The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-06-09
FERTILIZER FROM
AIR IS NOW A FACT
NITRIC ACID MANUFACTURER
WITH EASE FROM THE
ArMospHERE-
PLANT AT NlTRoLEE
ELECTRIC POWER EXTRACTS
AGENT FROM AIR WHICH CAN
BE APPLIED TO COM
MERCIAL USE

CuARr 0TTF, June s.---Transnuta-
ton OF air into fertilizer. the erst-
while mad dream of the twentleth
century alchemist. is an aecompEsheo
miracle. Its successful commerclai
application has been undertaken
within the past several weeks at
Nitrol oe. S. c., L. s. a.
Bottles containing a light coioreo
liuuid which found an exposure 10
air. with n sharp irritating odor, nave
been passed about ON the streets or
Charlotte. Many jeers have met Inc
statement that this liquid was MADE
of air, and nothing but air such
is the fntt- however; the hahid Is
nitric acid, manufactured enureiE
from elements found In the atinos-
phere, through the agency OF the eiac
vic orc: ana coastitutes the first step
In the process Of manufacturing COM
mercial fertilizer from the air.
An Electric Process.
The name n!trolee suGScTts the es-
spntjal character of the process ~hich
has proved markedly successf III as
employed in the plant at the south
Carolina town. The process eois'a's
hrieniv. In energizing by means of the
electric arc, the inert element nitro
four fffths of the atmosphere. Since
the chemical element nitroEs is the
valuable constituent Of the fertili2er
produced for plant food, the puripse
in the process ie - make the vast
surply of nitrogen which exists In the
atmosphere. In Il form not dssimiiahie
by plants, available.
The details of tho process are easily
understood even by those not familiar
with chemical terms and reactions
IT is a matter of common education
that the atmosphere IL composed APP
proximatcly OF one-fifth oxygen In adj
dition TO the four-nfths nitrogen
While nitrogen Is an essential plant
food, oxygen is the element essential
to animal life, Nitrogen as II exists
in the atmosphere, however. is said
to be inert. and the only function
hitherto attributed to 1t Is the dilu-
ton OF the oxygen to the proper
strength for animal consumption.
In other words the atmospheric nj
trog.n In chemically inactive unas-
simible by growing plants. in con-
trast with the nitrogen In chemical
combination in Chill saitpeter, which
Is used on so enormous a scale for
fertilizer that 1t 10 calculated the en-
tire supply in the world will be *
hausted within the next twenty years
Assimilation Problem.
With the rapid exhaustion Of the
natural supply OF piant-ava'ia'ie
nitrogen In the form of sodium
nitrete. or as It IL known CONNER
caliy, Chila saltpeter. II has been,
therefore, for many years matter
OF the greatest importance to discover
some method whereby tho lIsxhaus-
tibie supply OF nitrogen In the air
could be made assimilab BILE for plants.
thin tho last few years methcd
to that end has been DEVISED and
successfully applied CONNER ciaily. In
this method blast OF afr 10 blown
across an electric arc between two
carbon electrodes. In the intense
heat OF the electric arc, heat which
ia as high as thirty-five nundred de-
grees tentigrnds, the nitrogen In
active at ordinary temperature ht-
comes active and combines With the
oxygen present to form oxidss Of nj
troTen. The further stages Of tho
process are concerned simply with
the absorption OF these oxides, which
ccme from the electric arc IN gaseous
condition. in water, thereby forming
nitric acid. The liquid acid II then
/, eated with ordinary Limestone, whom
the desired nitrate Of lime 70 obtained.
Where Power Ii Cheap.
The most serious drawback tn the
the tremendous disproportion between
the amount ct electrical energy am.
picyed. and the amount II aoiA nsA-