read and discussions at the conference [/. Sci. IndT Res., 7, No. 5 (1947)]. Industries such as protective coatings, adhesives, and plastics are already assuming importance in India, and plans for their further expansion are projected. Current output of Indian paper industry is 120,000 long tons a year. Targets set by the paper panel are 190,000 tons by 1951 and 350,000 tons by 1956. Production of board is likewise to be stepped up to 75,000 and 120,000 tons by 1951 anci 1956 respectively. T h e need for ensuring a steady flow of raw material supplies to take care of this projected development of paper, board, and cellulose industries was stressed by M. P. Bhargava, ofheer-in-charge of paper pulp section, Forest Research Institute, Dehra Dun. He called for a systematic survey of raw material sources and allocation of new mills t o regions favorably situated with respect to them as well as t o power and markets. He also pleaded for fixing of standards for raw materials and finished products, for recovery of by-products, for investigations on methods of digesting bamboos and grasses, and for preparation of high wet and dry strength papers. Practical difficulties involved in spinning highly viscous viscose solutions were discussed b y Lareji Thoria, Technical Adviser, Travancore Rayons, Ltd., who is extending the work of Prof. Scherer and stuxtying the effect of organic and inorganic
Z / ^ / V 74J/*t* /*/te*tLtAftti*. D
IURING
the war
the
Mysore government erected a small plant for manufacturing bichromates from domestic chrome ore. They are now installing at the factory adequate modern equipment t o render the plant an efficient and economic unit to serve the needs of the textile, pigment, and leather industries in southern India. Chromium pigments and salts are being added to the list of manufactures. This factory has successfully developed manufacture of steamed bone meal and recovery of fat and glue, product-ion of sodium silicate in various grades to meet the needs of paper, soap, plywood, and textile industries in the state, and preparation of refined sodium sulfate from the crude salt obtained as a b3r-prod.uct in t h e bichromate plant. The government authorities have also under consideration manufacture of zinc oxide and red lead. Pilot plant for their manufacture is being put up. The government of India has approved of the four-year development program of the Institute of Science, Bangalore, and has provided in the budget estimates for 1946-47 an additional grant of Rs. 970,000 nonrecurring and R s . 247,000 recurring as the first year's contribution. The second year program of development envisages expansion, in biochemistry, fermentation technology, pharmacology, and communication engineering. A high voltage engineering laboratory is being erected at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, at a capital cost of Rs. 2,397,600 and recurring expenditure of Rs. 45,000. Also, a power engineering department is to b e established t o provide postgraduate instruction of two years' duration in hydro-, thermal, and electrical engineering to engineering graduates. Capital outlay for this is computed at Rs. 40 million and recurring expenditure Rs. 4 million. The government of the Nizam of Hyderabad has sanctioned a capital grant of Rs. 15 million and a, recurring annual one of Rs. 276,000 for the Central Laboratories for Scientific and Industrial Research. Orders for equipment placed in the U. S. are expected to reach Hyderabad shortly. They will give technical help and advice to the general public, industrialists, and various government departments, besides functioning as the testing and research center. Fiftysix acres of land adjoining the Osmonia V O L U M E
2 5,
University have been acquired for the erection of permanent buildings. Botanical Products The new Textile Research Institute for India will deal with both fundamental and applied research in all branches of textiles with special emphasis for a start on the development.of the technology of mechanical processing of cotton and allied fibers. Research will center on better control of processing a n d substitution of accurate scientific control in place of rule of thumb methods, aiming a t the highest quality of the product, maximum productive efficiency, creation of new products or specialties, and improved working conditions for operatives. Capital outlay will total Rs. 10 million. A conference of Indian scientists engaged in cellulose research was recently held at îsiew Delhi under the chairmanship of S . Krishna, head of the cellulose research committee of the Board of Scientific and Industrial Research. T h e following points emerged from the papers
IT CANT HAPPEN HERE 2 ^ / ^ 2 £
piTBSlDOQRIR/ JtÎjvrer notice t h e cloudy· white mineral oil bottles in. drug store windows o n cold wintery days? This coldinduced haze is usually due to* waxes and other high molecular weight bodies. Medicinal white oil m a n u facturers can guard against this sales retarding quality by using Nuchar Activated C a r bon during the processing* Nuchar adsorbs objectionable color, t a s t e and odor bodies leaving a waterwhite, neutral tasting white oil t h a t will n o t haze during cold winter months^ I n addition Nuchar removes impurities invisible to t h e naked eye, such as—colorless colloids, paraffin wax, unsaturates and sulphonates. I n vegetableoils Nuchar Activated Carbon i s widely used t o remove Kreis bodies, p h o s phatides, chlorophyl, carotene a n d other color bodies a s well as waxes which, affect t h e saleability of t h e finished product. I f you have a purification problem o r a product t h a t needs "polishing up"" it may prove advantageous to t r y Nuchar. W r i t e us in detail about yourspecific problem and our technical staff will l e t you k n o w whether INucharActivated Carbon c a n do a purification j o b for you.
NUMLR
2 3 0 Park Avenue, N e w Y o r k 1 7 , Ν. Ύ.
industrial ψΙΨΜΒΜΒΕ^η
CHEMICAL SALES
division west Virginia p u l p a n d p a p e r company
N O . 5 2 » ^DECEMBER
2 9, 1 9 4 7
8 4 4 Leader Building, Cleveland ~L4t Oxiio· 3 5 E. Wacker Drive, Chicago 1,1117 4 8 Public Ledger Building, Philadelphia 6, Pa.
