sufficiency. However, modernization should result in a diminution in E R P sul fur prices. In the field of chemical fertilizer, t h e best source of potash now being developed with ECA help is i n Alsace. Large Ger man stocks are unfortunately in the Rus sian zone, h e added. T h e United States is not in a position to export much potash t o Europe. The phosphate situation is better however. French North Africa should, with the aid of French and U. S.
One of the most difficult jobs for the Economic Cooperation Administration during the next three years will be the creation and restoration of the European chemical industry, Ε. Μ. Flaherty, head of the chemicals unit of the industry divi sion, stated recently. ECA's main problem in the chemical field will be t o supply Western Europe with sufficient quantities of sulfur. U. £L shipments in 1948 totaled some 500,000 metric tons, or nearly 7 5 % of E B P na tions' consumption. T h e 1952 ECA tar get, when Europe's sulfur consumption is expected to reach 4,350,000 tons annu ally, would see E R P countries producing all but about 500,000 tons, which will still, in all probability, have to come from the United States, Mr. Flaherty stated. Europe must build u p her o w n sulfur output, h e continued, b y concentrating on production research in such areas as Sicily, Norway, "and Portugal. There are
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SPEAJClt* 0
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Πίπ*
tf
\zrza sile strength than more expensive fibrous fillers. So, i f you are l o o k i n g f o r an inexpensive filler to impart high strength to your phenolic m o l d i n g powders, write today for complete information and a sample of Poly eel. Polycel, purified w o o d cellulose fiber, is produced i n bleached and unbleached form i n four grades varying in fiber length; Fluff, 20, 4θ and 8 0 mesh.
industrial
C H E M I C A L SALES
division west Virginia pulp a n d p a p e r company
1232
Chile to Buy
N e w York Central Building, 2 3 0 Park Ave., New York 17, Ν. Υ. Leader Building, 5 2 6 Superior Ave., N . W., Cleveland 14, Ohio Pure Oil Building:, 35 E. Wacker Drive, Chicago 1, 111. Public Ledger Building, Independence Square, Philadelphia 6, Pa.
CHEMICAL
Chemicals
Chile has allocated $41,574,000 in for eign exchange for chemicals and related products during 1949. T h e largest sum, $3.3 million, will be spent for industrial chemicals and other materials for manufac ture of toilet preparations. Other allo cations are for varnishes, dyes, plastic materials, paints, and inks.
Industrial in Western
PotycePis the plastic filler with the "reinforcement dividend"
P o l y c e l is not a -wood flour! It is, specifically, a h i g h strength fibrous filler applicable t o h i g h s h o c k resistant c o m p o u n d s , or i n combination with w o o d flour for the production o f a medium impact strength g r o u p of m o l d i n g c o m pounds. P o l y c e l is n e w . . . but tests s h o w that P o l y c e l filled m o l d i n g c o m p o u n d s also have a m o r e desirable apparent density, much l o w e r bulk factor and higher ten-
capital, b e in a position to supply a good portion of ERP requirements before 1952. E R P countries are pressing forward with synthetics, Mr. Flaherty reported, but this requires more hydroelectrification, and the present lack of rainfall there is causing some uneasiness. Plastics development will also have to be advanced swiftly, Mr. Flaherty de clared. Except in France, Britain, Bel gium, and Switzerland, little has been done along these lines. Europe needs plastics primarily to reduce her requirements of nonferrous metals. Increased plastics output would also permit such nations as France and Great Britain t o boost exports to other ERP nations and so stimulate general European trade. These two coun tries are already beginning to export sub stantial amounts of nylons to other E R P areas. ECA has recently authorized the con struction of two streptomycin plants in French JSTorth Africa. With that country meeting most of the expenses, plue some $650,000 in ECA machinery and technical aid, Europe's $6 million streptomycin needs will be nearly filled. The plants should b e in production late this year.
