Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1907-02-08
How Waste is Turned Into Money.

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In discussion OF waste utiliza-
ton 1t is customary to begin with
that shining example Of what can be
accomplished along these nnes-the
eoal-tar industry. A few years ago
the thick, black, viscid liquid which
,ondenses in the pipes during the dis
.illation of gas from coal, was not
Dnly waste and useless, but its re-
noval was a positive nuisance and a
source of trouble and expense. To-
lay this tar on further distillation
ields a series of products each of
which is the basis for a valuable
identical manufacture. Among these
PRODUCTS are paraffine, naphtha, ben
lol, creosote, anthracene, carbolic
lcid, naphthalene and pitch. Basic
Ill of coal tar is the source of the
Dplendid aniline colors, the various
1ues of which are due to the oxida-
ion of aniline by means of acids or
)ther chemicals. The utilization of
jome of these products has called
INTO being entirely new industries in
he manufacture of dyes, perfumes,
indictments, antiseptics, paving ma
erials and fuels.
! 1t is undoubtedly true that no
ranch of science has contributed
more to our knowledge of the waste
ialues than chemistry, and very
arge number of the great advances
AVE been made along chemical lines.
One of the most important of these
vas LIE Blanc's discovery that the
treatment of chloride of sodium
common salt-with sulphuric acid
rave hydrochloric acid and sulphate
# soda. This led to the upbuilding
# one Of the worlds greatest indus
ries of to-day, that of soap making,
which formerly had been limited to
he soda derived from the sulphuric
cid manufacture. Hydrochloric
lcid, at first waste, was soon found
be a valuable agent in bleaching.
originally, however, this use was not
Intensive, and it was necessary to
mploy decomposing agent to OBJ
ain the chlorine from the acid. This
gent was binoxide of manganese;
Ind while the products of the decom-
position other than chlorine were at
lrst allowed to go to waste, COM
llete system of reclamation was soon
developed.
The use of furnace Stag, in former
ears not only useless but expensive
remove as well, is becoming more
GENERAL for various commercial pur-
loses, and the field for further de-
'elopment is excellent. At present,
Quantities of this material are made
nto bricks, paving stones, cements
md used as fertilizer. Stag wool,
made by blowing steam through a
ltream of melted Stag, is splendid
Notwithstanding material. The heat
n the Stag as it runs from the fur
lace has also been used in various
Fays. A good example of metallurgi-
al waste utilization is found in the
production of pure tin, good weldable
ron, ammoniac and Prussian blue
rom the waste clippings of iron. The
Introduction of the gas engine offers
xcellent means for employing waste
'last-furnace gases, though these
lave previously been made use of in
Their ways.
Few indeed are the industries
which have developed utilization of
ly-products to such state of per-
ection as has the slaughtering indus
ry. 1t is no exaggeration to say
hat the animal slaughtered is used
rom the tip of the horn to the hair
t the end of the tail. The quantity
md variety of the products from for
nerly useless portions of the car
asses are almost incredible. Some
# these are gelatine, glue, fertilizers,
lair, bristles, meats foot oil, bones,
lorns, hoofs, glands and membranes
rom which are obtained pepsin, thy
aus, thyroids, panereatin, parotid
substances, capsules, etc., soap-stock,
| Tlycerine, isinglass, albumen and
lides, skin, wool and intestines.
The numbering industry now turns
nost of its waste products to useful
purposes. The principal one of these
wastes is sawdust, and this trouble
ONE material now yields many valu-
| bic articles. One of the compare
lively recent enterprises in this di-
ection is the distillation of sawdust
n acetic acid, wood naphtha, wood
| lcohol, gas, oil, charcoal and tar, the
asst yielding the bases for certain ami
| inc colors. The sawdust may be
burned in special furnaces or mixed
With other material to form fuel. 1t
made into artificial wood, used in
ne manufacture of explosives, of
leat-insulating material, in plaster,
md largely in paper making. In the
)aper industry, too, many substances,
wastes in the past, are usefully en-
| )loyed to-day. The recovery of the
ulphite liquor from wood cellulose
actories has been the subject of
many researches and inventions, and
! While numbers of these are ingenious
md partially successful, much still
emains to be done in this field. The
! )aper manufacturer now utilities hun
lreds of thousands of tons OF old
newspapers, old stock, waste paper,
itc., which would otherwise be prac-
ically valueless.
The utilization of wastes on an
.normous scale, but of which the
general public knows very little, oc-
,urs in the wooden industry. The
principal articles of waste are wooden
rags and wool grease. The 1rss are
| seconverted into wool, and used
lgain and again in the manufacture
If cloth in an endless untraceable
circle. The wool grease is employed
n many industries and yields oils,
ats, acids, potassium salts and other
elements of recognized value in arts
Ind manufacturing 1t is estimated
hat the enormous quantity of nearly