Repository: UIHistories Project: Magazine - Illinois Chemist (1922 Selections) [PAGE 21]

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freshman chemistry days wo learn hal sulphurie acid was the greal barometer o£ industry « tact, of civil ition itself. Ai thai time, to be sure, , m r ideas on this subject were quite hazy, but since ^ n ' w e have come to realize that Literally hundreds come> to that literally then w e ' " of industries are dependent upon this important chemical. Fundamental materials such as copper, stee I;;;,,; ":Z^r^"fertilizers cannot be produced . w m t i o s without sulphuric acid. This 1,1111 ' ai the very foundation of all chemical. - - . product lies

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Picture of Industry Completeing the element. Monthly flgui aim pub

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industries. But all these things air well known even to the average layman and would not be worth the repeating' here were it not for their bearing on a problem which is now confronting our industries. When Mr. Hoover became Secretary of Commen vone of his first ambitions was to organize a statistical service which would give the business men of the country a ready and accurate picture of industry. Such a picture meant current figures on the production and consumption of all the basic commodities of commerce. In a large measure Mr. Hoover's plans have been successful. Manufacturers, consumers, trade associations and statistical bureaus have given fully of their information. But there has been one conspicuous and outstanding failure. The picture of industry has been complete except for one important

,.|, coal, cotton and I, corn ,„i » Butthi itUr er> i" ' i'" per,petroleum all th« industry is lackin Th< ch<;mi I ind , or o n e 0f i! i principal component alone 1 n-f(J ,.() r a t e with the - .ramerce Dcpa J the in,lush-, arc entitled to no the » f0rf refusal. We have I n told thai it bee, ^ tacturer who is refusing to give will ,,-, „„; j ^ tion to the ^advantage the produeer. We m pect, however, that the reason u rhe big felloe already 1 his own in rmational servic nd doesn wanl to share it with tin- little fellow who can't afford

such costly faciliti , There is another thing which any manufacturer who is refusing t< jive figun hould k p in mind. If enough of the other ind' of the country insisi that they have a real 1 d for this information, the department is g to %e\ it for I m. A apathetic « which has all idy shown i willingm to back up .Mr. Hoover work with increased appropriations will not hesit enact legislation that will compel the giving information. The acid makers whose selfish motivi have alreadv

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done damage to th good name of the chemical inch tries may yet be made to realize their sort- htedne* Chemical and Meall / / gim ing.

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NEW PROCESS PROMISES CUT IX ACID COSTS "The Packed Cell Process for Sulphuric A c i d " which appears in the current number of Chemical & Metallurgical Engineering describes a 25-ton plant (wihch has been operating on this new principle for the past two years at Anaconda, Mont.) The consumption of sulphuric acid has been many times charcterized as the index of a country's civilization. It is used on almost every article we use, whetl • it be our Ford, our dinner or our clothes! The fertilizers u I to grow our farm products, and the paints used to protect and beautify our houses are dependent on sulphuric acid. Much of the acid made today is produced in so,led ^ 'chamber p l a n t s / ' the central feature of which plac^ and thereby saves enough lead to s j n k a shin are huge lead-lined chambers. This new procesa1 crowds a lot of action into a small J'or it eliminates the lead chambers entirely of the cost of a chainb. plant. Its operating cost is the same, while maintenance ' are probably less. The ground spa. [llired, more over, is illy 30 to 40 per cent of that required by the lead-chamber proc < plain of tin ;ame capacity. This article is of interest to buyers of sulphuric acid, pointing out as it do, a coming eclips I an old method, and lower production costs. ELECTRIC PIG [RON O V E R C O M E S LACK OF COKE IX C A L I F O R N I A The -May 3rd issue of Chem. . Met. will report the V ymposium on electrical pig iron production which the

American Electrochemical Society conducted at it spring meeting in Baltimore April 27, 1922, The ordinary method of producing pig iron from

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has been by heating the ore with coke.

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Much cheaper sulphuric acid is forecast.' The n ^ of the two years of operation indicate that the cost of Producing chamber-plant acid ($1 11 Der ton

w o u l d b e ^ H p e r t o n i n a p a e . o . d e e , , p h m j ( ; s i MIUI1 capacity. " A packed e,|| plant. e;in he built, at r , 0 , ( , ( ; 0 per cent

localities, ore is abundant, while coke must be snippy 1,1 f r m p long distances if it is to be used. Undersuch

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" ' - - foe Use of eoke is one

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is in Buoh a situation

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and also electricity. Calif o r n i a has been one of the pioneer I , k , 7 ' ' °° * HOI being available, the el

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i '- produce p|« iron,