The new enterprise. (Madison, Fla.) 1901-1908, 1903-01-15
UTILIZING OF WASTE
PROGRESS IN sY-PRooycTs' MANU-
FAcTURE IN RECENT YEAHS

The worid's Increment Of WeaIth he
pendent Upon Ffndiug Econon zeal uses
for Industrial rubstase-- - ways 10
witch Refuse Il made Productive.
The following extracts are taken
from a report by Henry 7. Kittredgo
Of Boston 10 the director OF the cen.
aus upon the utilization OF wastes and
by-products In manufactures. Mr. Kit.
tredge Is a weil-known expert in man
ufacturing processes:
Nothing in the arts Of manufac'
ture Is more indicative Of economic
effciencies than tie utilization OF pro
ducts that have been rejected as waste
or residues In the industrial processes.
The acme Of Industrial economy Is the
profitable employment Of every atom
Of materially In whatever form II may
be presented or however obtained.
Every particle Of an organic or NOR
ganic substance has a useful part 70
play In contributing to human necessi'
ties or pleasures. and when 1t per-
forms no function toward some use.ul
end, or remains dormant, 1t shows tlat
the ingenuity and enterprise Of man
have not reached their fullest deyel-
opment, or that the arts Of the labora-
tory have not revealed all the secrets
Of nature.
FOR nearly a century the worlds
main supply Of soap depended on soda,
which was obtained az a product OF
the sulphuric-acid industry. Ectwith-
standing soap was known 10 the an
clients, II was regarded even in the
middle ages as a luxury, and when il
was not readily Obtained. the lack Of
cleanliness was concealed by fire
clothes and by perfumes. The coda
Industry being brough. TO a standstiIl
in France during the French reyolu-
ton, the national convention Of taat
country appealed 10 the chemists TO
discover some method for making soda
from common salt, which had been
shown by Du Hamel, In 1876, to con.
tain the same base as soda. About
40 years thereafter Schesle found that
caustic coda could be obtained from
salt by the action Of lead oxide; but
the production Of soda by chemical =,
processes was unlmportant from an
Industrial standpoint until lie Blanc
secured results tAat gave 10 the world
one Of its principal industries. His
discovery was based upon the treat.
ment Of chloride Of sodium vita sui.
phuric acid, forming hydrochloric
acid and sulphate Of soda. The hydro.
chlorlc acid was regarded as a by
product Of 30 little value that IL was
allowed 10 pass OF into the air, to the
great detriment Of vegetation in the
neighborhood. To remedy this evil
the English government took action
against the soda works 10 compel
them 10 condense the acid and keep
IL out Of the way, and this led in
directly 10 the discovery that hydro
chloric acid could be used as a vslua
bic agent in the bleaching industry,
which, however, was at that time far
from having attained It's present height
Of development.
THE choicest perfumes that are
placed upon the market are no doubt
obtained from oils and others extract
ed from flowers; but there are many
others which are artifcially made,
many out Of bed-smelIing elements
The fusel oil obtained IN the distilla-
tion Of spirits has an odor that is
peculiarly disagreeable. yet 1t is used,
after treatment with proper acids and
oYidIzing agents, In making the oil
Of apples and tn. oil Of pears; and
the oil Of grapes I'D the oil Of cognac
are little more than fuseI oil dlluteJ.
OIL cf pineapple Is best made by the
action Of Dutrld cheese on sugar, or
by 1iBtiling rancid butter with alcohol
and gulphuric acid. One Of the most
popular perfumes may be obtained
from one OF the products Of gas tar.
out Of which is also obtained the oil |
Of bitter almonds, 80 largely CONSUMED |
in the manufacture Of perfumed soap
and confectionery.
The refuse Of cities throughout the |
civilized world Is now generally col. !
lected and disposed OF for sanitary |
reasons, though in many Instances |
It Ia utilized 70 good advantage for |
Industrial purposes. The collection |
OF this refuse has been made only |
within a comparatively few years, but |
is now carried on systematically, being
more or less self-supporting and ad.
vantageous from an industrial point |
OF view. Formerly this refuse was
simply accumulated and disposed Of
by burning, or casting into streams or
onto waste land. Now. bones plass