New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1909-03-31
Lumber Waste Used in Manu-.
tacture Of Wood Pulp.
SPENT YEARS EXPERIMENTING
Discovery Made by Professor at
State University.

One of the most significant indus
trial discoveries Of recent years has
just been acknowledged by Dean
George B. Frankforter of the college
of chemistry of the University of Min
nesOta. 1t means, say experts, that
the United States will produce hun
dred times as much wood pulp paper
as was believed possible. 1t means
that every cord of fir lumber will
yield $40 profit on by-products alone
and that the greater part of the so
per cent of tree now wasted will
be turned into dollars and cents. 1t
means huge plants and new industries.
C. A. Smith of the G.. A. Smith Tim
Der company is almost the sole sharer
with DR.. Frankforter of the process.
So convinced is he of the enormous
commercial value of the discovery
that an experimental plant will be
constructed this summer in the West,
to be followed Immediately by the
building of mammoth plant.
The processes are already patented,
two final patents having just been
granted. After the experimental plant
is in operation it is probable that a
large company will be formed, but
there is no stock for sale.
DR.. Frankforter has experimental
on these processes for twelve years.
The perfected process consists of TAX
ing small pieces of waste wood or
sawdust, laying it on a steel incline
over furnace and subjecting it to a
chemical process of distillation Car
bon disulphide, or gasoline, is poured
over the sawdust, dissolvlng the tur-
pentine and resin, which pass off as
gases into coil of pipes leading to a
tank.
Similar to Sugar Process.
The process is similar to the dis
tillation Of sugar Wood pulp re-
mains, free from pitch, and eminently
suitable for the manufacture of paper
The existing methods of distillation
left the pulp in the form of charcoal
DR.. Frankforter extracted from one
cord of Norway pine, worth $3.50, tur-
pentine worth $41.60 and wood pulp
worth $50, Or yield of $50 from $3.50
worth of raw material.
The story of the discovery reads
like a story book Walking one day
in 1890 through the pine woods of the
northern part of Minnesota DR.. Frank
forter noted an old stump which gave
out an odor strangely unlike that of
the ordinary turpentine. He tofk a
sample back to the university, showed
it to friend in the faculty who hap
pened also to be friend Of Weyer-
haeuser, and mentioned his desire to
experiment further. Within week a
milk can filled with the pitch of the
Norway pine-for it was that that he
| had taken home-was sent him. He
set to work. The then known process
Of distillation consisted in boiling the
! wood until the pitch was separated
and the wood left as charcoal. Neither
! of these substances had much com
mercial value. He then happened
upon the present process. Later he
erected a small experimental plant
near his home and capitalists, inter
ested, came to his assistance. The
discovery of the process of making
wood pulp came like flash.
The experimental plant to be con
structed this summer is not to deter
mine the value of the processes. Tha
is settled. 1t is only to ascertain how
| a larger plant should be built