Progress Germany
Although fuel shortages are still causing temporary difficulties, the production of artificial fibers in western Germany is in creasing rapidly. Rheinische Zellwolle, A.-G., is now operating its plant at Siegburg, one of the largest cellulose factories in Germany, at full capacity. Over 80 metric tons of artificial fibers are being pro duced daily since imports of Canadian cellulose have solved the raw material problem. Chlorbetriebe Rheinfelden, A.-G., a new company with a capital of D M 500,000, has acquired a three years' lease of the former IG Farben plant at Rhein felden and is now operating this works under predominantly French manage ment. Caustic soda, liquid chlorine, vinyl chloride, and chloride solvents are being produced. French consumers are particularly interested in the latter and are willing to absorb increasing quantities of materials for the plastics industry. T h e hydrogénation plant at Wesseling, on the Rhine River in North Rhine-Westphalia, British zone, is expected to resume operations in March. About 848,000 bbl. of crude oil for use at this plant were
AND
ENGINEERING
NEWS
to b e imported from t h e Near E a s t d u r i n g the first six m o n t h s of 1949. Processing of t h e crude oil is expected t o yield 60 t o 7 0 % gasoline a n d 2 0 to 2 5 % Diesel oil. P l a n s a r e being prepared for t h e erection of a tetraethyllead p l a n t in western Germany. N e i t h e r alcohol nor benzene are available for admixture t o gasoline i n anything like p r e w a r quantities, a n d trie former G e r m a n tetraethyllead p l a n t s were all situated i n t h e eastern provinces. Stocks of a b o u t 600 tons of tetraethyllead are still believed t o exist in western Germ a n y , b u t , with a n n u a l requirements of 1,000 tons which m a y rise to 1,500 t o 1,800 tons·, an a l t e r n a t i v e local source of supply is needed. Aluminum production was resumed i n the Swiss-owned p l a n t of AluminiumIndustrie, A.-G., a t Rheinfelden early i n March. While t h e capacity of this p l a n t is 37,000 metric t o n s a year, electric power is available a t present only for a n o u t p u t of 26,000 tons a n d operations this year a r e not expected t o yield more t h a n 15,000 tons of aluminum.
Sumatran
Refinery
Lead
and
COCONUT OILS from the nation's oldest and largest producer
Fire
A n explosion a n d fire a t S t a n d a r d Vacuum Oil C o . ' s Palembang refinery i n Sumatra on April 7 resulted in injury t o 12 employees a n d caused a temporary shutdown of p a r t of t h e p l a n t . Power failure caused oil vapors t o accumulate rapidly in a receiving house near t h e crude stills. Almost immediately a terrific explosion occurred i n t h e receiving house which damaged equipment a n d office buildings some distance away and set fire to n e a r b y processing tanks.
Italian
Industry depends on EL DORADO
* Crude & RBU Grades for soap makers * Edible Oils of Highest Quality * Drums, Tank Car or Shiploads El Dorado's world-wide resources supply the finest grades of Coconut Oils for industry. For
Zinc
D u r i n g 1949 t h e production of lead a n d zinc should r e a c h t h e level of 1938 i n consequence of reorganization a t t h e mines, which is being completed with aid under t h e M a r s h a l l Plan. I n 1938 I t a l y produced 32,770 t o n s of lead a n d 33,400 tons of zinc, b u t i n 1945 only 2,850 tons of lead and 1,600 of zinc were mined. B y 1948 an increase t o 26,000 a n d 27,000 tons respectively h a d been obtained. T h e annual c a p a c i t y of plants for refining of zinc-bearing ores is a t present 44,000 tons of metal. However, scarcity of water power d u r i n g certain periods of t h e year reduce t h e y e a r l y o u t p u t appreciably. And, since production of t h e ore h a s always outstripped facilities for its t r e a t ment, a considerable a m o u n t has always been available for export. T h e long-term p l a n s of t h e E C A i n clude completion b y 1952 or 1953 or a new electrolytic works having a n a n n u a l capacity of a b o u t 9,000 tons of zinc metal and development of three p l a n t s already existing, bringing t o t a l capacity to 24,000 tons a year.
over half a century, El Dorado has provided the e x p e r i e n c e a n d know-how t h a t consistently delivers oils surpassing industry standards. W r i t e for i n f o r m a t i o n o n :
EL DORADO FATTY ACIDS
J3
V O L U M E
2 7,
NO.
• CAPRIC ACID
· CAPRYLIC ACID
OIL W O R K S 311 C A L I F O R N I A STREET, S A N FRANCISCO, CAll F
Italy
17
MYRISTIC ACID
EL DORADO
Contributors to this issue: G. ABRAHAMSON, London, England R A F F A E L E SANSONE, Genoa,
• LAURIC ACID
.
.
» APRIL
2 5,
1949
1233
