The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-01-03
LIVERPOOL CHEMICAL TRADE.
Given an Impetus by New Flee
tr6iSiie Process

troit .se Process.
Ia report 20 the State Ders-!s..-..r con-
corning the chemical trade Of hat distric-
OF England. Consul James Boyle SAYS.
For some months past there has been
an increasing activity in the chemical trade
o. This district-the largest and most i'm
poFtaHt Of Is kind In Great BritaiH-and
cutie recently an added impetus has been
given by the establishment Of works uejug
a new electrolytic process. Up TO a few
years ago the chemical trade OF this dis
trict was exceptionally prosperous. but nov
II has TO meet German composition. and
since the going into active operation Of the
present t2rin the expectations 10 the Uni
ted States have tremendously decreased.
During the ascal year ended June 90.
1898. there were exported 10 the United
States from this district alone chemicals 10
the value OF SS.J0l .269. During the fSral
year ended june %, 1889. the value was
only Sl.SS2, $50. The trade appears 10 rec
ognizc that * caa Heyer recover the Aneri-
can market. al least not to the extent
heretofore existing The Cadeavor is to
create new makets and TO meet comneti-
ton by more economical methods a. manu-
fac;ure.
There has Just been started al Farm
worth, near Liverpool. a new process OF
separating chlorine and sodium by TIE d.
rect decomposition of salt By electrOly-
SIS, without the introduction Of any other
ingredient Il is called the Hsrgreaves-
BIRD process The Liverpool Pos gives
me following explanation Of the me. bod.
Salt i submitted 10 4 suitable current
of electricity. and both the substances are
produced uumiNed and pure The salt used
Is In It's cheapest form. being that OF brine
pumped up from its native bed. the salt OF
which-deliveTed into the actual appa-
ratu5 OF the factOry-cCsts no more than
about cents per ton, as against 81 90. the
usual price Tor the rough salt used in the
older alkali works. The apparatus. or cell
IN which this is Effected Is a narrow tank.
the walls OF which are porous. Brine is
pumped into 10. and on the passage Of cleo
tricity solution OF soda flows slowly down
from the outside Of these wet walls. yield-
ing at once soda Crysl als: while the chic
rine IN like automatic manner passes away
for the production Of bleaching powder.
chLorate OF potash, or such other chlorine
compounds as may be required.
90 No raging furnace. no sulphur kfIrs
nor the nOXiOu5 fumes rising from such are
present. 30 waste materials are produced
unless as such De reckoued the ashes from
under the steam boilers which produce the
motive power for the generation OF the
electric current Even the smoke from
the boiler fires and the waste steam from
the engine are used IN carbonsting and dis
solving the soda thus formed. In the actual
production scarcely any hand labor is re-
CURED All moves On in silent regularity
and il Is only in the necessary handling
and packing up OF the materials produced
that labor comes in.
One distinction OF the cell is the pc
cUliar diaphragm used. Il is a sheet OF as
bestus composition. nOn-pOrous in the ordi-
nary sense of the term. but when forming
the walls Of the cell. the contents of which
are electrically excited, Il allows molecules
OF sodium hydrcNide TO pass, but very little
chloride.
1T is claimed that the above process is
much more economical and simple than the
former. including the rival electrolytie
methods. II is stated that the one differ
ence between the Hargreaves-B Bird process
and the Kastner- Keller process (which has
been is use in this district for some time)
is that mercury is used In the latter pro ess
but not IN the former Large sums OF mon
ey have been spent in experiments with
different electrolytic methods with varying
success. and it Is too early yet to say
whether the new process will meet ex-
pectations.
Speaking generally. however. the chem
ical trade of this district is now in a flour
ishing condition. and orders during the
last month have been exceptionally large
mostly. however, for home consumption.
Still. trade is not as good as il was ten
years ago. Since the great decrease in
shipments to the United States, eontinen-
tai orders have largely increased. in spite
of German competition. Most Of the new
orders have been from Germany. Russia,
and France. Present prospects are good
1.-THE salt trade is naturally closely al
lied with the chemical trade. Strange to
say. however. the salt trade has not fol-
lowed the chemical trade IN a resumption
OF comparative prospect y. For months past
attempts have been made to form a con-