3875
additives on both viscosity and degree of ripening of viscose solutions. D. L. Son, assistant director of t e c h n o logical laboratories attached to the Indian Central Cotton Committee, pointed o u t t h a t India had 4 million acres of flax under cultivation primarily for the p r o d u c tion of linseed apart from large a r e a s under hemp and sunn hemp. Thus, largo quan tities of flax a n d hemp could be* made available for spinning with cotton if their ultimate fibers could be freed from g u m m y and resinous matter. Various processes of cottonizing harsh vegetable fibers are therefore worthy of thorough investiga tions. It was also made plain that differences ID anatomical structure have consider able influence on economic production of cellulose. At the Forest Research» Insti tute, Dehra Dun, the anatomy of t i m b e r s in relation to commercial uses forms t h e special subject of s t u d y . Waste jute or jute products may form a supplementary source of supply of cellulose, since this fiber is richer in cellulose, contains less lignin, and is more easily purified than WOOd.
V. S . SWAMINATHAN
5 Finding Rd., Bedford Lonaon ΤΓ4, England
Park
Status of Polish Chemical Industries Poland's chemical industry is now or ganized under various unions. Sonne pro
duction statistics; for year ended June 30, 1946, a r e given below. In the mineral or inorganic chemistry union the chief diffi culties, as usual, were lack of raw material and skilled labor. During the year, how ever, i t was able to obtain 140,000 tens of coal, 137,000 of common salt, 33,000 of coke, 60,000 of pyrites, a n d 183,000 of limestone, and employed a b o u t 6,500 per sons. P l a n t and equipment need repair and renewal, and for the y e a r s 1947-49, a capital investment of 10O million zlotys (prewar value) is proposed. Prewar out put has been in some instances surpassed. It is hoped t o find an expanding market for inorganic chemicals in Russia. T h e group has 15 factories, of which 13 are working. The fertilizer g r o u p also has 15 factories, of which two a r e for nitrogen and the re mainder mainly phosphatie, though some handle both. Of the former the largest is that of Chorzow with a capacity of about 35,000 tons ci' n i t r a t e and ammonia. T h e phosphate factories did not start regular production until 1946, during the first half of which t h e o u t p u t was 75,000 tons, as compared with prewar capacity of 1.2 million tons—which was, however, seldom reached. I t is estimated t h a t Polish agri culture requires 150,000 tons a year of combined nitrogen, 165,000 tons of phos phoric anhydride, a n d 260,000 tons of pot ash. I t is hoped to increase o u t p u t of ni trogen from 50,000 tons in 1946-47 to 133,000 tons in 1949-50 and of phosphates t o 150,000 tons by 1950, but potash will
" P R E C I S I O N " - FREAS
GRAVITY
CONVECTION
OVE£s Designed for dependable, h e a v y - d u t y , température
performance»
constant
"Precision.*'-Freas
Gravity
Convection Ovens arc finding ever-inexcasing use in the modern laboratory. For baking, evaporating, sterilizing, moisture tests, heat-treating, annealing a n d conditioning, these ovens offer a degree of temperarure accuracy and uniformity unequalled by any compatrable
have to be imported, though it is hoped to find some indigenous deposits before long. In t h e organic and pharmaceutical union there are about 20 factories employing just over 2,000, but o u t p u t in 1945-46 was small. It w a s hoped t o double output of dyes—that is to say, reaching about 250 to 3O0 tons per month. Plant a n d skilled workers and chemists arc lacking. There is also a relatively small explosives industry of which the monthly capacity is about 1,370 tons, but o u t p u t i n 1945-46 was only 5 3 % of capacity, and that of fuse and detonators was not much higher. The rubber union has about 12 factories, with 4,000 workers, a n d present output of some 5,000 tons, which should be increased to 18,000 in 1949. T h e three-year reconstruction plan envisaged a new factory for synthetic rubber with capacity of 8,000 tons. Paint and varnish arc made in 14 factories with 6,000-ton capacity and the union has established a new polytechnic school at Gliwice for training workers. There was serious lack of raw material in 1945-46, but it is stated t h a t 13,000 tons of zinc white was exported during the year, and it is hoped also to increase production and export of zinc chloride. A sales center has been organized for the whole chemical industry. Felix Topolski, general director of Central Coal Board, recently stated in Warsaw (Oct. 27) t h a t the Polish coal industry would do i t s utmost to increase supplies of coal for Europe. Output in 1945 was 20 million tons, in 1946, 47 million tons, and for first nine months of this year nearly 43 million tons, which it is hoped will reach t o more than 60 million tons for 1947. If they could import from other countries more coal-mining machinery o u t p u t could probably be still greater. Kxports were 15 million tons in 1946, and 19 million tons for first nine months in 1947. Home consumption has greatly increased, owing t o development of Polish chemical a n d other indust ries. Leaders of t h e coal industry assign three reasons for increased output:- nationalization of mines, mechanization, and spirit of competition of the Stakhanov kind. This last is said t o have stimulated double and triple outputs in some mines, and i t is hoped to apply t h e same stimulant to other industries so t h a t the targets of the three-year plan will be realized. W. G. CASS Princes
Risborough,
England
equipment.
"Precision"-Freas ovens feature positive automatic temperature control by means of an ex
