Daily Kennebec journal., 1906-03-26
Monday, March 26, 1906
Fertilizer from the Air.

Fertilizer from the Air.
Science is doing some remarkable
things in these times, but one of the
queerest things i'm the line Of scientific
achievement, and certainly the lates,
in the line of scientific agriculture, is
the extraction Of farm fertilizer from
the air. The story comes from Nor
way and we are positively assured that
the scheme bears no relation to the
Jernigan scheme for the extraction OF
gold from sea water which was tried
on the Maine coast not long ago. The
Scandinavians are in the front rank in
all lines Of scientific activity and they
claim that in a little establishment uh-
der the picturesque waterfall OF
Svaclgfcs they have in operation a set
Of machinery which will eventually
revOIutionize the agriculture of the
world. The most conspicuous feature
OF this as yet diminutive factory is
row of great flaring electric arcs ar
ranged for tearing the nitrogen from
the air so that it can be turned into
fertilizer.
The basis Of most fertilizers Is nitro
pen- and. as this gas constitutes about
n Der cent. of the atmosphere and oc-
ours nowhere else, apart from animal
activity. in an available form. except as
comparatively rare and narrowly dis
tributed mineral salts, such as the nitre
beds of Chill, the final source of this
essential soil food must be the atmos-
phere For many years efforts have
been made to tap this great supply, but
until the recent operations of Birke-
landc and Eyde of Christiania, without
practical success.
Since the spring Of last year. how
ever. their factory at Notodden has
been in commercial operation, and the
rracticabiiity Of this atmospheric min
ing. where cheap water power is avail
able. NAV be considered proved. The
works are already being enlarged. and,
Acco riding to Prof. Otto Witt, the arti-
fetal product can now compete in the
general, market with Chilli saltpetre.
and will every year. as the work in
ereases in size. be better able to do SO.
The mvdus operandi Of. the process Is
described by a writer in the New York
Globe as follows. A great. flat, far
ing. splutterinS electric arc, four or
Gve feet in diametcr-that is, as large
in surface as a good-sized door-is
formed between the poles Of powerful
electro magnet. Air is blown through
this sheet Of flame and energies full of
nitric oxide fumes. the molecule of
nitrogen being broken in two and COM
bininc with the oxygen. These fumes
are then absorbed by water to form
nitric acid, or by quicklime. when
nitrate of lime results. The products of
tEcse substances. in several forms, arc
known as Norwegian saltpetrc. and ex-
pertinent shows them TO be as good fer
tilizers as the Chill salts.
K oh, iouSly. the raw material for this
unique manufacturing process not only
costs nothing but is constantly supplied
at the door of the furnace without even
freight charges, the only t.xed opefat'
Ing expense being that for electric
power, which at Notodden is very low
the current necessary to make a pound
Of calcium nitrate costing about cent
and . half. with the promise that this
figure will be reduced 50 per cent. In
the future.
This remarka BILE achievement of the
Norwegian scientists. which opens the
atmosphere TO a new variety Of exploit
alton and is almost certain to fint
niany other applications besides the
manufacture Of fertilizers. is another
illustration of the frequently forgotten
fact that the laboratory experiment o
today may be the manufacturing proc
ess Of tomorrow.