Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1907-01-31
WASTE PUT TO GOOD USE.
Millions of Dollars Saved in Various
Kinds of Ryproducts

Millions of Dollars Saved in Various
Kinds of Byproducts.
Great changes have taken place in re
cent years in making use of what was
once considered absolutely waste mate
| rial and as a result many millions Of
dollars have been added to the wealth
of the nation
Sawdust was looked upon at one time
as waste material, but during the last
few years a process has been discoy-
cred which has given sawdust a vale
| greater than that of solid lumber. BY
the use of hydraulic pressure and in
| tense heat the particles are formed
| into solid mass capable of being mold
| ed into any shape and of receiving a
brilliant polish. The only materials
used are sawdust, alum and glue. I'M
| itation marble can be manufactured
| from mixture of sawdust with ivory
waste, water, glass and glue. In Nor
way acetic acid, wood naphtha. tar and
| alcohol are produced on commercial
! scale out of sawdust.
Factories have been erected in this
| country and in Europe for converting
| pine needles into forest wool This is
used for mattresses and furniture, for
| manufacture into hygienic articles such
as undervests and chest protectors.
The principal use of sawdust seems
| destined to be in the production of SUI
| gar and alcohol. 1t is practically pure
| nplll,Ioca oaci1u info
| those products. For many years btu
| minous coal opeatOrs threw away
| slack as waste. Now it commands at
| the mines 70 cents ton. The increase
| is largely due to the demand coming
from makers of cement. Formerly they
bought lump coal and pulverized it.
! Now they use slack. Quartz rock was
| not long ago considered worthless. Now
| glass is made from it. Collins, tomb
stones, bricks, things and similar arti-
cles can be made Of this glass.
Packing establishments have a long
| list of byproducts. The blood of the
slaughtered animals is CONCEALED and
| manufactured into buttons and is also
| utilized in the production of albumen
for the use of calico printers, the sugar
refiner the tanner and others. The
bones ae used for a score of different
purposes being manufactured into
| knife and toothbrush handles, chess
men, combs. backs of brushes mouth
| pieces of pipes and various other arti-
| cles.
Black hoofs are used in the manufac-
| ture of cyanide of potassium for gold
| extraction and also ground up to make
| fertilizer. Many articles, such as glue,
| fly paper. sandpaper, gelatine. ISM
| glass, curled hair, bristles, wool felt,
| laundry soap, ammonia, etc, are now
made from the former waste products
| of the abattoir.
The annual value of the byproducts
| of the packing industry, all of which
| are manufactured out Of what was con-
sidered waste material thirty years
ago. is approximately 100000. Cot
ton seed not very long ago was waste
matter, giving considerable trouble to
get rid of, but in 1900 the byproducts
| from cotton seed We're valued in this
country at more than $42,OOO,OOO,
which has probably doubled by this
| time. An official of the Standard Oil
! Company is authority for the statement
| that for the last ten years more than
| one half Of the profits OF the company
ture of byproducts.