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Brazilian babassu industry to be a c t i v a t e d b y f o r e i g n k n o w - h o w a n d investments . . . India opens h u g e artificial f e r t i l i z e r p l a n t T7ECETABLE oil companies from the U. S., * Canada, and Europe have been invited to participate in development of Brazil's babassu resources. The invitations were the outgrowth of a special study of the babassu situation commissioned by the Brazilian President last fall. Point Four Administrator Henry G. Bennett had said that the babassu "has potentialities that could bring it to an economic importance almost on a par with coffee" and that "oil extracted from babassu nuts is rich in practically all the elements needed in making plastics, detergents, and other important materials." Babassu. groves grow over half of Maranhao and about 2 billion trees are nut bearing. The babassu nut, which grows on palms in the states of Maranhao, Piaui, and other areas of Brazil, has long been considered as a basis for a billion-dollar business, but technical problems have held up development. The leading operators on the .international vegetable oil market have agreed to name technicians to come to Brazil and talk over the proposals with Brazilian government representatives. At the same time the Brazilian government, through the Farm Credit Bureau, will help out present babassu producers and smaller firms who want to participate in industrialization of the product. It is recognized that the investors will be confronted with serious problems in transportation, warehousing, dock facilities, and labor. The government may set up a special department to oversee the problems of industrialization of babassu. Another plan suggests the setting up of a Babassu Institute, something like the Bahia Cocoa Institute.
planned that will permit the plant to operate at full capacity utilizing the lower grades of gypsum available in India. Associated with the new plant is a complete township constructed by the Indian government and a nearby engineering college established by the state government of Bihar. The township consists of 40 staff bungalows, 800 workmen's quarters, all with modern facilities and electricity, schools, stores, hospital and recreational facilities, and some six miles of roads. The college, which operates in close association with the plant, offers courses in chemical, mechanical, and electrical engineering. With both the plant and college in operation, it is possible for the first time for substantial numbers of Indian nationals to receive complete training in their own nation in chemical engineering, power house engineering, and heavy plant maintenance. The Sindri plant consists of an 80,000 kw. power generating station (of which 3600 kw. will be used for the fertilizer plant and the remainder for the Bihar
grid), a gas plant which will generate 33 million cubic feet of hydrogen and nitrogen, an ammonia synthesis plant where the two gases are combined to produce 300 tons of anhydrous ammonia per day, and a sulfate rplant where ground gypsum is reacted with ammonia and carbon dioxide to produce the ammonium sulfate fertilizer along with calcium carbonate as a by-product. The government plans construction of a plant to utilize the by-product, calcium carbonate, for production of 30O tons per day of high quality Portland cement. Additional projects now being considered by the government include facihties lor production of ammonium nitrate, urea, methanol, formaldehyde, and other products. The Bihar government is considering construction of a phosphatic fertilizer plant nearby which would use some of the intermediates to be produced.
Uranium from Gold Tailings Investigated A large central plant for the treatment of gold mine tailings in order t o produce uranium is being erected at Johannesburg, South Africa. Strict secrecy is imposed regarding uranium operations, according to the Financial Times, London, but it 'is understood that production is expected to begin in late 1952. With loan funds granted by the S. A. Atomic Energy Board, expenditure for extraction of uranium at the plant was almost $1,680,000 up to the end of 1951.
Increased Cuban Sugar Y i e l d s Hoped for w i t h N o n i o n i c Surfactant Rogelio Guillot, center, Cuban consul in Michigan, sees off first shipment of Pluronic F-68 to Cuba for tests in leading sugar mills there. Pluronic F-68 is one of a series of nonionic surfactants which are enjoying exceptional success in cosmetics, dentrifices, and in dishwashing, laundry, and metal cleaning products. Dr. Guillot expressed hope that increased sugar yields could b e obtained through use of the new chemical. Carl Paoifico, director of development, and Frank Hayward, export manager for Wyandotte, are with Dr. Guillot
India Manufactures Fertilizer A $50 million plant for the production of artificial fertilizers was opened in Sindri, Bihar, India, on March 2. Chemical Construction Corp. of New York designed and supervised building of the plant for the government of India. The plant when in full operation will produce more than 350,000 tons of ammonium sulfate per year, about one seventh of the nation's fertilizer needs. The Sindri plant was designed to provide for eventual expansion doubling entire output and for selective expansion to produce numerous additional chemicals which could be used as raw materials by other chemical plants. The plant is now operating at about one third of capacity because of a shortage of high-grade gypsum. The shortage stems from the partition of Pakistan and India. Changes in facilities are 1118
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