The evening times., 1900-01-03
LIVERPOOL CHEMICAL TRADE
Given an Impetus by New Flee
trOIytic Process.


In report to the State Department con-
cerning the chemical trade Of that distric.
OF England. Consul James Boyle says:
For some months past there has been
an increasing activity in the chemical trade
of this district-the largest and most i'm
portant of its kind in Great Britain-and
quite recently an added impetus has been
given by the establishment of works using
new electrolytic process. Up TO few
years ago the chemical trade of this dis
trict was exceptionally prosperous: but nov
it has to meet German competition. and
since the going into active operation Of the
present tariff the expectations to the Uni
ted States have tremendously decreased.
During the fiscal year ended June so,
1898, there were exported to the United
States from this district alone chemicals 10
the value of 9.501 ,269 During the fiscal
year ended June 30. 1899. the value was
only 81, $50, $50 The trade appears to rec
ognize that it can never recover the Ameri-
can market at least not to the extent
heretofore existing. The endeavor is to
create new makets and to meet competi-
tion by more economical methods OF manu-
facture.
There has Just been started at Farm
worth, near Liverpool, a new process of
separating chlorine and sodium by the di-
/ rect decomposition of salt by electroly-
/ sis, without the introduction of any ther
ingredient. Ii is called the Hargreaves-
Bird process. The Liverpool Post gives
/ the following explanation of the method:
" Salt is submitted to suitable current
! OF electricity, and both the substances are
/ produced unmiXed and pure. The salt used
! is in its cheapest form. being that of brine
I pumped up from its native bed the salt OF
! which-delivered into the actual appa-
Tatus of the faCtOTy-CGsts no more than
about 6 cents per ton as against Size. the
usual price for the rough salt used in the
older alkal works. The apparatus. or cell
/ in which this is effected is a narrow tank,
| the walls of which are porous. Brine is
pumped into il. and on the passage of cleo
tricity a solution Of soda flows slowly down
| from the outside of these wet walls, yield
| ing at once soda crystals: 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.
| No raging furnace. no sulphur kilns.
nor the noXious fumes rising from such are
| present No waste materials are produced,
unless rs such be reckoned 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 carbouating and dis
| solving the soda thus formed In the actual
/ production scarcely any hand labor is re-
| quired. All moves On in silent regularity.
| and it 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
| cuIiar diaphragm used. 1t is 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, II allows molecules
| of sodium hydrcXide 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 electrolytic.
| methods. 1t is stated that the one differ
! ence between the Hargreaves- 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 process
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 flour
| ishng condition. and orders during the
| last month have been exceptionally large
| mostly, however, for home consumption.
| Still. trade is not as good as it was ten
! years ago. Since the great decrease in
| shipments to the United States, continen-
| 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.
"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 resumption
| of comparative prosperity. For months past
attempts have been made to form a com